The Associated Press has named Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh their Coach of the Year for the 2019 season. It’s an exclamation point on a season in which Harbaugh and the Ravens posted a franchise-best 14-2 record and claimed the No. 1 seed in the AFC for the first time.
Baltimore exceeded all expectations for this season, largely in part to the changes Harbaugh helped make on offense. After years of struggling with a standard run-first offense and traditional quarterback, Harbaugh and the Ravens went all-in on quarterback Lamar Jackson and his unique skillset. It was a decision that was largely panned over the offseason but created a dynamic and exciting offense.
The gutsy call ended up paying dividends immediately for Baltimore this season, as they led the league in points scored and were second in total yards. In a league that has quickly become pass-happy, Harbaugh and the Ravens doubled down on the old-school philosophy and ran the football with aggression and speed, breaking a 41-year old record for the most single-season rushing yards by a team.
Harbaugh also helped lead the NFL into more analytics-driven decision making this season, being viewed by many as the face of football analytics. Relying on the newly created department of statisticians and analytic whizzes, Harbaugh and Baltimore got impressive results. The Ravens were the most aggressive offense on fourth downs, going for it 24 times in the regular season and converting on 17 of them. The 70.8% conversion rate on fourth downs topped the entire NFL and helped keep drives alive, ultimately ending in more points for Baltimore.
Harbaugh has been widely considered to be one of the top coaches in the NFL over his 12 seasons with the Ravens but he stepped up his game in 2019 and was deserving of this recognition.
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