Tag: John Harbaugh

How Mike Zimmer’s multi-year contract extension impacts the Eagles’ Doug Pederson

Minnesota Vikings finalizing a multi-year contract extension with head coach Mike Zimmer

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The NFL is predicated on high-profile quarterbacks and coaches who are able to manage the personalities of 53 players, his staff, and a bevy of other distractions.

Doug Pederson is one of the top head coaches in the NFL and although he received a contract extension during the summer of 2018 after leading the Birds to the Super Bowl, he appears to be a bit underpaid in some circles.

After leading the Eagles to their third straight playoff appearance in 2019, Pederson might be in line for a new deal after the Minnesota Vikings started formalizing a multi-year contract extension with head coach Mike Zimmer.

Zimmer has a 59-41 record, including playoffs, and he’s the third-winningest coach in Vikings history behind the late Dennis Green (101-70) and the legendary Bud Grant (161-99).

With Zimmer at the helm, the Vikings have had one of the top defensive units in the NFL. What The Vikings and Zimmer don’t have in that timeframe is a Super Bowl.

In his six seasons as coach of the Vikings, Zimmer has made the playoffs three times, including winning two NFC North Division crowns. Pederson has led the Eagles to the playoffs in three straight seasons, including a Super Bowl in 2017.

As of today, Pederson isn’t in the top-10 highest-paid coaches in football or the top-20 highest paid in sports despite his playoff prowess.

1. Bill Belichick: $12 million
2. Pete Carroll: $11 million
3. Jon Gruden: $10 million
4. Sean Payton: $9.8 million
5. John Harbaugh: $9 million
6. Matt Rhule: $8.5 million
7. Sean McVay: $8.5 million
T-8. Mike Tomlin: $8 million
T-8. Dan Quinn: $8 million
T-8. Andy Reid: $8 million

Pederson is 38-26 over his first four seasons and hasn’t had a losing season since his first season as a head coach back in 2016. The Eagles rarely have contract disputes with coaches but it’ll be interesting to see how Howie Roseman proceeds with Pederson having two-years remaining on his current deal.

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Eagles Doug Pederson lands behind Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay in ranking of the top-10 head coaches in the NFL

Doug Pederson is No. 9 in CBS Sports ranking of NFL head coaches

Doug Pederson has accomplished a lot in his brief stint as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, but the former NFL backup is still searching for his respect around the league.

In a ranking of NFL head coaches by CBS Sports, Pederson landed in the top-10 at No. 9 but landed behind some notable names like Kyle Shanahan (49ers) and Sean McVay (Rams).

The list went according to plan but got confusing after Shanahan landed at No. 5 ahead of names like Mike Tomlin, Pete Carroll, and of course, Pederson.

Common sense says since Pederson led the Eagles to a Super Bowl win, he should be ranked ahead of both Shanahan and McVay for that alone.

Pederson won a Super Bowl in his second season as a head coach and has been able to lead teams decimated by injury to a back-to-back playoff appearance after being all but on the brink of elimination both years.

Pederson is 38-26 over his first four seasons and hasn’t had a losing season since his first season as a head coach back in 2016.

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Ravens coach John Harbaugh calls NFL’s COVID-19 protocols ‘humanly impossible’

With training camp little more than a month away, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh called the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols “impossible.”

The NFL is beginning to prepare for players to return at training camp as they gear up for the regular season. But the league’s COVID-19 protocols aren’t sitting right with Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who said he feels they’re unrealistic.

“I’ve seen all the memos on that, and to be quite honest with you, it’s impossible what they’re asking us to do. Humanly impossible,” Harbaugh said on 105.7’s Inside Access.

The NFL released a set of initial protocols for players to return to team facilities. They involved staff members wearing a mask when in the building, football equipment to be disinfected after use, and locker rooms to be staged to ensure players stay six feet apart.

Even though the Under Armour Performance Center is spacious, the idea of 90 players being on the roster while needing to practice and use the facilities makes these restrictions a tougher proposition, according to Harbaugh.

“We have to practice and I’m pretty sure the huddle is not going to be six feet spaced,” Harbaugh continued. “Are guys going to shower one at a time all day? Are guys going to lift weights one at a time all day? These are things the league and the PA needs to get a handle on and needs to get agreed with some common sense so we can operate in a 13-hour day in training camp that they’re giving us and get our work done. That’s the one thing, you can tell by my voice, I’m a little frustrated with what I’m hearing there. And I think they need to get that pinned down a little better.”

Commissioner Roger Goodell noted in his memo to teams that the protocols are likely to change as more information about the virus comes to light. Harbaugh also acknowledged the restrictions could change and ease up before training camp.

“Now maybe we’ll know more in two months and they’ll be able to be a little more realistic and practical in what they’re asking,” Harbaugh said. “I expect that to be the case. I think good people, smart people are involved in this. But the way I’m reading these memos right now, you throw your hands up and you go, ‘What the heck? There’s no way this can be right.’”

Even though Harbaugh was clearly upset with the protocols and how they’d make the already difficult task of getting the players prepared a harder one, he did say the Ravens were going to do everything possible to implement the league’s rules. Baltimore is currently scheduled to open training camp at its Under Armour Performance Center facility on July 28.

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Ravens coach John Harbaugh says NFL’s coronavirus guidelines are ‘humanly impossible’

John Harbaugh sounds off on the NFL’s plan for a return to football.

The NFL issued COVID-19 protocol to teams earlier this week, and Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh believes that some of the guidelines will be “impossible” to enforce.

Among the many guidelines, players and staff inside of team facilities must be spaced six feet apart at all times, and teams must reconfigure their locker rooms to ensure there is six feet of space between each person. All workouts will have to be staggered, with no more than 15 players allowed to participate in a single workout.

During a radio interview on 105.7 The Fan in Baltimore, Harbaugh called the NFL’s coronavirus guidelines “humanly impossible,” and called on the league to figure out enforceable guidelines.

Via 105.7 The Fan:

“The other part of the thing is how we’re going to operate in the building. Nobody knows. And the experts don’t know. I’ve seen all the memos on that, and I’ll be honest with you, it’s impossible what they’re asking us to do. Humanly impossible.

…. I’m pretty sure the huddle is not going to be 6-feet spaced. Are guys going to shower one at a time all day? Are guys going to lift weights one at a time all day? These are things the league and the [players’ association] needs to get a handle on and needs to get agreed with some common sense so we can operate in a 13-hour day in training camp that they’re giving us and get our work done. That’s the one thing, you can tell by my voice, I’m a little frustrated with what I’m hearing there. And I think they need to get that pinned down a little better.”

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Coaches return to Ravens’ training facility

The Baltimore Ravens welcome back their coaching staff in the second phase of reopening following the coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh and his staff are returning to the Under Armour Performance Center, according to the team’s Twitter account. It’ll be their first time back in the facility since it closed in March due to social distancing regulations from the coronavirus pandemic.

This marks the second phase of the NFL re-opening training facilities. The NFL allowed teams to open their facilities to 75 employees back in March, as long as it didn’t include coaches and players not rehabilitating injuries. Under the second phase, the NFL is allowing teams to expand to 100 staff members, including coaches.

Baltimore has used video conferencing to hold virtual meetings and workouts with players. Though not ideal, it’s gotten the job done thus far.

“My understanding from talking to [Head Coach] John [Harbaugh] and others is that those meetings are going OK,” Ravens president Dick Cass told “The Lounge” podcast. “They wouldn’t be much better if the players were remote and the coaches were in the office rather than in their homes.”

With coaching staffs returning to team facilities, it’s another check mark on the list to football returning for training camp. Though the pandemic has made any true return to normal football far from a guarantee, this is a big step towards what Cass projected back in May.

“We believe by the time of training camp, we’ll be able to test players and coaches, and those who meet together a lot, multiple times a week and be able to get results fairly quickly,” Cass said on the team’s in-house podcast, “The Lounge.”

“If the infection rate is really low, as I expect it will be by late summer,” Cass said, “and we have adequate testing, and people are careful when they leave the building, I think there’s a really good shot that we’ll be OK.”

The Ravens are currently set to kickstart their schedule off against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 13.

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Meeting the Ravens 2020 opponents: The Cleveland Browns

We take a closer look at each of the Baltimore Ravens’ opponents on the 2020 NFL schedule, starting with Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns

Training camp and the regular season quickly approach as we enter the summer months. With the schedule released and the NFL moving back into their training facilities, the regular season occurring in its entirety is looking more plausible. With an eye towards the 2020 NFL season, we’ll take a look at each of the Baltimore Ravens’ opponents, in order. From the records against each other to the big performances, we’ll take a deep dive to prepare you for the regular season.

The Ravens will open the 2020 NFL season against their AFC North rival Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium, before meeting back up in Week 14 as well. Being a divisional game, it’s a chance for both teams to start the 2020 season off on the right foot.

Let’s start with the reason for all the heat between Cleveland and Baltimore.

The rivalry

Credit: Brian Bahr/ALLSPORT

The Browns/Ravens rivalry is one of the more unique stories in the entire NFL, as one team was essentially the rib of the other. In 1995, Browns owner Art Modell moved his team out of the city that it had called home since it’s inception in 1946. Modell’s desire for a brand new stadium was a goal not shared by the authorities in Cleveland. The team was made to leave behind their name and history in Cleveland and became the Baltimore Ravens. Essentially this made the Ravens an expansion team, although one with an existing roster and two first-round picks in the 1996 NFL Draft.

After three seasons without a team, during which a brand new stadium was built, the Browns were reactivated in Cleveland for 1999 and joined the Ravens in the then-AFC Central division.

Modell remained an unpopular figure in Cleveland for the rest of his life (he sadly died in 2012). Never the most popular owner with the Browns fans, “The Move” only intensified the ill feelings towards him that had started in 1963 when he fired founding coach Paul Brown. But as much as he was vilified by the fans in Cleveland, Modell was a popular figure with the people of Baltimore after bringing the NFL back to the city following the Colts elopement in 1983.

Let’s move on to how the rivalry has fared over the two decades it’s existed, on the next page.

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NFL planning to start 2020 season on time, play no international games

With the coronavirus impacting the NFL, there will be no international games though they’re planning for the season to still start on time

The 2020 NFL season is set to be a unique one. With the coronavirus pandemic already affecting things like free agency and the draft, there’s no way to know how or even if it will impact the season. But according to Judy Battista of NFL.com, the league has been planning as though the season will start on time.

“All of our discussion, all of our focus, has been on a normal traditional season, starting on time, playing in front of fans, in our regular stadiums, and going through a full 16-game regular season and full set of playoffs,” NFL executive vice president Jeff Pash said.

One change the NFL will make this season is keeping all the games domestic. It will be the first time since 2006 that every game has been played in the United States.

“After considerable analysis, we believe the decision to play all our games domestically this season is the right one for our players, our clubs, and all our fans in the US, Mexico, and the UK,” NFL executive vice president Christopher Halpin said in an official statement. “We greatly appreciate the support of our governmental and stadium partners in Mexico and the United Kingdom, who all agree with this decision, and we look forward to returning for games in both countries in the 2021 season.”

The NFL on both sides of the Atlantic has been quick to emphasize that this is merely an interruption to the International Series, not an end.

There were supposed to be five games in the 2020 “International Series”, with one in Mexico City and four in London. Two of the games would have been at Wembley Stadium, which has staged the bulk of the London games since the 2007 season, with the other two at Tottenham Hotspur’s new dual-purpose stadium.

While it is disappointing to see the NFL lose an opportunity to continue to grow its fanbase outside of the US, this decision isn’t likely to affect the Baltimore Ravens all that much. They were not set to play in any of the overseas games, and considering the comments made by John Harbaugh the last time they did it would be a surprise to see them do so again.

Speaking in 2017, Harbaugh said, “To be honest with you — and maybe I’ll get into trouble for saying this — don’t plan on going over there any time soon to play again.” At the time, Harbaugh was impressed by the fans at the Ravens game in London, noting that “They were loud, and they were into it”. But the logistics involved prior to the game gave Baltimore some issues.

“There were some certain things that came up that you look at it and you go, ‘That wasn’t ideal’. But we really had no way of knowing that. We have no control where we stay, how far the bus ride is, how long it takes to get to the stadium.”

While acknowledging the fans as well as the pregame difficulties, Harbaugh was unlikely to have taken too many good memories from the game itself. In Week 3 of the 2017 season, the Ravens were walloped 44-7 by the Jacksonville Jaguars. This is the second-most points allowed by any team that has played at Wembley. Joe Flacco endured a miserable day out in the UK capital, as he completed eight of 18 pass attempts for just 28 yards.

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Don’t lock Devin Duvernay into a single role with the Ravens

After producing from the slot at Texas, wide receiver Devin Duvernay wants everyone to know he isn’t just a one-trick pony for the Ravens

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One of the main reasons why the Baltimore Ravens selected wide receiver Devin Duvernay in the 2020 NFL Draft was his blazing speed. Duvernay was clocked running a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. Many believe the Ravens will line up Duvernay as a slot receiver, but he was quick to point out he has more than one string to his bow.

“I feel like I can do both (play outside and in the slot),” Duvernay said at his press conference after being drafted. “My freshman year and senior year, I played strictly slot. My junior and sophomore years, I played strictly outside. So, I feel like I can be productive at both, and be able to move around on the field.”

Duvernay isn’t the only one that has a say in where he lines up. But when asked about the bevy of choices the Ravens have in the slot, coach John Harbaugh noted that they like to move their players around and don’t lock someone into a specific position.

“We don’t just have an X and a Z and an S and a Y, a U and an H,” Harbaugh said following the final day of the draft. “We play all the guys in different spots, the same as we do on defense.

“So really, I don’t think we really have a ‘slot’ player or an ‘outside’ player. You’ll see those guys play in all the different spots in different times. And then, we try to put them in position to do the things that they do well. The things you see Willie Snead doing are the things we think he does best, and he’s a very versatile player, for instance. We’ll try to do that with all the guys we have.”

While all the pre-draft talk had Duvernay playing in the slot, the thought of being pigeonholed was something he clearly wanted to put out of people’s minds. When asked what he brings to the Ravens, Duvernay talked about his intangibles first, mentioning his “versatility, toughness, physicality,” while also noting he can take on a number of different roles, like “being able to not just go deep but go short, take it the distance, be involved in the screen game and with blocking.” Duvernay said he’ll be “an all-around player” in Baltimore.

Harbaugh continued to back up Duvernay’s belief, dissuading anyone from believing either he or James Proche would be locked into one specific role or one specific spot on the field.

“So, when Devin [Duvernay] can go outside – and then James Proche has been outside, too – outside, inside, in motion, runs, twitch routes, out of the backfield.”

While this versatility will no doubt be utilized by offensive coordinator Greg Roman, it’s likely that Duvernay will spend a good deal of time in the slot for the Ravens. In 2019, Willie Snead led all Baltimore wide receivers with 409 snap slots, averaging 7.7 yards per target. Given his speed and all-round game, it would surprise no one if Duvernay was to eclipse these marks as a rookie.

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WATCH: Jim Harbaugh’s brother John on picking Ohio State players in Baltimore

Jim Harbaugh’s older brother Jim picked two Ohio State players in the 2020 NFL Draft. What does it mean for his relationship with Michigan?

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has a job to do, and that’s to pick the best players available that feed the needs of his team in the NFL draft. If that means picking players from his brother’s arch-rival, so be it. But don’t think for one minute that means there’s any change in allegiances there.

Harbaugh not only picked running back J.K. Dobbins in the second round, he doubled down and got Buckeye linebacker Malik Harrison at the back-end of the fourth. When asked about picking Ohio State players and potentially rocking the boat with arch-rival Michigan’s head coach, and brother Jim, the elder Harbaugh said it doesn’t factor in much.

“Yeah, you really don’t think about that too much really with the draft,” Harbaugh said. “Jim (Harbaugh) helps me with those guys at Ohio State anyway because he knows them so well playing against them. I guess it’ll make for good bets in the season next year when those games come up. We’ll have some good rivalry games.”

Harbaugh was very clear though that he won’t come over to the perceived dark side just because he’s drafted two Buckeyes this year.

“I promise you I won’t be wearing any Ohio State gear no matter what,” said Harbaugh. Hey, Ohio State’s got a great program. Those guys are great players, they’ve had tons of success.”

You can catch the interview shared by Bucknuts Patrick Murphy below.

I know this, I’d love to have been a fly on the wall when the Harbaugh brothers discussed some of the OSU players on the board. That had to be a dose of humble pie.

 

Twitter reacts to the Ravens selecting Texas WR Devin Duvernay

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was clearly ecstatic about selecting Devin Duvernay, but let’s see what the rest of the world thought.

The Baltimore Ravens got an absolute steal by selecting Texas wide receiver Devin Duvernay in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Continue reading “Twitter reacts to the Ravens selecting Texas WR Devin Duvernay”

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