PFT's top ten coaches of 2023, No. 4: John Harbaugh
In every industry, certain key figures are taken for granted. As NFL coaches go, Ravens coach John Harbaugh often falls into that category.
He's part of the fabric of the NFL. He's always there, doing his thing. And it's just assumed he'll keep doing it, without anyone giving it a second thought.
There was a time a few years back where it seemed as if things could be coming to an end. Other teams surely were watching and waiting and hoping that the Ravens and Harbaugh would part ways. Because Harbaugh, if ever available, wouldn't be out of work for long.
His teams are consistently relevant. Since becoming a head coach in 2008, he has won more than 60 percent of his regular-season games, posting a record of 147-95. He quietly has compiled more regular-season wins than Hall of Famers like Marv Levy, Tony Dungy, Hank Stram, Weeb Ewbank, Sid Gillman, Dick Vermeil, George Allen, Don Coryell, John Madden, Vince Lombardi, and Bill Walsh.
Harbaugh also has won more playoff games than he has lost, with a record of 11-9.
He manages to make his teams better than they would seem to be on paper, especially defensively. And despite a door that has revolved somewhat regularly at offensive coordinator (with a few clunkers in there), he seems to be determined to pivot in 2023 from a run-heavy attack to something more balanced — and possibly something that can be wide open in the passing game. (Lamar Jackson already has said he'd like to throw for 6,000 yards this year.)
A young 60, Harbaugh seems to thrive on the game, to be invigorated by it. Although he's capable of being very intense and even feisty (especially when someone kicks the plug out of the wall during the second half of the Super Bowl), Harbaugh always seems to have a twinkle in his eye and a smile not far from his lips.
Whether it's with the Ravens or some other team, he'll keep going as long as he wants to keep going. And he'll keep winning more games than he loses. And we'll keep seeing his teams playing in the postseason, more often than not.
