The Baltimore Ravens hired head coach John Harbaugh in 2008, not knowing what to expect. They felt confident in their choice of the former Eagles special teams coach, and it has paid off in more ways than one.
Harbaugh comes from an incredible coaching family, including his brother, Jim, and father, Jack. Baltimore running backs coach Willie Taggart was asked to describe the relationship between John and Jim, and he went into great detail on his relationship with the Harbaugh family.
“Great. [John and Jim Harbaugh] are brothers.” (laughter) “But it’s great. I’m sure they both bounce things off each other. I mean, they both lean on ‘Papa Jack’ [Harbaugh], and they know they’ll get some good wisdom from him. I’ll tell you, for me, personally, I’ve been coaching for John, coaching for Jim, coaching for Jack … I feel like it’s Jack Harbaugh all over again. When I’m in meetings and listening to [John] talk, and just how we actually run our organization – how they do it here … I know it’s like that at Stanford – when we played at Stanford – and of course, when I was at Western [Kentucky] with Jack. So, it’s pretty cool to see that they’re following their dad’s footsteps but doing it in their own way, and I think they all are just special. I think they’re special coaches, and there’s a reason why they’re winners, and [there’s] a reason why they do it the way they do it. Not many are like them; they’re different. It’s not often that you see a coach that has the forcefulness and the sincerity behind it. Usually, you get one or the other from a coach, but if you get a coach that has both of them – and be elite at both – it’s pretty, pretty good.”
Both Harbaughs have good reputations and are known as highly bright football minds. The two will face off during the 2024 season when the Ravens face off against the Chargers, and it should be a great matchup filled with plenty of fireworks.
