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NFL Coach Power Rankings: Where Jay Gruden fits in among the 32 coaches

By Jacob Camenker

BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 29: Head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins talks with quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins in the fourth quarter of a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on August 29, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/ Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 29: Head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins talks with quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins in the fourth quarter of a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on August 29, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/ Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MD – DECEMBER 31: Head Coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens walks off the field after the Cincinnati Bengals 31-27 win over the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 31, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – DECEMBER 31: Head Coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens walks off the field after the Cincinnati Bengals 31-27 win over the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 31, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Baltimore Ravens. John Harbaugh. 18. player. 26. . Head Coach

Perhaps this is a bit harsh, but I just am not a big fan of John Harbaugh. The Ravens long-time head coach led the team to success early in his tenure, but since their run to the Super Bowl in 2013, the team has largely failed to meet expectations. And part of that falls on Harbaugh.

During his tenure with the Ravens, Harbaugh has consistently been able to field a strong defense, as is customary of the Ravens playing style. In fact, he has only ever seen one defense rank below 12th in yards allowed and one defense rank lower than 12th in scoring defense. That’s pretty remarkable, and it speaks volumes about Harbaugh’s ability to develop talent along with the defensive coordinator.

However, at the same time, the development on the offensive side of the ball has been non-existent. And a big part of this problem has been Joe Flacco. After leading the team to a Super Bowl after a torrid January and February, Flacco has never lived up to the contract that made him the highest paid player in NFL history when he signed it. Flacco has been mediocre at best, and while that may be an indictment of his skill set, it also speaks of Harbuagh’s inability to help him develop and get the offense on track.

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    • Though a couple of Baltimore offensive coordinators went on to get head coaching jobs, Jim Caldwell and Gary Kubiak, Harbaugh’s hires for the position haven’t done much to help Flacco develop or find a consistent ground game. Recently, Marty Mornhinweg and Marc Trestman have struggled to develop any sort of consistent performance from the Baltimore quarterback and offensive weaponry.

    That may not be directly Harbaugh’s fault, but the fact that the once decent offense has sputtered so badly is indicative of a problem with their offensive plan. They truly are one of the worst offenses in the league right now despite not having the worst personnel. Perhaps the infusion of receiving talent will help them out a bit, but the staff hasn’t shown they can do anything at that position in the past few years. That will be a point to watch.

    Some may say this is too low for Harbaugh, and some will point to the ring on his finger as one of the reasons for that. And I understand that point. But, if Flacco hadn’t played at a level well above his career average for that four game stretch, the Ravens wouldn’t have won the Super Bowl. Had Rahim Moore not busted a coverage in the Broncos-Ravens playoff game that year, they wouldn’t have won. Sure, you can say this about other Super Bowl winners (we’ll dive into the Patriots a bit later), but this one was one that seemed really fluky.

    Since the Super Bowl year, Harbaugh’s Ravens have gone 40-40. They have made the playoffs once going 1-1 in the postseason. Injuries have played somewhat of a role in this, but regardless, they are the epitome of average. And it doesn’t seem that Harbuagh will be able to bring them back to being the playoff contender they once were. For that reason, he comes in at No. 18 on this list.

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