John Harbaugh: Chasing The Lion

RELENTLESS. DRIVEN. DETERMINED. Those who know John Harbaugh understand his pursuit of excellence isn’t one he plans on quitting anytime soon. Throughout his 10 previous seasons in Baltimore, Harbaugh’s focus and ardent approach have encountered triumphant victories and heartbreaking losses, injuries and new faces – and all that lies between.

But complacency has never set in for the coach who has tallied 104 career wins, scooping up a Lombardi trophy in the process. Not now, not before.

Entering a season that has Charm City abuzz, some might think merely making the playoffs would be victory enough. But “enough” has never been the benchmark for Harbaugh. “Our goal is not to make the playoffs. Our goal is to win the whole thing,” he said

after a recent training camp practice.

“We want our season to start in the playoffs, and we have to earn that right, which we haven’t done the last three years, and we’re not happy about it. But that’s on us. It’s our job to get that done.”

“He spent a lot of time thinking about this season, researching this, talking to other people, getting feedback from other people, and he’s put it together in such a fashion that is elegantly simple, but highly complex,” special teams coordinator and associate head coach Jerry Rosburg said.

Beginning in the offseason, Harbaugh began to lay out the roadmap to greatness.

“Highly complex” is a phrase some might use to describe Baltimore’s offseason, from the “masterpiece” of a draft orchestrated by Ozzie Newsome to the signing of notable free agent wide receivers. However, even the most complicated of offseasons hasn’t made Harbaugh lose sight of the ultimate goal or the steps the Ravens must take to reach it.

Early in training camp, Harbaugh approached the microphone at a media session wearing a shirt emblazoned with the phrase “Chase the Lion.” The slogan references a book by the same name, authored by The New York Times bestselling author Mark Batterson.

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“Chase the Lion” serves as a rally cry to Batterson’s readers, encouraging them to target a goal that includes risk and uncertainty, but pays great dividends.

And this season, the Ravens’ goal remains the same as it always has: “To be the best football team in the world,” defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale stated.

To reach this goal, Rosburg affirmed that Harbaugh has continued to do what he’s always done: build relationships with players, coaches and staff. “He’s all in with these guys,” Rosburg declared. “He’s trying to make them the best at what they do, and he does it in such a fashion that they know that he cares about them. But, at the same time, he pushes them in a way that is unique. He confronts everything. He makes sure they know

if they’re not doing it right, they are going to hear about it.

“He’s not just trying to build relationships. He’s trying to build players and build teams,” Rosburg continued, adding that Harbaugh’s success in his commitment to relationships is what Rosburg considers an “art form that not a lot of coaches understand, and even those who understand aren’t able to always execute.”

Martindale explained that Harbaugh’s approach is consistently rooted in intention. “He has his finger on the pulse of this team, and you can just tell by the team’s attitude – offense, defense, special teams – that they’re together,” he observed.

Martindale added that Harbaugh has the ability to view every team in a different way, requiring newer, better and unique ideas each season. From the rookies to the veterans, Martindale shared, all who enter the doors in Owings Mills know what’s expected of them: to Play Like a Raven.

“The way he’s grown in his leadership, his accountability really resonates through our entire team, and [we] just can’t wait to hit the field.”

“We know we have to go out and prove ourselves, but there’s a lot of positive energy within our building, starting with our head coach,” Eric Weddle, a 12-year NFL veteran, explained recently. “The way he’s grown in his leadership, his accountability really resonates through our entire team, and [we] just can’t wait to hit the field.”

leader of men, you have the foundation of family, faith and just the love of the game, and that helps him make decisions that are best for the team.”

“John has always had the trait of being a great leader of men,” Martindale noted. “I think when you’re a great

– S Eric Weddle

The goal remains the same: ever lofty, ever risky, but ever attainable in the eyes of the Ravens. And, they confirm, Harbaugh is more than primed for the challenge.

“John is willing to go there; he’s willing to chase it, to put himself in positions that aren’t necessarily comfortable,” Rosburg asserted. “He’s driven and courageous. There’s no fear involved in this path for him. He’s going for it.”

No worry, no uncertainty and no doubt about it: In 2018, Harbaugh and the Ravens will CHASE THE LION.

“We say, ‘I know we’re going to be great today, but let’s be legendary,’” Martindale explained.

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