Ravens HC John Harbaugh: “Not going to make a bunch of changes”

Consistency has been the Baltimore Ravens mantra for several season now. Unfortunately the team has been consistently mediocre since the veteran exodus following the 2012 Super Bowl season. Generally speaking, the club’s decision makers have been reluctant to change their coaching philosophies or front office strategy despite a 33-35 record since Ray Lewis retired.

After the Ravens disheartening 26-9 loss to the Steelers on Sunday, head coach John Harbaugh doubled down in his postgame press conference:

Harbaugh’s response was directed at a question about the offensive struggles, but the same concept applies to the defensive side of the ball. The Ravens have been out-gained 791 yards to 474 combined in Weeks 3 and 4. The opponents have simply executed better game plans in all phases of the game.

Nevertheless, Harbaugh has a point. There is not a silver bullet that can cure the Ravens problems. There are no superstars waiting in the wings. A new offensive coordinator is not going to make Joe Flacco more accurate or the offensive lineman block better. A new defensive coordinator is not going to make the outside linebackers win the edge or the safety tandem play up to their lofty expectations.

At this point, the Ravens are who they are. They have twelve more games to right the ship. The current players have to play better and the current coaches have to coach better, period.

If not, team owner Steve Bisciotti may grow weary of this consistency. With the seventh oldest roster in the NFL and the fifth least salary cap space next year, the future does not appear to be especially bright. Without marketable improvement in the final three quarters of the season, a top to bottom regime change may be in the Ravens best interest.