Ravens News 5/29: Harbaugh’s thoughts on the rule changes, HC rankings and more

John Harbaugh Reacts to NFL’s New Kickoff and Helmet Rules - Garrett Downing

“Everybody had the same objective: We want to keep the exciting play in the game, but we want to make it safer – especially for concussions,” Harbaugh said. “I think we did that.”

It’s unclear exactly how the rule will change kickoffs, but Harbaugh expects the play to become more exciting as a result.

“I actually think there could be more returns, because there’s more incentive to return the ball, because it’s going to slow the kickoff play down a bit – but that’s the idea,” he said.

“If we have to go a little further next year and incentivize the kickoff, the deep kickoff more, maybe we kick it out of the back of the end zone and put the ball at the 20- [yard line],” he said.

“Maybe we take it another step and make it really fun for everybody: If we kick it through the uprights, you give the kicking team a point. We’re going to be for that – we have [Justin] Tucker, right? But imagine how much fun either one of those would be? So now a touchback becomes worth watching. We make the game more fun. Those are things I think we all talked about and people are interested in, so we’ll see what happens.”

Harbaugh would obviously support any future rule change that maximizes Justin Tucker’s incredible kicking strength and accuracy.

Robert Griffin III: Lamar Jackson pick not ‘a shot at me’ - Austin Knoblauch

“When they drafted Lamar, I didn’t look at it as a shot at me or a shot at Joe,” Griffin told USA Today’s Mike Jones. “It was ‘OK, Lamar is coming in here, and it’s our job to help him learn the offense and help him compete.’ So, for me, my job is to show them that I’m an asset to the team and not a detriment.”

“One [reporter] asked me if I was trying to showcase for other teams,” Griffin said. “No, my focus is, ‘I’m a Baltimore Raven. I’m showcasing to them that this is where I’m supposed to be.’”

It will be interesting to see if the Ravens decide to carry three quarterbacks into the regular season for the first time in many years, especially with a looming numbers crunch across the roster.

NFL Head Coach Rankings - Mike Tagliere

5. John Harbaugh (BAL) The first defensive-minded head coach on my list, I believe that Harbaugh is just a great all-around coach. He always fields one of the best defenses in the league, has coached in a very competitive division for the majority of his career, and is always in the playoff race, regardless of the talent on the roster. Winning a Super Bowl does give him a bump, especially doing it with a quarterback like Joe Flacco who most will now admit to being overrated. He’s not soft on his players, but he is well respected because of the way he approaches them.

Within the AFC North Division, Tagliere ranked the Steelers Mike Tomlin 8th, the Bengals Marvin Lewis 31st and the Browns Hue Jackson dead last.