John Harbaugh: People Can Scoff, We Will Fight

Six games into the season, the Ravens are tied for the worst record in the league with the Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Ravens, who have gone to the playoffs six of the past seven seasons under Head Coach John Harbaugh, are fading further and further from playoff contention, of which the odds of making are now razor thin. Sunday’s loss in San Francisco may have been the ugliest of the season. In all four previous losses, the Ravens held a second-half lead at some point. The Ravens never had a lead in Sunday’s 25-20 loss in San Francisco. Despite falling to 1-5, Head Coach John Harbaugh refuses to give an inch, and that reflects in his team. “It’s not like we’re out here and we can’t compete,” Harbaugh said. “We’re right there and we’ve got heart like you can’t believe. We’ve got a bunch more games to play and there are a lot of wins in front of us this season and we’ll find a way to get them.” Harbaugh seemed to realize how that prediction may be taken by outsiders. “What anybody else says or what anybody else thinks or whatever anybody writes or whatever any scoffer or mocker wants to say, they’re not in our shoes or anybody else’s shoes in this league playing,” Harbaugh said. “You can make fun of anybody you want, however you want. We’ll keep fighting.” The Ravens fought despite early struggles Sunday. It should have come as no surprise that they had a Hail Mary chance from the 35-yard line at the end of the game.Still, Baltimore had never been 1-4 in team history, so 1-5 is further in the wrong direction. The franchise’s worst season was its first, in 1996, when the team went 4-12. In the 20th season, the Ravens are now on pace for their worst year in team history. There are a number of factors that play into the why. Harbaugh pretty much summed up the bottom line as soon as he stepped to the post-game microphone. “Obviously not good enough,” Harbaugh said. “Didn’t play well enough, [made] way too many mistakes. Handed them the lead, handed them too many plays.” The Ravens missed opportunities left and right. Steve Smith Sr. had seven catches for 137 yards and a touchdown, but also let two more possible touchdown throws go through his hands. Flacco threw, by his own words, two “stupid” interceptions. The defense missed opportunities as well. Jimmy Smith dropped an interception thrown right to him. New cornerback Shareece Wright let Torrey Smith get behind him for a 76-yard touchdown, which particularly bothered Harbaugh. “I don’t care if you’ve been here for four days,” Harbaugh said. “You put your eyes and your coverage on the right spot. It’s that simple.” But Harbaugh also pointed the finger at himself and his fellow coaches. “I don’t get frustrated. I get down a little bit, I get disappointed,” he said. “You get determined is what I get and I believe we have a bunch of guys that feel the same way. We’ve got to get it done and it starts with me. “As coaches, we find the stuff that we do well and we’ve got to make sure they go out there and do it. That’s on coaches, that’s how I see it. I’m not making excuses for injuries or for what players we might have or don’t have. You always have good enough players. You find a way to put them in a position to get the job done. Don’t just throw plays out there. Throw plays out there that are going to work, that have a shot to work.”