Super Bowl Champion Bernard Pollard Talks Ex-Coach John Harbaugh, Ravens Opening

NFL owners have largely shifted away from hiring CEO types at head coach, instead preferring bright minds that can affect one side of the ball or the other.

It’s especially apparent within the current NFC playoff picture, as ace architects Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, Ben Johnson, and Mike MacDonald all have their teams two wins away from a Super Bowl appearance.

This hasn’t stopped NFL teams from coveting an interview with fired Ravens coach John Harbaugh, but a Pro Bowler from his 2012 Super Bowl-winning squad believes owners will question Harbaugh’s viability during the hiring process.

“What does Harbaugh bring to the table?” said Bernard Pollard, a nine-year NFL vet who played safety for the Ravens in 2011 and 2012. “Is he an offensive guy? Are we a levels team, a run-and-gun team, spread? If he doesn’t bring anything offensively to the table there, well, what do you bring defensively? He doesn’t bring anything defensively. He can be a disciplinarian. He can crack down on guys getting in trouble, but does that help us on the football field?

“That’s going to be the hardest thing when people are looking to hire. Not every management and not every ownership is like Baltimore. They are top-tier. So those are my concerns with coach Harbaugh. You have to think hard and long, because, respectfully, what does he bring to the table?”

Pollard: Will Be ‘Hard” for Harbaugh to Replicate Success in Baltimore

While many were shocked by the Ravens’ decision to fire Harbaugh, Pollard understood it. He believes the front office and ownership will continue to keep Baltimore among the best teams in the NFL, while Harbaugh may struggle to replicate the success elsewhere.

“We’ve been putting a good product on the football field, but we’re not seeing the fruits of that labor, either late in the year or the playoffs,” Pollard said. “From a management standpoint, I understand the decision that was made. You have to respect the success and the things coach Harbaugh has done in Baltimore. He has done some good stuff. We had our quarrels, but we had success within them. 

“He’s the type of coach that will get another opportunity elsewhere. You hope he can replicate that success, but I think it’s going to be hard, because Baltimore’s ownership and management has done a phenomenal job. Not everybody can do the same. That is a top-class organization.”

Now that Baltimore is looking for a new coach, Pollard would like it to follow the path of others and zero in on a bright offensive mind that can help get the Ravens win their first championship since he played there.

“I don’t want this to sound a type of way, because Harbaugh and I have had a chance to communicate and apologize to each other,” said Pollard, who clashed with Harbaugh during their time together. “But Baltimore needs to go get somebody who is strong on offense or strong on defense, where they can be tied into that and able to help. 

“During my time in Baltimore, Harbaugh was not connected at all with the offense or the defense. No disrespect to that because he was a special teams coach, but if you look at today’s football, when people hire, they are bringing in people either tied to offense or tied to defense. In Baltimore, that defense is not changing, so I think they’ll have to bring in someone on the offensive side of the ball to get Lamar (Jackson) going.”

Pollard Unsure Kingsbury can Handle Ravens’ Strong Personalities

Pollard said the next head coach needs to tell Jackson to stay in the pocket more during the regular season so he can be healthy for the playoffs.

“Lamar is the type of guy where, if he’s the hero all year long for 17 games, then in the playoffs he’s used up all that hero power,” Pollard said. “It’s faded when he’s gotten to the playoffs. I think they need to bring someone in who will structure their offensive line to protect and keep Lamar in the pocket. He’s got to make those throws, because as he gets later in his career, those legs aren’t going to continue to out-run people.”

Pollard said a concern for the new head coach will be the strong personalities in the locker room. Potential candidates like Kliff Kingsbury and Mike McDaniel are bright offensive minds, but aren’t known to run a tight ship.

“Whoever they bring, if it’s a (Kliff) Kingsbury, can his personality handle that jungle that’s in Baltimore?” Pollard said. “They draft a certain type of player. Those players have been very successful in that organization, but I don’t know if Kingsbury can handle that. I really don’t. Harbaugh was a disciplinarian. They’ve got to bring in somebody that can pull the reins back on the players, but also lead them in the right direction.”

Pollard feels like the Ravens will continue to be contenders with the way the front office is set up, but said a head coach is critical in securing Baltimore another championship.

“(General Manager) Eric DeCosta understands everything, and he’s got (Executive Vice President of Player Personnel) Ozzie (Newsome) a phone call away,” Pollard said. “The way that management, the scouting department, and ownership is structured, they are structured for success. Now it’s about bringing in somebody to help spark those players and get them over the hump.”