Staying at the team hotel during training camp, no sitting during practices and just one locker per player are not the types of rules that will endear a new NFL coach to veteran players.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh?s changes might not make him many friends, but he doesn?t care. He?s concerned with earning his players? respect and during this past weekend?s three-day mini camp, he asserted himself in the same commanding manner he did for 10 seasons in Philadelphia, where he coached the Eagles? secondary and special teams.
He also didn?t hesitate to get into the middle of team fight that broke out during Friday?s session.
“John was trying to break it up,” Ravens defensive tackle Trevor Pryce said. “There was a fight, and he shoved somebody in the face so hard to them get out of the pile it was unreal. I [said] ?You back away from this crazy little man.? He is strong, and he is nuts.”
Many of the Ravens players said Harbaugh?s approach has provided the team with a much-needed boost in energy and focus as they try to rebound from a 5-11 season, one year after going 13-3 and winning the AFC North.
Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis said Harbaugh has displayed as much energy on the field as the players. Lewis said there is no animosity from the veterans regarding Harbaugh?s changes, especially if it brings the team, which had issues of dissension during former coach Brian Billick?s tenure, closer together.
“He?s running around most of the time always teaching almost as much as your position coach does,” Lewis said of Harbaugh. “It was kindof exciting out there. I just love the tempo. I?m just excited about football. Change is always good. Anytime you go through change you look for the bad things to come in, but when you have someone who really relates to the players the way John does, I just think practice is going great.”
For Harbaugh, the mini camp was just the next step in getting all of the players and coaches on the same page. But he also acknowledges it is a slow process ? one that will continue into training camp in late July at McDaniel College in Westminster.
“I don?t know if it?s ever going to be entirely smooth because we?ve got 80-some guys out there right now, and they?re strong people,” Harbaugh said. “The main thing we?re trying to get accomplished is all the things that we talked about: operating the offense, operating the defense, technique, attention to detail and doing it faster and faster and at a consistently higher tempo.”
Staff writer Dave Carey contributed to this story.
