John Harbaugh can’t understand why Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo isn’t getting another chance as a head coach. Overcoming Spagnuolo’s sophisticated defense is one of the biggest challenges facing Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.
Former Ravens’ assistant Spagnuolo’s involvement in a fifth-straight conference title game has insulated him from interviews for a top job. Even so, Harbaugh is “scratching his head” Spagnuolo is “not even being mentioned for these vacancies,” per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.
Harbaugh said he’s scratching his head about why Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo hasn’t gotten another head coaching job and why he’s not even being mentioned for these vacancies.
Harbaugh’s confusion is understandable since he had Spagnuolo on staff in Baltimore for two seasons in 2013 and ’14. Spagnuolo has three Super Bowl rings as a DC, including two with the Chiefs.
His unit finished this season allowing the second-fewest points and yards in the NFL. The Spagnuolo defense is the Chiefs’ best hope of springing an upset at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday, January 28.
Ironically, while Spags isn’t generating head-coaching buzz, Ravens’ defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald continues to be a top candidate.
Steve Spagnuolo Deserves Another Chance as a Head Coach
It’s difficult to pinpoint why Spagnuolo isn’t getting another chance as a head coach. He’s not even been interviewed, with no meetings reported.
Interested teams should have a conversation with a play-caller capable of disguising coverage and pressure as effectively as Spagnuolo. His defense switched from two-deep zone to single-high man coverage to fool the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen during the Divisional Round.
A breakdown by NFL Films’ Greg Cosell. showed how the confusion led to an interception for Chamarri Conner.
Steve Spagnuolo has been his bag all year disguising coverages 💰
Watch as this 2-high dime look transforms into single-high, creating chaos that leads to an INT
How Spagnuolo used linebacker Willie Gay to spy mobile quarterback Allen could be key for the AFC title tilt. Ravens’ QB1 Lamar Jackson is another dual-threat signal-caller who will likely force the Chiefs to use a spy.
That’s the theory anyway, but quarterbacks can never be sure what they’ll get from Spagnuolo. As Nate Taylor of The Athletic put it, Spagnuolo “wants to break down the opposing offense’s pass-protection rules, then exploit those rules. He wants to call unorthodox plays, too, gambles he hopes are as shocking as they are effective.”
The unpredictability has been a big reason Spagnuolo has helped the Chiefs reach three Super Bowls since 2019. Those credentials are impressive enough, but the 64-year-old was already the architect of the gameplan that helped the New York Giants hammer Tom Brady and the 18-0 New England Patriots in the 2008 Super Bowl.
A CV with this many highlights only deepens the mystery about why Spagnuolo isn’t getting another look as a head coach. He went 10-38 during three seasons with the then-St. Louis Rams from 2009-11, before a 1-3 record as interim head coach for the Giants in 2017.
Those numbers aren’t great, but other coaches have been given a second chance. The Atlanta Falcons recently hired Raheem Morris, 16 years after he had the top job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Spagnuolo is still waiting on his second act, but his counterpart with the Ravens probably won’t have to play a waiting game.
Mike Macdonald’s Rise Has Been Key for John Harbaugh
Mike Macdonald’s defense is a big reason why Harbaugh could coach in a second Super Bowl. Replacing popular coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale was a challenge, but Macdonald has exceeded expectations.
His unit allowed a league-low 280 points, per Pro Football Reference. Much like Spagnuolo, Macdonald’s scheme works because of an unpredictable mix of pressure and coverage.
While the Chiefs rotated out of Cover 2, the Ravens shifted into it against the Houston Texans. A play highlighted by USA Today’s Doug Farrar shows Macdonald using a cornerback and safety on opposite sides of the field to create a two-high shell.
The Ravens and defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald knew that C.J. Stroud had killed single-high all season. So, they used a ton of two-high disguise to get to their coverage looks, and plastered Stroud’s receivers. Add in the blitzes, and it was a master class.
Elaborate disguises like this are only possible because Macdonald expects his players to take on multiple roles. That expectation can lead to Macdonald having “his 355-pound nose tackle drop into passing lanes and his 190-pound cornerback blitz. He has onrushing linebackers set picks to give defensive linemen free runs at the quarterback,” according to Zrebiec.
Moving the pieces so effectively all season has made Macdonald a hot commodity among teams needing a head coach. He interviewed twice with the Falcons, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Macdonald also spoke with the Washington Commanders, according to Ben Standig of The Athletic.
Meanwhile, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler confirmed the Seattle Seahawks “have shown interest” in Macdonald.
The #Seahawks have shown interest in Mike Macdonald despite not requesting a head coaching interview with the #Ravens defensive coordinator, sources told @BradyHenderson and me. Depending how the coaching search goes, Macdonald appears to be a name to watch.
More Macdonald magic can help Harbaugh improve his 2-5 record vs. Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid, per Dan Treacy of The Sporting News. That’ll likely mean the Ravens book their place in this season’s Super Bowl but lose their defensive coordinator to a promotion soon after.
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John Harbaugh ‘Scratching His Head’ Former Ravens Assistant Isn’t a Head Coach