Baltimore Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti sat before reporters on Tuesday and gave an illuminating press conference on the state of the Ravens franchise.
Bisciotti discussed a wide variety of topics, including quarterback Lamar Jackson, the head coaching search, and what went into parting ways after 18 years together with former head coach John Harbaugh.
During the press conference, Bisciotti was forthcoming and direct with all his answers, but none more so than when he answered a question about how long Harbaugh would’ve remained the Ravens’ head coach if the team had made the playoffs.
For a Week
The relationship between John Harbaugh and Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti has been ongoing for nearly two decades, which brings a lot of complicated feelings when a tough decision had to be made concerning Harbaugh’s future.
During Bisciotti’s press conference, a reporter asked how long Harbaugh would have remained the Ravens’ head coach if rookie Tyler Loop had made the field goal to send the Ravens to the playoffs, and Bisciotti responded, “For a week.”
The answer was blunt and to the point, but as Bisciotti explained, several factors went into the decision to move on from Harbaugh.
Clifton Brown of Ravens.com wrote about Bisciotti, explaining how he decided to fire Harbaugh because he felt the team was trending backward.
“When we fail, we all fail together,” Bisciotti said. “You can’t say the timing is perfect in anything, but I got to the point where I didn’t believe that I would feel regret after I made that decision. That’s what instinct is. People were saying we were underachievers. We were. And we had to own that.”
Biscotti also discussed the relief of Harbaugh no longer having to endure the intense criticism he was under this season.
“I couldn’t stand people attacking my friend,” Bisciotti said. “Some of the stuff that they talked about with John ate me alive. … I get to relieve John of all that crap, too, and John gets to start anew.”
Bisciotti has shown that he still has a ton of admiration for Harbaugh, but he felt in his gut that the Ravens needed a fresh start.
Following Instinct
Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti knew the Ravens needed a spark, but after being tied to John Harbaugh for so long, the prospect of a future without him could be daunting. So, Bisciotti decided to trust his instincts.
Jamison Hensley of ESPN wrote about how Bisciotti felt this was the right time to move on.
“I just hope you respect me enough to know that 100 percent my instincts told me this was the time,” Bisciotti said. “And I may be right, I may be wrong, but I did it because I’m in charge of doing it.”
Bisciotti got to the point where he felt he wouldn’t regret the move, and that’s what made it the right time.
“I got to the point that I didn’t believe that I would feel regret after I made that decision,” Bisciotti said in his first news conference at the Ravens’ facility in eight years. “And that’s what instinct is when you finally get to the point that you’re pretty damn sure that you are not going to regret the decision a day or a week later, then that’s the time to make the decision.”
Now the Ravens will look to start the next chapter of their franchise and select their first new head coach in almost 20 years.
Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti Keeps it Blunt on John Harbaugh