His Baltimore Ravens teams dominated the NFL’s rushing charts for the best part of two decades, but not everybody liked John Harbaugh’s strategy for moving the ball on the ground, with some identifying a “red mark” in the Super Bowl-winning head coach’s career, a worrying trend that could be a problem for New York Giants’ running backs.
The note of caution comes from Around The NFL Writer Nick Shook. He explained how Harbaugh strangely keeping the ball out of the hands of two-time league rushing champion Derrick Henry in critical games for the Ravens last season was no mere anomaly.
Instead, Shook revealed “Those analyzing Harbaugh’s departure quickly pointed toward his apparent unwillingness to lean on Henry — and his strident commitment to the backfield rotation — in these important moments as a red mark on his otherwise illustrious Ravens résumé.”
That mention of Harbaugh’s staunch preference for a committee rushing attack has the biggest implications for Giants running backs. Particularly when popular bruiser Cam Skattebo is boldly predicting he’ll break a rare barrier at his position in this new-look offense.
John Harbaugh Tendency Bad News for Potential Workhorse
Skattebo will have a hard time meeting statistical expectations this season if Harbaugh stays true to form. Doing so will mean Giants’ quarterback Jaxson Dart handing off multiple times to multiple backs, likely youthful duo Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy Jr. and veteran Devin Singletary.
It’s an unfriendly strategy for a true workhorse like Henry. The difference is the Giants don’t have a Henry-level back on the roster.
Skattebo has the potential to be a bell-cow back, but only if he’s fully recovered from the dislocated ankle that curtailed his promising rookie season. The Giants will operate the right offense for a power-style back like Skattebo, thanks to the presence of longtime Harbaugh ally Greg Roman as run-game coordinator.
Unfortunately, while the concepts better fit Skattebo’s skills, Roman’s playbook is also designed around the same work-share favored by Harbaugh.
New Giants Offense Reliant on Rushing Committee
It’s not only Skattebo who will need to accept sharing carries. The same concession awaits Tracy, who has been vocal about wanting the Giants to run the ball more often.
Tracy will get his wish with Harbaugh and Roman crafting the same plays that helped the Ravens tie a long-held league record during the 2021 season. The problem is a closer look at how those Ravens achieved the streak, beginning late in the 2018 campaign, explains why neither Tracy nor Skattebo should expect to get 25-30 rushing attempts per game.
Those Ravens teams gashed defenses on the deck with Mark Ingram II, Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, Justice Hill, Devonta Freeman and Latavius Murray all carrying the ball. Harbaugh also relied on the rushing exploits of dynamic, dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson.
What’s interesting is today’s Giants are ideally setup to turn the supposed “red mark” against Harbaugh into a positive. Dart is also a mobile signal-caller capable of being a key part of any running game, while Skattebo, Tracy and Singletary possess different enough rushing styles to form a complementary backfield committee that should be the focal point for Harbaugh.
Giants Running Backs Face ‘Red Mark’ John Harbaugh Problem