OWINGS MILLS, Md. Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh on Wednesday offered a defiant rebuttal to criticisms of his offense, saying he is “not apologizing” for Lamar Jackson’s playstyle or the team’s running game plan.
Harbaugh’s strong support came four days after the Ravens set a post-season record in the franchise with the fewest points scored in a 17-3 division playoff loss against the Buffalo Bills. The Ravens’ offensive coordinator Greg Roman received heavy anti-aircraft fire for what many saw as a simplistic passing attack.
“The reason I’m strong on this is because it goes back to the same criticism we’ve heard over the past three years about some people not being the kind of offense or the type of quarterback some people want to see,” says Harbaugh. said during his 45-minute press conference at the end of the season. “They will just have to live with it because Lamar Jackson has won a lot of football games here and our offense has brought us many football games here and we do not apologize for that.”
The Ravens finished last in the NFL, passing by for the first time since 2003. Harbaugh explained that the lack of passing yards is the result of building “the best offense in football history for the past two years” and the fact that Baltimore has attempted an NFL-low 406 passes.
Baltimore has every route concept in its playbook, but it won’t have as complex a game as the Ravens don’t throw the ball 40 to 50 times per game like the Pittsburgh Steelers, Harbaugh said.
“We’re going to improve, there’s no question about it,” said Harbaugh. “We are going to work to be more precise, more efficient and better at what we do. We leave the criticism to the critics. When they are ready to coordinate their offense and put their product on the field, I look at it out to fight against it. “
Harbaugh pointed out that the Ravens finished at number 7 this season with an average score of 29.3 points per game. “We can talk about the other 25 teams and talk about what they don’t do to fit someone’s eye,” he said.
Harbaugh was equally strong in his comments about Jackson’s future in Baltimore. The reigning NFL MVP, Jackson finished his third NFL season, when Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson both received their long-term deals.
Based on market value, Jackson will likely pay an average of more than $ 40 million per season on a new deal. With Baltimore expecting to exercise his option for the fifth year off-season, Jackson is under contract through the 2022 season, although most agree that he surpassed his rookie deal.
“Of course we absolutely want Lamar to sign a long-term deal and stay with us,” said Harbaugh. ‘I’m terribly sure that’s going to happen. When it happens, that’s the details. That’s what we need to find out. ‘
The Ravens must also find out if they have enough cap space to improve on Jackson’s goals in the passing game. For the second consecutive season, Baltimore wide receivers ranked last in the league in catches and in receiving yards.
Aside from the franchise tag, the best wide receivers in free agency this year are Allen Robinson from Chicago, Kenny Golladay from Detroit, and Chris Godwin from Tampa Bay.
“If we can get an Anquan Boldin here, let’s do it,” said Harbaugh. ‘Can we afford it? Those are the details we need to find out. I think a large physical receiver would be great for us. ‘