Harbaugh Wowed Ravens Despite His Inexperience

OWINGS MILLS, Md., Jan. 19 -- Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti has relied on his instincts in the past to lead him through his most difficult decisions in life. Bisciotti said Saturday he again trusted his natural inclinations when he offered the Ravens' head coaching job to former Philadelphia Eagles secondary coach John Harbaugh, who has no head coaching experience at any level.

"The qualities that John exhibited in the interview process said, 'This is the guy,' " Bisciotti said. "You go with your instincts, and I think I have pretty good instincts."

Harbaugh, 45, was introduced as Baltimore's coach at a news conference Saturday afternoon at the team's training facility. He became the leading candidate for the job after Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett withdrew from consideration Thursday, opting to stay with the Cowboys and receive a hefty pay raise.

Harbaugh succeeds Brian Billick, who was fired nearly three weeks ago after a 5-11 season. He becomes the third coach in team history.

"This is the opportunity of a career," Harbaugh said. "I feel fortunate to be the guy that's going to get the shot."

Harbaugh spent nine seasons as special teams coach with the Eagles before guiding the secondary this year. He was recently a finalist for the head coaching job at UCLA, which went to Ravens offensive coordinator Rick Neuheisel.

Harbaugh has never been an offensive or defensive coordinator at the NFL level. Nonetheless, Baltimore's brain trust of Bisciotti, team president Dick Cass and General Manager Ozzie Newsome were sold on Harbaugh's leadership qualities, communication skills and the support he received from players and coaches he worked with, namely Philadelphia Coach Andy Reid and Eagles safety Brian Dawkins.

"Do I like a guy that has to earn his r¿sum¿? Yeah," Bisciotti said. "I think that works to John's advantage. You have to take chances in life to be successful. Is it a little bit more of a perceived chance? Yeah, if you didn't spend the last 15 hours with John Harbaugh.

"The bottom line is, I feel good about our choice. I like the fact that John gets to build his legend right here."

Harbaugh, the older brother of former NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh, currently the coach at Stanford, answered questions from reporters for more than an hour yesterday, cracking jokes and smiling wide. Four members of his family sat just below the podium at which Harbaugh spoke, next to Baltimore minority owner Art Modell.

"We can't wait to get started," Harbaugh said. "We can't wait to get to work."

Harbaugh and Garrett were the only candidates to interview twice. Baltimore also met with Dallas offensive line coach Tony Sparano, Indianapolis Colts quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell, New York Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and its own defensive coordinator, Rex Ryan.

Sparano was hired as head coach of the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday, and Caldwell withdrew from consideration midweek.

Harbaugh's first task with the Ravens is to hire a staff. He did not comment directly on the current coaches, leaving the status of Ryan and others unresolved. Several players recently lobbied for Ryan to become head coach, and his retention would bring a level of continuity to the team.

But Bisciotti and Harbaugh acknowledged that Ryan has other coaching opportunities in the NFL. He has interviewed for the vacant head coaching job with the Atlanta Falcons.

Harbaugh and Ryan coached together for one season at the University of Cincinnati in 1996.

"There are a lot of good coaches inside this building right now," Harbaugh said. "We're going to take our time."

Harbaugh takes over a team that made the playoffs in 2006 but struggled this season, losing nine of 10 games to close the year. That prompted the dismissal of Billick, who led the Ravens to a Super Bowl title on Jan. 28, 2001.

"I think these guys are ready for a change," Bisciotti said. "I think they're going to be enthusiastic about it."

Harbaugh has 24 years of coaching experience. After serving as a college assistant at Western Michigan, Pittsburgh, Morehead State, Cincinnati and Indiana, he jumped to the NFL in 1998 to take a job on Ray Rhodes's staff in Philadelphia.

"I'm proud of the path I took," Harbaugh said. "I don't think you control your path. You just do the best job you can . . . and that prepares you."