John Harbaugh discusses hiring Mike Macdonald from Michigan
“Change is inevitable, and growth is required,” Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, brother of Michigan head man Jim Harbaugh, said at a Monday press conference, his first since the team’s season ended with a Week 18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That’s certainly true of the early offseason for Harbaugh, who let go of defensive coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale after four seasons at the post and 10 years with the organization, and days later hired Michigan defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. The 33-year-old was with the Ravens for seven seasons, serving as the linebackers coach in his final three, before joining Jim Harbaugh in Ann Arbor.
RELATED
• Three potential options for Jim Harbaugh — What’s most likely?
• Wolverines in the NFL: Chris Evans, David Long Jr. punch tickets to Super Bowl LVI
Macdonald excelled in coordinating Michigan’s resurgent defense, helping the Wolverines beat Ohio State, win a Big Ten title and earn their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance. U-M ranked eighth nationally in scoring defense (17.4 points per game allowed) and 20th in total defense (330.9 yards per game yielded).
Jim Harbaugh hired Macdonald at Michigan after receiving a glowing recommendation from John Harbaugh. When John called Jim this time around, asking what he thought of Macdonald potentially having the opportunity to come back to Baltimore, Jim was more than gracious.
“Well, he said, ‘Sure, no problem.’ He was great about it,” John Harbaugh said with a smile and to a chuckling audience. “But he was great about it, actually.
“It was a good experience [at Michigan] for Mike, I think. It was a good experience, just kind of the way it worked out. And now, Jim’s looking for a new defensive coordinator, and I’m sure he’ll find a great one.”
Baltimore ranked 25th in the NFL in total defense and 19th in scoring defense, down from seventh and second in 2020, respectively. While Harbaugh wasn’t looking for a complete overhaul of the unit — thus, hiring Macdonald, who knows the Ravens’ scheme, system and culture inside and out — he did want to make a change.
Top 10
- 1New
Top 25 shakeup
AP Poll sees massive changes
- 2
Chip Kelly just got PAID
Highest paid OC in NFL
- 3Hot
Jeremiah Smith reacts
Chip Kelly news hits hard
- 4
Alabama reunion
Kalen DeBoer lands OC
- 5
Chip Kelly
Leaving Ohio State for NFL
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
“I’m excited about Mike Macdonald,” Harbaugh said of the former Michigan coortindator. “I’m excited about building that staff right now with Mike and putting the guys together — which we’re working on right now together as we speak. Building the defense out again.
“It’s not going to be dramatically different, structurally, because you try to build on where you’ve been before. And that’s the thing that we’ve done here.”
Harbaugh said continuity was important, which made Macdonald the choice after one year of coordinating the Michigan defense.
“That’s the great thing about continuity and the great thing about success. There’s an amazing tradition of defense here, and it’s built on the players that have been here, it’s built on the schemes that have been used, it’s built on the mindset, it’s built on practice … it’s built on everything. It’s built on the back of a lot of work and guys that do it the way we want to see it done and the way it’s developed.
“The guys that are here, the coaches that are here, feel the pressure to kind of keep building on that. So where does it go? It’s not something you want to start over on, it’s something you want to build on. So that’s the reason for Mike and the reason we went the way we did. I’m excited with where we’re going and what we’re going to do with that.”
