For the last 15 NFL seasons, head coach John Harbaugh’s Ravens have earned admiration and respect. The club has been heralded as a model franchise, a well-run operation that fields competitive teams season after season. Harbaugh’s unique ideology has blended with team owner Steve Bisciotti’s, former general manager Ozzie Newsome’s and current general manager Eric DeCosta’s own individual philosophies to create an identifiable brand of football.
Unfortunately Baltimore’s carefully cultivated identity has not produced the desired results in the postseason. In fact, the Ravens have regressed from a team that won a playoff game in each of Harbaugh’s first five seasons to a team with only two playoff wins in Harbaugh’s last ten years.