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Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh (left) meets brother John, coach of the Ravens, after Baltimore’s 30-23 victory. John has won all three games he has coached against Jim, including a Super Bowl. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
As the seconds ticked down on Monday night’s victory over the Chargers, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh wanted to remind his defense to block out the noise and distractions and not jump offside.
He repeatedly tapped his cupped hands to the sides of his head as if putting on imaginary earmuffs.
Funny, in the week leading up to the hyped-up Harbaugh Bowl — the third iteration of the NFL’s only brother-to-brother matchup of head coaches — the Ravens coach had to heed his own advice. He had to ignore all the outside chatter and focus on the task at hand.
“Yeah, absolutely, it was kind of earmuffs in that sense, and I know it was for Jim too,” said John Harbaugh, who improved to 3-0 in games against his younger brother. “Because in the end it’s meaningful, it matters. It’s such an incredible thing. I’m so proud of him. It’s an amazing thing to look back at where we are, from where we came.
“We had different paths, and we grew up in the same room. We’ve always lived our lives side by side. But that’s not what the game is about. The game is about the players.”
Read more: Chargers drop the ball on offense and defense in second half as Ravens prevail
Despite the obvious love and respect the two have for each other, there was no brother-to-brother backing off, no ostensible sibling sympathy in Baltimore’s 30-23 victory. Both John and Jim — whose teams very easily could meet in the playoffs in a couple months — were fully invested in the moment.
That’s why the Ravens went for it three times on fourth down, succeeding on all three, including once from their 16. Neither coach was taking his foot off the gas.
“The overriding thing was who we were playing,” said John, 62, 15 months older than Jim. “You’ve just…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/harbaugh-bowl-iii-brotherly-love-110004191.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2024-11-26 11:00:00
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