'Not Worried': Harbaugh on Job, Future of Ravens

OWINGS MILLS, MD — Ravens head coach John Harbaugh will retain his offensive, defensive and special teams coordinators after finishing 8-8 on the season, he announced at a press conference Tuesday. In addition, he said he was looking for "really creative" personnel like a quarterback coach.

"It's not a one-man show; it's a staff," Harbaugh said of the Ravens leadership. "We need to a build a football team that's not in so many close games."

Building a strong offensive line was the top priority and improving the running game was also a goal, he said, his focus squarely on moving the team forward.

"I'm not going to worry about keeping a job," he said, stating he was more concerned with doing a job. "I'm not worried about the future. I have faith."

Harbaugh doesn't need to worry anyway, according to ESPN, which reports his contract extends beyond the 2017 season, meaning he will have held the title longer than any other Ravens head coach when he enters into his tenth year.

"I can't wait to see what the plan is for us," Harbaugh said. "I can't wait to see what the next year holds."

Said Harbaugh: "We're reaching for the stars."

The Ravens players also shared they were looking forward to the future as they cleaned out their lockers Monday at the Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills.

"I think the team will definitely be different next year, just like it always is. In some senses, you're starting fresh; it's going to be a completely different group of guys than it was this year," quarterback Joe Flacco said. "In some senses, we will be starting from square one from this point forward.”

Tight end Dennis Pitta said he was pleased the team would have continuity as far as leadership. The Ravens have gone through five offensive coordinators in five years.

"There’s always a lot of turnover with players; there’s turnover with coaches. Personally, I’d like to see us have some consistency and stay with the group that we’ve got," Pitta said. "We had a lot of explosive plays, and we were able to move the ball with some consistency. But at the end of the day in critical situations, we didn’t quite finish....It's a foundation that we can build upon, and we’ll just put our heads down and go to work this off-season.”

Pictured, John Harbaugh. Photo by Keith Allison via Flickr under Creative Commons 2.0 generic.