The Ravens fired John Harbaugh (brother of Jim) after 18 seasons. Harbaugh won a Super Bowl (in 2012), is 12th (?) all-time in wins, and is 4-7 in the playoffs across the last 13 seasons. Harbaugh moved the Ravens from Brian Billick through Ray Lewis past Joe Flacco and right on to Lamar Jackson. In exchange, Baltimore fans have celebrated 4 playoff victories going back to the Obama years. Is that good? Possibly.

Coaches come in all flavors and there’s very real value to having a head man that won’t embarrass your franchise. HIGH FLOOR means a lot when stewarding a multi-billion dollar organization. Will my coach impregnate a staffer? In Harbaugh’s case, no. Will my coach be busted for tax evasion? Shoving a player? DUI? Harbaugh passed these tests with flying colors, snuck into the playoffs, developed a brand for the franchise, and was rewarded with near perfect job stability in an industry with no patience. It was a very, very balanced relationship, but one that absolutely had to end. Here’s why:

- Harbaugh lost Lamar Jackson and Lamar is everything to the Ravens. Should all of that fall on Harbaugh? No. Jackson’s contention with the organization is as much the problem of the front office. And Jackson himself. But no different than the NBA, it’s easier to replace the coach than the Star. Since Baltimore (like all teams) revolves around the QB, they’re stuck with Jackson.

- The Ravens job is far and away the most attractive of the off-season. The murmurs around the league are that this crop of coaching candidates is severely lacking. You won’t find Ben Johnson (Bears), Mike Vrabel (Pats), or even a Jim Harbaugh lurking from college. But every other available job is miles away from what Baltimore can offer. Patient owner. Franchise QB. Stable front-office. It’s a dream job even more than last year’s chances to coach a young Drake Maye or Caleb Williams.

We don’t know Baltimore’s coaching tendencies because the data for them picking a new head man is impossibly small. Harbaugh himself was mostly a special teams coordinator when he was plucked from Philly. That said, the Ravens will find a head man that all the coach-less teams can only dream about. They have no competition in this search.

When organizations make a franchise altering choice, they’re often a year early (Ravens) or a year late (Hawks, Trae Young). Baltimore definitely fired Harbaugh. This wasn’t mutual. But it’s usually better to be a year early to getting something done that was going to happen anyway. Next year could be Andy Reid’s last in KC, and the Ravens would’ve gone to toe with candidates looking to team up with Pat Mahomes. Not this year though. Do you need a list? We always like a list. From my mental calculator of names even though Baltimore looks outside the box:

- Jesse Minter, DC Chargers

- Marcus Freeman, Head Man Notre Dame

- Joe Brady, OC Buffalo

- Dan Lanning, Head Man Oregon

- Mike McDaniel in a trade with the Dolphins

Ole Miss vs Miami, Thursday, Fiesta Bowl, 4:30pm PST ESPN

Oregon vs Indiana, Friday, Peach Bowl, 4:30pm ESPN

Rams vs Carolina, Saturday, 1:30pm Fox

Green Bay vs Chicago, Saturday, 5:00pm Fox

Buffalo vs Jacksonville, Sunday, 10:00am CBS

San Fran vs Philly, Sunday, 1:30pm FOX

Chargers vs Patriots, Sunday, 5:00pm NBC

Texans vs Steelers, Monday, 5:15pm ESPN

You will not find Ball Analysis right now. I’m cheering for this epic schedule. Starting with back to back nights of tip top college football. Yes, lots of whining about the transfer portal. Yes, the schedule is guaranteed to change next year. Yes, Lane Kiffin is very much not the fuck here. But look above. That’s PRIME. We can wring our hands at the Powers That Be in college football, but they cook up a near perfect playoff viewing schedule.

New Years Eve and New Years Day were spectacular. The Playoff integrates with the existing legacy bowls. We get a One True Champion. What is everyone whining about? I don’t perfectly understand why the transfer portal can’t/doesn’t start until after the title game, but to mess this schedule up to support “smarter” transfers is insane. Protect this schedule at all costs and ask everything else to break.

Look at your Thursday-Monday. It’s like the Holidays never ended. Or they’re just beginning! It’s pure playoff football from here on in. That means poppin-pads. That means functional quarterback play. That means defense with Edge. This journey starts in August. It starts in the hottest month of the year. Sun burning overhead. Optimism. The itch to start Hitting. Spinning a tight spiral. Long days of summer giving way to cool Autumn mornings. But now the stakes are higher. It’s time for the Boys of Fall to crown a King of Winter. One team that wants it more. I’m giving you Wednesday. You have one day to breathe before locking in. Because we have Champions to crown.