The statement encapsulated Harbaugh's evolution as a head coach.
Entering his 13th season in Baltimore, Harbaugh's resume is among the best, but it's the relationships with his players that have made the biggest impact on his career.
An in-depth feature by The Athletic's Dan Pompei detailed Harbaugh's evolution as a head coach, and how the 57-year-old became a figure that current and former players gravitate to.
"Anyone who was with Harbaugh early in his tenure as coach of the Ravens but hasn't been with him since might have a difficult time believing their relationship is real," Pompei wrote. "But after 12 seasons in Baltimore, Harbaugh isn't the same coach he was."
Pompei's feature began talking about Harbaugh's early years as a head coach. Taking over for Brian Billick in 2008, Harbaugh established an old-school approach derived from his father.
"Practice started at 1 p.m., and every player had better be on the field at 12:45, he warned," Pompei wrote. "Each had to wear the same color shoes for practice. Thigh pads were not optional, nor were hip pads. They would hit as much as the rules allowed, every other day, even through the preseason. Tired? Sore? He didn't want to hear it. On travel days, players were not allowed to wear jeans, gym shoes or sandals. And a collared shirt was required.
"Veterans who didn't play special teams, like middle linebacker Ray Lewis and running back Willis McGahee, were accustomed to having free time during the special teams portion of practice. But Harbaugh insisted they be present and watch. And then he made them run down on kickoff return on the scout team."
Pompei wrote that veterans like McGahee, Terrell Suggs, and Antwan Barns pushed back. In one instance, Suggs and Barns weren't allowed on the team bus before an away game because they weren't wearing dress shoes. They were sent home to get new shoes before being allowed to rejoin the team.
With strict guidelines came success early in Harbaugh's head coaching career. The Ravens reached the postseason in his first five seasons, winning a Super Bowl in 2012.
But Harbaugh told Pompei that he was concerned about some of his relationships with his players, so he formed a leadership council of veterans to help. Locker room leaders like Lewis, Ed Reed, and Joe Flacco helped curate issues and Harbaugh took detailed notes.
"He took notes about practices, about team meetings, about relationships with players that were going well and others that were going poorly, about motivational techniques, about game plans, about his talks with [former NFL Head Coach Dick] Vermeil, about books, about his daily Bible study, about brainstorming sessions with his father and his brother, Jim, now the head coach at Michigan," Pompei wrote.
Harbaugh attributed his evolution as a head coach to the relationships with his staff. He also gained a different perspective watching in the stands as a parent while his daughter, Alison, who will attend Notre Dame University this fall as a freshman to play women's lacrosse, grew up.
"He had to be quiet and let the refs do their jobs," Harbaugh's wife Ingrid said. "He couldn't say things to the coach. Other parents are yelling and screaming, and I'm sure people expect him to do the same, but he didn't want to draw attention to himself. It was good for him to kind of take it in."
"It's taken me all these years to get better at it, and I still struggle with it as a leader," Harbaugh added. "But I'm way better at it, more persistent in being patient than I was."
Last season, Harbaugh led the Ravens to a franchise best 14-2 record and was named the NFL's Coach of the Year. Throughout the season, we saw the emergence of "Big Truss," vibrant post-game press conferences and locker room sessions.
That's come from a genuine bond between a head coach and his players.
"He works on his relationship with every player on the roster and just about every member of the organization," Pompei wrote. "At practice, he moves around the field and makes it a point to talk with players from every position group. It might take him as long to walk from his office to the cafeteria at the Under Armour Center as it does to drive from his suburban home to M&T Bank Stadium because he stops to talk with almost everyone."
The Ravens have made it clear their goal is to win a Lombardi Trophy this season. But now 13 years wiser as a head coach, Harbaugh has a full perspective on his journey.
"[H]is journey as a coach has been about relationships as much as victories and defeats. He realizes that now," Pompei wrote. "It's funny sometimes the things that happen in the pursuit of dominance."
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