But maybe it was time for a change.
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Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers spoke about the Harbaugh era during an appearance on the “4th and South” podcast on Thursday. And while the receiver has a lot of respect for Harbaugh and credits the coach for the team’s success, Flowers also said Harbaugh’s physical practices likely led to the team suffering more injuries compared to the average NFL team.
The conversation about Harbaugh began after former NFL running back Leonard Fournette congratulated the coach. Flowers said Harbaugh was good at preparing players to play because of the way the team practiced.
When Fournette asked if the team was tackling in practice, Flowers revealed how physical things were under Harbaugh. He said the team held as many practices in fully padded gear as the collective bargaining agreement allowed and that the team maintained its high level of intensity even late in the season, when players were already exhausted. According to Fournette’s response, and former NFL wide receiver Jarvis Landry’s response, that level of physicality was unusual in the league.
Fournette eventually asked Flowers how he handled that workload, prompting the receiver to say it was impossible.
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“It’s not like that,” Flowers said. “Low-key, that’s why we had a lot of injuries. Because of the way we practiced.”
Flowers then detailed his own personal workload, saying he rushed for 10,000 yards in both Week 1 and Week 2 and then put in 4,000- to 5,000-yard practices, which added up throughout the season.
“We’ll work all week,” Flowers said. “Then from Friday to Saturday, I think, ‘damn, my legs.’ Now my legs start to recover on Saturday.”
When his legs felt good, Flowers would play a game, bringing things back to square one. To deal with that, Flowers said she would use the hot tub and hot tub virtually every day, another piece of information that prompted surprised responses from Fournette and Landry.
While Flowers remained incredibly healthy during his first three seasons in the NFL, the Ravens battled several injuries under Harbaugh. Quarterback Lamar Jackson has missed at least one game in almost every season since taking over as the team’s starter and is often battling injuries during the week. The team also lost Pro Bowler Nnamdi Madubuike for most of the season. In previous seasons, the team battled major injuries and lost cornerback Marcus Peters for the entire 2021 season. Standout Marlon Humphrey has also missed time here and there due to injuries.
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Flowers said he spoke with new Ravens coach Jesse Minter about the team’s practice plans. Minter said the team would hit the ground running, but hinted that things would be lighter with him in town.
During the Harbaugh and Jackson era, the Ravens have consistently contended for Super Bowls. While the team has come close to winning it all, it has more often suffered premature exits from the playoffs.
Going by Flowers’ comments, it’s possible that the team was simply too exhausted at that point in the season to give it their best effort. Perhaps a lighter practice schedule under Minter is what finally pushes Jackson and the Ravens back to their Super Bowl-winning path.