Because the seconds ticked down on Monday evening’s victory over the Chargers, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh wished to remind his protection to dam out the noise and distractions and never leap offside.
He repeatedly tapped his cupped arms to the perimeters of his head as if placing on imaginary earmuffs.
Humorous, within the week main as much as the hyped-up Harbaugh Bowl — the third iteration of the NFL’s solely brother-to-brother matchup of head coaches — the Ravens coach needed to heed his personal recommendation. He needed to ignore all the skin chatter and concentrate on the duty at hand.
“Yeah, absolutely, it was kind of earmuffs in that sense, and I know it was for Jim too,” stated John Harbaugh, who improved to 3-0 in video games in opposition to his youthful 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.”
Regardless of the apparent love and respect the 2 have for one another, there was no brother-to-brother backing off, no ostensible sibling sympathy in Baltimore’s 30-23 victory. Each John and Jim — whose groups very simply might meet within the playoffs in a pair months — have been totally invested within the second.
That’s why the Ravens went for it thrice on fourth down, succeeding on all three, together with as soon as from their 16. Neither coach was taking his foot off the fuel.
“The overriding thing was who we were playing,” stated John, 62, 15 months older than Jim. “You’ve just got to try to hang on to possessions as long as you can, because they’re so good. … Their offense is so challenging and so good, we just felt we were going to need it.”
As the sport clock hit 0:00, photographers, digital camera operators and different media flooded from the 4 corners of the sphere to the midfield lightning bolt to seize the brotherly handshake. That was temporary, with John and Jim exchanging a couple of pleasant phrases and a fast hug earlier than heading their separate methods.
Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, proper, greets brother John, coach of the Ravens, earlier than their Monday evening sport.
(Ryan Solar / Related Press)
When you didn’t know what occurred within the sport, didn’t know the ultimate end result, it will be exhausting to inform by the postgame media periods which brother gained and which misplaced. They have been each subdued and selected their phrases fastidiously.
“It’s every week at this level, everybody pours an incredible amount of effort and everything they have into these games,” Jim stated. “I was really pleased with our effort, valiant effort, and their side of the ball had valiant effort as well.”
Simply as John has gained all three video games teaching in opposition to his brother — together with a Tremendous Bowl victory — quarterback Peyton Manning was 3-0 in opposition to his youthful brother, Eli. And simply as these ballyhooed matchups have been excruciating for folks Archie and Olivia Manning, they’re tortuous for Jack and Jackie Harbaugh.
The Harbaugh dad and mom attended the primary two video games pitting their sons, however Monday — which occurred to be their 63rd anniversary — they have been in Florida, watching from the house of their daughter, Joanie, who’s married to longtime school basketball coach Tom Crean.
Each brothers reached out to their dad and mom earlier than the sport.
“I wished them a happy anniversary, and I know Jim did the same,” John stated. “Jim and I texted before the game a little bit. Just so grateful for our parents. When you’re blessed enough to have parents who get along so well, love each other, have been married 63 years, it kind of gives you an idea how it’s supposed to work. That’s the gift they’ve given all three of us.
“I know they’re 100% happy and 100% disappointed at the same time. If you can imagine that, that’s how they feel right now.”
He added: “They’re going to win a lot more football games this year, and they’re going to be a major factor in the playoffs.”
Again once they have been children, sharing a bed room and sometimes buying and selling punches, the ultra-competitive brothers made an settlement. They divided their room in two.
“John came up with this thing where he put a piece of athletic tape across the floor of the room we shared,” Jim, then coach of the San Francisco 49ers, advised the Los Angeles Instances in 2011. “He proclaimed that I wasn’t allowed to come on his side of the tape, and he wasn’t allowed to come on my side.”
Jim agreed to the plan, solely later to understand a lot of the prime gadgets — a document participant, radio, desk and alarm clock — have been on his brother’s facet of the room. Jim had the closet the place they saved their garments and the bed room door on his facet, but John was allowed to make use of these as crucial.
“So the deal was the deal,” Jim stated. “But there are those 10 or 12 defining moments in your life, and that was one of them. I learned a valuable lesson the hard way: You negotiate a good deal up front.”
As for the story of the tape now? It’s extra loving however nonetheless lopsided.
