Mike Tomlin quote perfectly highlights John Harbaugh’s Ravens tenure

When John Harbaugh was hired to be the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens in January of 2008, the first inauguration of President Barack Obama had not taken place yet, beloved sitcom “Modern Family” was still a year and a half away from airing its pilot episode and the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick-led New England Patriots were eying the second perfect season in NFL history. Needless to say, the world is unrecognizable from the one that saw the former Philadelphia Eagles defensive backs coach arrive in Charm City.

Nearly 18 years later, Harbaugh is leaving Baltimore. The Ravens fired the Super Bowl 47 champion and 2019 AP NFL Coach of the Year on Tuesday, ending the most prosperous era in franchise history. Many fans predicted this outcome (and demanded it) after the squad blew multiple chances to clinch the AFC North versus the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night, but it is still surreal to see such a huge change take place after so many years.

Mike Tomlin, Harbaugh’s contemporary/rival and the man who delivered the final dagger into this HC tenure, is surely feeling nostalgic following the news. His Steelers have contested a number of memorable battles with the Ravens, so he can appreciate what the former Baltimore leader means to the game. An interaction between the two longtime coaches from October of 2023 seems especially pertinent on this day.

“Man, we’ve been in a bunch of these, you and I, haven’t we?” Tomlin asked Harbaugh before a divisional matchup, per The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov. “I remember one time sitting and talking about what our kids were for Halloween. And them damn kids now grown… That’s the perspective.”