What NY Jets fans overlook about John Harbaugh’s availability

New York Jets fans often share a common misconception about why their team has struggled over the last 15 seasons. Most believe that the culture inside the building is bad, and that alone is a reason why the team hasn’t made the playoffs since Barack Obama was in his first term.

The issue, however, has nothing to do with the team’s culture. It has everything to do with the schematic disadvantages that the Jets work with every day. Fans push for a “no-nonsense” coach who will bring a Bill Parcells-level impact to the building.

It’s why many fans are now “all-in” on former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and are invested in the Jets conducting due diligence. After 18 seasons in Maryland, Harbaugh and the team parted ways on Tuesday night after missing the playoffs on the final day of the regular season.

To Jets fans (and many organizations around the league), Harbaugh would be an instant upgrade to what they currently have. There’s just one important, pesky problem…

Those same fans misunderstand what led to Harbaugh’s dismissal in the first place.

A crucial lesson learned

In his 18 years in Baltimore, Harbaugh never called an offensive or defensive play.

He made the playoffs in 12 of those 18 years, a division that included the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals (teams that appeared in the Super Bowl during his time). His ability to transition the team to a Joe Flacco drop-back system for Lamar Jackson was impressive. It helped keep his job and remain a top coach in the league.

As is the case with any coach, though, older coaches aren’t normally willing to adapt to changes around the league. It’s why Jets fans would likely grow tired of Harbaugh fairly quickly if he were to come to Florham Park, NJ (he won’t).

What Jets fans need more than ever is an infusion of schematic development into their everyday lives. Fans need to grapple with the idea that their coaches can no longer just give speeches to galvanize a locker room or school a reporter during media availability.

They have to actually be able to scheme their players into better situations and advantages on the field.

Has Harbaugh done that throughout his career? This is the all-important question?

So with the Jets roster being what it is, what exactly do Jets fans expect Harbaugh to be able to do if their pipe dream was even close to coming true?

Culture is overrated/misunderstood

It’s time for Jets fans to understand a basic truth about the NFL now.

“Culture” is overrated and/or misunderstood. Coaches who claim to bring a “winning culture” are often a farce. Winning cultures are built on actual wins on the field, not by anything said in the locker room.

In the modern NFL, coaches must devise effective schemes for players and help them improve. Offensive coaches need to be able to put up points and develop quarterbacks, while defensive coaches need to create systems that confound even the elite signal-callers in the game.

Harbaugh didn’t do anything of that—at least not directly.

Instead, he chose the correct individuals to lead the offensive and defensive architecture under his overall vision—which is an essential mindset to avoid potential scheme restrictions or fielding outdated concepts.

He will be a Hall-of-Fame by the time his career is officially over. His 180 wins and a Super Bowl win will always be incredibly impressive in a conference that had Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Ben Roethlisberger battling in the postseason.

However, the talent level he worked with in Baltimore is significantly different from that in other stops around the league, such as the Atlanta Falcons or the New York Giants. Questions about whether he can have the same kind of success he had for the last 18 years are warranted.

John Harbaugh’s culture is certainly celebrated. But with no Super Bowl to speak up in over a decade, and coaching changes around him to boot, maybe his culture wasn’t good enough.

When the wins stopped coming, his scheme didn’t save him.