John Harbaugh had an incredible run with the Baltimore Ravens, but there's one aspect about his coaching style that his former players won't miss.
The Ravens parted ways with Harbaugh after losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in their regular-season finale. He finished his time in Baltimore with a 180-113 record and a Super Bowl title.
Shortly after the Ravens fired Harbaugh, the New York Giants got to work on a five-year deal for him. They're hoping he can re-establish a winning culture in the Big Apple. With that being said, his new players may want to prepare for a rigorous offseason training program.
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Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers shared his thoughts on Harbaugh during an appearance on the "4th and South" podcast. Although he didn't complain about his former head coach's character, he did have an issue with his approach to practices.
Flowers revealed that Harbaugh put the Ravens through as many contact practices as possible. He claims that's why Baltimore was plagued with injuries during the 2025 season.
"We were in full pads all the time," Flowers said. "However many practices in pads you can get, every single one. We’re doing one-on-ones in Week 17. Week 17, we’re doing one-on-ones, everybody out there, we’re tired, we’re still going. That’s why we had a lot of injuries. Because of how we practiced, how we went. The load was heavy."
The Ravens are changing things up for the 2026 season.
Ravens head coach Jesse Minter assured Flowers that his staff will take care of the players’ bodies on a week-to-week basis.
"He worked with Harbaugh in 2017, so he knows how it was, how we worked with Harbaugh," Flowers said, via Pro Football Talk. "So he says, ‘You’re going to get your work, but it’s going to be a little easier on your body. You’re going to be fresher for the game.’ That was the first talk I had with him: How’s practice going to look
Despite feeling tired through the 2025 season, Flowers still had 86 catches for 1,211 yards and five touchdowns. He could set himself up for a lucrative contract extension by putting up similar numbers this fall.
