John Harbaugh: No Hard Feelings with Wink; Excited About Ravens-Giants Matchup

Baltimore Ravens face the New York Giants in Week 6.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens coach John Harbaugh said there are no bad feelings between him and Giants defensive coordinator Don Martindale, who spent a decade in Baltimore as an assistant coach.

Harbaugh parted ways with Martindale as the defensive coordinator this offseason and hired Mike Macdonald from Michigan. 

It was simply the right time for a change.

Harbaugh and Martindale will meet this week when the Ravens travel to MetLife Stadium to face the Giants. 

"We had great conversations throughout," Harbaugh said about letting Martindale go. "We were talking all the time. We’re close, so it wasn’t like a specific meeting. It was just kind of an opportunity to talk about where we were both going and what was best. I think we both came to that decision together, I’d say; that’s how I would like to look at it. I feel that way about it, and I think it’s turning out great for him. [I have] nothing but admiration for what he’s doing.”

Martindale was hired as the Ravens' linebackers coach in 2012. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2018. 

This time, Ronnie Stanley took his time getting back into the @Ravens lineup and the results showed that was a wise decision. #RavensFlockhttps://t.co/uTZWkhBVdV via @toddkarpovich

— Todd Karpovich (@toddkarpovich) October 12, 2022

During his time in Baltimore, Martindale won Super Bowl XLVII and consistently had one of the NFL's best defenses. His unit ranked in the top three in the NFL in points allowed in each of his first three seasons, and first, fourth and seventh, respectively, in yardage yielded while never finishing lower than eighth against the run or the pass.

Last year, Martindale's defense overcame numerous injuries, including season-ending losses to both starting cornerbacks, to lead the NFL against the run, allowing 84.5 yards a game. Baltimore was also third in the league in third-down defense, as their opponents converted only 34.8% of their opportunities.

From 2018 until 2020, Baltimore permitted both the league's fewest points (18.2 a game) and total yards per game (307.8) and was tied for the league lead with 12 defensive touchdowns. In those three years, Baltimore led the league in number of players to record a sack (33) and second-half points allowed (401), while ranking No. 2 in both fourth-down stops (41) and opponent QB rating (81.9).

Harbaugh and Martindale know each other's tendencies so the Week 6 matchup could turn into a cat-and-mouse game. 

"It’s going to be interesting that way. You recognize what’s on the tape, and he has new wrinkles of course," Harbaugh said. "They do a great job; he’s a great coach. I’ve known Don [Martindale] ... We’ve been friends since we were kids in coaching, [and] I’m proud of him for what he did here, obviously. He’s doing a great job up there; they’re playing great defense. So, nothing but respect and love.

"It’s like, ‘He knows that we know, that we know that he knows, that he knows that we know.’ So, it’s something like that.”