In training camp, the Ravens hit harder and more often than they had under Brian Billick, the former Ravens coach who was fired Dec. 31, 2007. If this led to wariness and grumbling among some veterans, well, Harbaugh wasn't backing off.
Impressed by the rookie coach's conviction and organization, Stover urged teammates to buy into Harbaugh's program during those long summer practices. He wasn't the only veteran to be won over quickly.
"The team could tell quickly that [Harbaugh] knew what he was doing," said offensive tackle Willie Anderson, a veteran of 13 seasons. "He was doing things his way, and he wasn't going to change. We had some really tough practices, early on, just pounding and pounding, but he had a plan."
Harbaugh did his best work, Anderson said, after the Ravens fell to 2-3 with a blowout loss against the Indianapolis Colts. He didn't call special meetings or deliver any fiery words.
"The biggest thing was that he never changed up," Anderson said. "Guys never saw him panic."
Anderson, who has played for his share of unprepared and overwhelmed coaches, called Harbaugh "probably the best motivator I've ever seen."
Before the season, some observers wondered if the strong-willed new coach would clash with the team's biggest star, the equally strong-willed Ray Lewis. Not at all, the Pro Bowl linebacker said, when asked to reflect on his year with Harbaugh.
"I think he's the ultimate players' coach," Lewis said. "John is one of us. During the week, on game day, all of that, he relates to his players very well."
Every person Harbaugh runs into at the Ravens complex gets a smile, a look in the eye and patient attention. He works with great focus but doesn't linger at the office when he feels the day's goals have been met. Like his parents did with him and his siblings at Michigan, he brings his 6-year-old daughter, Alison, to work so she's never left out of his busy existence.
Jim Harbaugh said that when he gets home, his wife often says that his head is still in "football land."
"But not John," he said. "When he's at home around his daughter and his wife, it's all about them. I think that comes back to ability. Some coaches have to work around the clock, because they're just not as productive as John."
Harbaugh likes to have family around. He shared an embrace with his father and a few private words on the sideline after the Ravens won at Tennessee last weekend.
