John Harbaugh

Anybody who saw Jimmy Smith gingerly walked off the indoor practice field Thursday wasn't shocked by the Ravens cornerback's absence during Friday's session at the team's headquarters in Owings Mills. Coach John Harbaugh confirmed defensive coordinator Dean Pees' initial vibe that Smith had injured his back. “Jimmy's back locked up,” Harbaugh said Friday. “It's all muscular. It's stuff that has happened to him in college before. It takes a couple of days usually for that to loosen up.” Harbaugh also cleared up the mystery of defensive end Arthur Jones, who was not present for the second straight day. “Arthur got an MRI,” Harbaugh said.

Ray Rice's amazing 29-yard catch-and-run on fourth down-and-29 and the Ravens' eventual 16-13 overtime win against the San Diego Chargers Sunday overshadowed a few miscues such as the offense's ineptness in the first half, the unit's inability to create a consistent pocket for quarterback Joe Flacco and some inopportune penalties. Another gaffe that didn't end up hurting the Ravens was the ill-fated decision to go for it on fourth down-and-1 on the Chargers' 14-yard line with 34 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

When John Harbaugh makes that walk down the steps from McDaniel College's field house to the practice field, he'll be under the microscope for the rest of the year, and the tone for the 2008 season will be set during the next 25 days of training camp. The eyes of an entire city will be on Harbaugh, the Ravens' first-year head coach, but he'll be scrutinized more by his players, who are trying to develop a feel for the new boss. Harbaugh has had at least six minicamps, and he established a rapid tempo for practices.

Unless you are a football junkie, you probably don't know or don't care that the Kansas City Chiefs hired Chris Ault, the man who invented the Pistol offense and coached Colin Kaepernick at Nevada, to a consulting gig. But it might interest you that the Ravens reportedly expressed interest in adding Ault to their coaching staff. According to Dan Hinxman of The Reno Gazette-Journal , Ault's agent, Bob LaMonte, said that Ault received interest from a handful of NFL teams , including the Green Bay Packers, the Minnesota Vikings and the Ravens.

Brian Schottenheimer, the New York Jets' offensive coordinator, became the fifth candidate to interview for the Ravens' head coaching position, spending more than four hours yesterday at the team's headquarters. Next on their interview list is Philadelphia Eagles secondary coach John Harbaugh, who has been granted permission to speak to the Ravens and will visit with team officials today. Though Schottenheimer is considered a long shot, Harbaugh is an intriguing candidate. Harbaugh, 45, the brother of former Ravens quarterback Jim Harbaugh, is considered one of the rising assistants in the NFL. A longtime special teams coach, Harbaugh switched to defensive assistant in order to better position himself for a head coaching job. For Schottenheimer, this is the second straight year he has interviewed for a head coaching job. Schottenheimer, 34, was a finalist for the Miami Dolphins' opening last year before withdrawing from consideration to remain with the Jets.

Midway through the Ravens' news conference introducing John Harbaugh as head coach, a reporter referred to the fact that owner Steve Bisciotti was searching for the next Hall of Fame coach. "By the way, did you know I said that?" Bisciotti said with a laugh, patting Harbaugh on the back. Without hesitation, Harbaugh casually responded: "Yeah, I read that somewhere." Despite doubts from others that he might not be ready to become a head coach, Harbaugh commanded yesterday's 40-minute news conference, exuding the poise and confidence that led him to become the third coach in Ravens history.

After being introduced as the Ravens' head coach last month, John Harbaugh drove to the team's headquarters, thinking of everything he wanted to accomplish. There was one problem -- he parked in the wrong place. A team employee informed Harbaugh he had his own parking space, about a football field closer to the door. "I definitely have learned my way around the building," he said with grin. "I haven't gotten lost since the first week." Harbaugh is truly starting to feel at home, putting his own touches inside the Ravens' complex.

The old adage goes: Victory has a hundred fathers, but defeat is an orphan. Last season, when the Ravens went 5-11, that little bundle of disappointment was left on former coach Brian Billick's doorstep. No one wants to claim defeat solely as his own, but in sports, the head guy almost always pays the bill. Conversely, as the Ravens pack for their playoff trip to Miami, there is a lot of credit to pass around for their reversal, with precocious rookie quarterback Joe Flacco near the top of the list.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The Ravens' offense was running a two-minute drill this offseason when John Harbaugh mistakenly called a timeout. "But I was the head coach, so I made it a defensive timeout," Harbaugh joked. "So, that was easy." It won't be that easy starting tonight, when the Ravens kick off their preseason against the New England Patriots. Harbaugh, 45, is one of four first-year NFL coaches who will have four games of on-the-job training before the regular season starts. Just as rookie quarterback Joe Flacco is learning the offense, Harbaugh is learning time management, the give-and-take with his coordinators and the pulse of his team.

A year ago, John Harbaugh's first minicamp as Ravens coach ended with the surprise retirement of quarterback Steve McNair. After leading the Ravens to the AFC championship game, Harbaugh won't have to deal with as many drastic issues when the Ravens begin their first minicamp Friday. He spoke to The Baltimore Sun on Wednesday about the changes during the offseason, the development of quarterback Joe Flacco and the immediate plans for first-round pick Michael Oher. Where do you see this team heading into the full-team minicamp?