After your first interview on Jan. 8, did you start to assemble a potential staff in your mind? (HARBAUGH) "I think that's something you do all the time as a coach. You probably do it as a [general manager], too. You're always putting guys together, and you're always talking to guys: ‘Boy, he would be good in this spot, and he would be good in that spot.' But it wasn't until Ozzie had called Sunday morning – we were coming back from my brother's wedding out in California – that I had to put a list together. So, I put it together on Monday and came back down on Tuesday."
Does John have the autonomy to hire whomever he wants staffing-wise? Is this his staff to put together? (BISCIOTTI) "Coaching staff? Sure. Absolutely."
You mentioned Ray Rhodes and the impact he had on you. What did you take away from Ray that helped you get here? (HARBAUGH) "Ray is a solid, fundamental football coach. He's kind of an old school guy. He cares about toughness. He cares about his players tremendously, has great relationships with his players. I think if there's one thing I'd like to say, I probably would take this from Ray Rhodes: Those guys I've had a chance to coach over the years, in Philadelphia right now, the [Brian] Dawkins, the Quentin Mikells, the Ike Reeses, the Mike Caldwells over the years and so many more – that's what makes you as a coach. That's why you coach. You can't wait to get to work every day and be with those guys and be about football. And that's what Ray Rhodes is all about."
How would you characterize your playing career? (HARBAUGH) "My dad always says, ‘the twilight of a mediocre career.' That probably about sums it up. I was a good, tough, hard-nosed defensive back at Miami of Ohio, worked really hard. I got one letter my senior year. [I'm] proud of that, too, I guarantee you. I'm going to wear that jacket in tomorrow for you (laughing)."
A lot has been made over the last few weeks about an erosion in team discipline. Did you feel that perception was valid? (BISCIOTTI) "I didn't get that overall sense that we lacked discipline. I think that you have a tendency to lose focus when you're losing. It tends to perpetuate bad habits, so, no. I watched these guys come out here everyday and do their work, interact with them on the field and in the cafeteria. No, I don't think that's that big of an issue, and I hope John doesn't come and say that he thinks it is come September. I think that these guys are ready for a change, and I think they're going to be enthusiastic about it. I think that they're going to be dedicated to John's vision. I think John's a good communicator of his vision, and that's why he's here.
"Everybody knows that Ray Lewis
is the player and the leader that he is. Everything you know about Ray is true. He's truly one of the greatest leaders that I've ever been around in my life. It's genuine, it's constant, it's so deep-rooted, that he can't possibly be anything but a great influence for the other players. People say, ‘This is Ray's team. It should be, it shouldn't be, whatever.' Leaders rise to the top, and Ray has since the time he was a young man. When you look at people thinking [John] may be too young, he's 45, and Ray's 32, and we've been giving [Lewis] his due as a leader. I think that when John gets the opportunity to sit down with Ray, he's going to thank his lucky stars that he has him. I don't think that anybody that works with Ray is going to give any less of their commitment and attention to John than Ray is. I don't know where Ray is right now. He may be in Jamaica, but I guarantee you that the minute he hears this, he's going to start thinking, ‘How can I help this coach be a great coach?' And that's a nice place to start out on this team."With all the contacts you have around the League, what did you hear about John that intrigued you? (CASS) "Actually, most of the calls made around the league were made by our football guys because they wanted to talk to coaches, scouts, players and former players. So I really made very few calls. What we heard about John was what you've heard here today and what you can see today, that he has great passion for the game, he's a very effective communicator, a great coach and the players like to play for him. All the great things you've heard about him today, we heard in the phone calls."
