Baltimore Ravens’ head coach John Harbaugh is very detailed within his work ethics and it has shown with his determination of improvement with the Ravens, but hard work comes with a price of commitment, devotion, and someone that will guide you down the streams of any criticism, positive or negative. During his trip to the NovaCare Complex, memories of Jim Johnson started flooding his head.
“It’s great to be back,” Harbaugh said. “Just being here brings back incredible memories and moments. I think about Andy, and I think about teams that we had. Brian Westbrook … We were joking after practice with former Eagles’ special teamer Ike Reese. We were talking about the Miracle at the Meadowlands and somewhere down the line a particular play that resulted in a win was with Westbrook bringing back a the punt return.“But nothing more so than Jim Johnson, nothing more so than the guy I would consider the greatest coach ,the greatest defensive coach in the history of football.
Jim Johnson was the face of the “Blitz Packages.” He had brought the tangibles of what is was like to coach against him and a lot of coaches could not figure Johnson’s defensive structure what so ever. He was well aware that every defensive play was a factor, so he took every chance to seize a moment. Johnson loved the big moments to throw in a risky play or blitz heavily.
From 2000 through 2008, the Eagles allowed the fourth-fewest points in the NFL. They reached the postseason seven out of nine years with Johnson running the defense and got to the NFC Championship Game five times, winning in 2004. In 19 playoff games with Johnson running the defense, the Eagles allowed only 18.4 points per game. Incredibly, in the second half of those games, the Eagles allowed fewer than six points per game.
“Jim was a huge influence,” Harbaugh said. “Jim, he welcomed me in here. I was coaching special teams, but he grabbed me and pulled me in there, giving me little duties and things like that and letting me learn.
Harbaugh had sent the 1999 through 2007 seasons on Andy Reid’s staff with Johnson. The first eight years, he coached special teams and the final year he got to work directly with Johnson as the Eagles’ secondary coach. 
“Football-wise, I’d say he’s probably the biggest influence,” Harbaugh said. “I learned more football in the NFL from him than anybody else, just learning defense in his system.“The thing about Jim Johnson was he was old school. We’re running a lot of our stuff old school, and Jim Johnson was old school.“Jim Johnson always has a support player on the end of the line of scrimmage. Jim Johnson had somebody in every gap — two gap and playing technique through the man and not just running through a gap. He taught defense the way it was taught forever, and it never gets old.”
Johnson was a man that inspired individuals to work harder; “The first thing Jim did was slap the playbook on the desk and basically said, ‘You ought to know most of this anyway, but learn it,’” Harbaugh remembered with a laugh. “He was the kind of guy that just expected you to dig in and start asking questions, and that’s how he was.
“Even when I wasn’t coaching the secondary, I asked him questions, and he would sit down and give you a lengthy explanation about the history of it and why they do it, but he expected you to work, and he expected you to study. He wasn’t going to hand it to you on a plate, but learning the system was the toughest thing the first year for me. As much as you think you know, when you’re the guy teaching it and with all the adjustments and all the nuances of the thing, it was robust.”
Johnson was a defensive coach that all coaches remembered and were inspired by. His legacy will live on for eternity!