John Harbaugh says Ravens entering new era of football

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- John Harbaugh celebrated his new four-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens by eating some of his wife's brownies, watching his daughter's basketball game and going to a fast-food restaurant.

"I texted my dad that I was at Chick-fil-A, and he thought I had a mistype," Harbaugh said Friday. "He said he spent two hours trying to figure out who Chick was. 'When did he meet this guy named Chick-fil-A?' God, Dad, you got to get out more."

This was reminiscent of the time six years ago when quarterback Joe Flacco went to McDonald's after signing a contract to become the NFL's highest-paid player.

Now Flacco is being supplanted by Lamar Jackson and longtime general manager Ozzie Newsome is being replaced by Eric DeCosta. In a span of a few months, the Ravens have undergone an unusual amount of transition.

"It is a new era of football," Harbaugh said. "We'll be a different team than we were last year. We'll be a different team than we've ever been here before because of a lot of the changes."

The Ravens could have a makeover on offense with potential changes at wide receiver, running back and the interior of the line. The NFL's top-ranked defense has three pending free agents in middle linebacker C.J. Mosley, outside linebacker Terrell Suggs and defensive end Brent Urban and has to make salary-cap decisions on safety Eric Weddle and cornerback Jimmy Smith.

Baltimore is hoping the biggest change comes with Jackson. The rookie first-round pick led the Ravens to their first AFC North title in six years on the strength of his running.

Harbaugh is looking to feature a more diversified offense, which means Jackson has to improve his accuracy and mechanics as a passer. Jackson, who can't work with coaches again until April 15 under rules of the collective bargaining agreement, gave team officials his offseason workout plan, which includes a lot of throwing as well as meeting up with his receivers.

"I'm quite sure he's going to work at it really hard," Harbaugh said. "I expect him to come back a better quarterback skillwise than he left, and he's determined to do that."

Jackson completed 58.2 percent of his passes (99-of-170) for 1,201 yards. He threw for six touchdowns and had three interceptions for a modest 84.5 passer rating.

Jackson's greatest impact came as a runner. He led all quarterbacks this season with 695 yards rushing, gaining at least 70 yards rushing in five of seven starts.

Harbaugh isn't concerned that defenses will figure out the Ravens' unconventional offense this offseason. He chalks up the season-worst 229 yards of total offense in the 23-17 wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Chargers to a lack of execution.

"If you think there is a defense that's going to stop Lamar running and us executing really well, that's not going to be the case," Harbaugh said. "They can't put 13 guys out there. The Chargers deserve a lot of credit. They outplayed us and outreached us. We need to do a better job of attacking what they did that day. What they did that day is not going to work next game."

There was speculation that Harbaugh was headed to a mutual parting of the ways during the bye week, when the Ravens were 4-5 with a three-game losing streak. Now Harbaugh is signed as head coach through 2022.

Harbaugh said he wasn't worried about his fate heading into the final year of his contract, but he did acknowledge wondering whether he would be coaching elsewhere after the season.

"Yeah, it's on our mind," Harbaugh said. "I'm not going to say you don't understand the circumstances of your own situation. [But] to me, you do the job, not keep the job."

Family over football: Why Kyle Williams is choosing to end his career in Buffalo

He admitted he was torn. Kyle Williams retirement announcement wasn't an easy decision for him. He can still play NFL football at a high level. He loves the only other city he's ever lived in besides where he grew up in Louisiana. But the tug on his heart for his family was something he could no longer put to the side.

The father of five came to a realization this past spring that he's simply missing too many of his kids' milestones, and his professional career was the main culprit.

"I've watched way too many T-ball and soccer games over FaceTime,"he said. "This past spring more than ever. I think at the end of the day, it came down to the things that I say are most important to me, are they really the most important things, or do I just say that because that's what everybody else says?

"I don't know if there's ever a good time, whether it's now or whether it's two years from now, it's going to hurt walking away. There's going to be a void in my life because of how much this game, obviously this organization, and this team has meant to me in general. Those were all things that I'm going to have to work through and process. It's never easy."

Williams has not only been committed to pro football the past 13 years, he genuinely loves it. He loves the preparation, the competition and the grind.

What made his decision all the more difficult is a relationship he's built in the only NFL city he's known. Buffalo took Kyle Williams in as their adopted son. They loved him, because they saw a lot of themselves in him. A prideful person, who puts in an honest day's work every day, even when things don't always go the way you want them to.

"The city here, if you commit yourself to it, you commit yourself to the community, there's such a different vibe," he said. "There's such a different feeling. We've had guys come in and out of this organization, obviously, tons for my years here. These guys either didn't want to come here because of what they had heard or maybe people make a funny face when you say 'Buffalo.'

"They didn't want to be drafted here, they didn't want to come here in free agency, they had no other choice, whatever the things may be. When it was time for leaving, nobody wanted to leave. There's something about (Buffalo) that gets inside of you and takes hold if you commit yourself to it and you let it in."

Despite all the seasons where the playoffs weren't part of the equation, and the better part of two seasons were lost to injury, Williams said he wished he was 22 again so he could do it all over.

That's the level of competitor Williams was for the Bills, and it was why he remains so revered in Buffalo's locker room. He was the ultimate competitor.

Williams hinted at being involved in helping to push coach McDermott's process along. Whether that's from afar or making his way back to Buffalo now and again, the details will likely be ironed out in the offseason.

For now, Williams is looking forward to Sunday's season finale when he buckles his chin strap at New Era Field, one last time. It'll be his last taste of the competition that drove him to be one of the most successful defensive lineman in team history.

"It'll be a fun experience," said Williams. "I'm excited about it, obviously. I don't know that a place has ever meant more to anybody. I'm excited for the weekend."

From Neymar, Mbappe and Cavani to Messi, Coutinho and Suarez: the best attacking trios in football

"Two's company, three's a crowd" is the cliché, but when it comes to football, three might be the magic number. We look at the game's most potent trios and what makes each of them so brilliant.

This terrific threesome thrives on open space and they are at their peak when afforded room to run and attack in behind a hastily retreating defence. They fit the high-press ideals of their boss, Jurgen Klopp, and are equipped to exploit even the most innocuous change of possession.

What makes Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane so deadly is their blistering pace and conviction when in possession. They rarely get in each other's way, stretching opponents to a breaking point by their full use of the pitch. Firmino is arguably the game's sharpest target man up front despite lacking the natural size and strength of a big centre-forward; his hold-up play, off-the-ball running and distribution creates room for his strike partners to exploit.

Salah's a classic inverted winger, drifting in from the right side with ease to create shooting opportunities. Mane is more of a natural winger, hugging his touchline and beating his man with pace on the outside or foot skill to the inside. They thrive off service from midfield, too, catching teams in transition and beating offside traps for simple finishes.

Last season saw Salah compile a career year and a Ballon d'Or nomination, the main beneficiary of Liverpool's aggression in winning back possession and quickly shunting it to the front three, who rarely spurned a scoring chance. That said, they do have a weakness, as breaking masses' defences isn't their strong suit. The trio need room to operate; teams that dig in and sit deep in the final third forces other Liverpool players to be decisive from midfield. But in open play, this front three is unparalleled.

It almost feels unfair to single out the trio of Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and Sergio Aguero given how brilliant Pep Guardiola's entire squad is at breaking down opponents. But the truth is these three in particular are the most adept at applying the finishing touch. Their strength isn't so much in the creation of chances, but the conversion.

Raheem Sterling's progression to becoming one of the best forwards in the world has been undeniable, especially under Guardiola. Whether dropping deep to link play or applying his pace to crack a rigid offside trap, his power derives from his speed of thought and execution. Whether playing the first pass in an attacking move or applying the simple finish, Sterling's understanding of the game is excellent, especially when you consider he's only 23 years old.

Leroy Sane's pace and power gives opponents a torrid time. Though he's drifted in and out of the lineup at times over the past 12 months, his ability to create chances no matter the scenario makes him difficult to handle. Witness his goal against Liverpool in January 2018: Isolated on the left wing and with little time to control a long, lofted pass, a clever bit of chest control bought him time to dart into the box, cut back onto his left foot and finish from an impossibly narrow angle. Receiving the ball far from goal isn't a problem for Sane given his skill and confidence to get into the box.

Then there's Sergio Aguero, one of the game's purest finishers and the punctuation on many of Manchester City's flowing sentences. His constant movement makes him impossible to mark out of a game; he'll drift all over the attacking third to open space for others or create an angle for himself. That, combined with his canny knack of being where the ball will eventually end up, has seen him become the club's record goal scorer and the ninth person in Premier League history to notch 150 goals. Oh, and he did it in record time compared to legends like Wayne Rooney, Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry, hitting the milestone in 218 games.

UT-Arlington is considering reviving its football program more than 30 years after it was disbanded

For the first time in 14 years, UT-Arlington is seriously considering the revival of its dormant football program.

UTA president Vistasp Karbhari and athletic director Jim Baker have examined the costs of adding a football team within the next 10 years, according to documents obtained through an open records request. In addition to football, the Mavericks have also looked at adding women's soccer and beach volleyball.

In 1985, the university disbanded its football program because of budget constraints. In a statement provided Thursday, Baker said the university is seeking an additional feasibility study from a third party. Baker also said the football program "must be exclusively funded by private, philanthropic resources" and exclude any additional money from student fees.

Through school spokespersons, Baker and Karbhari declined interview requests Thursday. Karbhari also cited Baker's statement when asked for a comment.

In September, the state's attorney general ruled UTA had to release selected emails and documents about UTA's football program. Those materials were released earlier this week after The News filed a complaint to the state's attorney general office.

According to an internal budget projection, adding those three sports could cost UTA $146.7 million over 10 years. During the 2017 fiscal year, UTA reported $530,067 in athletic donations and $14.1 million in total operating athletic revenue.

Adding women's soccer and beach volleyball brings an estimated combined cost of $10 million over 10 years, with volleyball starting in Year 2 and soccer in Year 3. The two sports would have 20 combined full scholarships, which would help UTA fulfill the Title IX obligations that come with adding 85 football scholarships.

In April, Baker and Karbhari reviewed a document that featured a 10-year projection for the football program. By the sixth year, the Mavericks would have a team competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the NCAA's highest level.

According to internal emails, the projection was compiled by Steven Biter, a former volunteer operations assistant at Austin Peay. Biter also examined a 2004 feasibility report about restarting UTA football and a similar one conducted by Wichita State in 2016.

The 10-year projection anticipated spending $1.5 million annually on a head football coach and two coordinator salaries of $417,918 each by the tenth year. The salaries for off-field football staff positions totaled $18.3 million during that span, according to the report. The budget calls for $17.3 million in football related facility expenses.

In 2004, UTA hired former Big Eight commissioner Chuck Neinas to conduct a similar study about bringing back the football team.

"Generally speaking, most of those with whom I spoke indicated varying interest in intercollegiate football," Neinas wrote in 2004. "Some expressed the opinion that it would have been less difficult to maintain the football program through the last century than to reinstate the sport today."

Neinas said UTA needed to either upgrade Maverick Stadium, which Arlington ISD currently uses for some of its football games, or build a new facility to accommodate the new sports. Including facility expenses, adding football and two women's sports would have cost $17.5 million over five years, according to the 2004 report.

That included a salary of $90,000 for a head football coach. In a recent survey conducted by USA Today, no FBS coach makes less than $390,000 annually.

At the time, a football team would have participated in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Nine years later, UTA joined the Sun Belt Conference, which plays football at the FBS level. Recently added footnotes indicate playing at the FBS level is the best option given the university's enrollment of 42,496, current television contracts and the potential hire of a "very prominent head coach."

The potential addition of a football program would be the latest move by the university to field a top-tier athletics program. In March, UTA fired Scott Cross, the winningest men's basketball coach in school history, after the Mavericks failed to make the NCAA tournament.

Baker received national backlash for the decision. In emails sent by Karbhari in March, the school president was supportive of Baker and his vision of the athletic program, one that could potentially include football.

San Jose State football meets SJPD for bridge building

SAN JOSE — Before the entire San Jose State University football team made its way to the Simpkins Stadium Center Monday morning to meet with San Jose police, some players said they were expecting a routine talk about staying safe and out of trouble.

What they got was a police chief and a crew of officers — many of them former college athletes themselves — looking to hear from them.

"We wanted to have a real discussion about people's perception of law enforcement," head coach Brent Brennan said. "Our football team is a really unique group of people that is so diverse, and comes from different parts of California. It's just a really healthy conversation to have."

For a couple of hours, the Spartans heard from Chief Eddie Garcia and participated in an anonymous text-based survey of the players' attitudes toward police, and their thoughts of their own roles as student-athletes in driving the public discourse.

Of the 100-plus players who participated, more than three-quarters indicated that athletes should have a prominent role in discussions about policing issues, and several acknowledged how the football field has become a centerpiece of the national conversation about police and communities of color, catalyzed largely by the protests of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

"Athletes have a platform that can help them go in the direction they want, and change the dynamic of people's perspective of police," said Owen "Boogie" Roberts, a graduate student and defensive tackle from Los Angeles. "But we have to find a balanced way to do it, and conversation is the best way to open up someone's eyes to what's going on."

Garcia said he and his officers relished the face-to-face contact and deeper talks with the players, many of whom either had infrequent encounters with police in the past, or adverse ones.

"A great majority said they had trust in police, but I'm more interested in the percentage that didn't. That's why we're here," he said. "We want to let these young men vent negative situations that occurred to them, and have a dialogue about that. For coach Brennan to open up his football team to allow us to have that dialogue, that's teaching way beyond X's and O's."

Roberts counted himself among those, recalling growing up in what was commonly known as South Central Los Angeles amid a mutual wariness between residents and police.

"People tied into it and already had an attitude, which makes the situation worse," he said.

Dakari Monroe, a senior cornerback who attended Archbishop Mitty in San Jose, described having mixed emotions about police based on his reading of news and social media. But sitting down with officers, he said, put him and his teammates more at ease.

"After the presentation, I can see SJPD is trying to get more involved in the community," he said. "I saw their point of view, which is something people lack. If all police departments did this, we would get along much smoother."

Freshman wide receiver Steven Houston, from Dublin, said being exposed to police officers in the casual setting was helpful to him, particularly as a friend of a current SJPD academy cadet.

"It turned out to be a better conversation," he said. "When we're out there, we can have a relationship with authorities and can communicate with them, since now they know us personally."

Garcia said he was impressed, and somewhat surprised, by how receptive the players were to his officers, regardless of their past experiences.

"One of the things I discovered is that with these young men, their heels weren't dug in. They were willing to listen," he said. "They were willing to hear us out, and that's all I've been asking for."

Brennan said he was encouraged by the positive response from his players, and said this kind of exposure is key to his goal of preparing them for life outside of football.

"Every (football) program has police come talk to the team, but this was different," he said. "This was about education and communication and understanding, and finding a way to understand where everyone is coming from. We want to do everything we can to help these young men grow to become future leaders, and this was a really great day for that."