ReutersDuring the Super Bowl XLVII power outage, Ravens coach John Harbaugh spent a couple minutes shouting at a stadium official on the sideline, and he also yelled at the on-field officials. At his press conference on Monday morning, Harbaugh said he went too far.
“The whole blackout thing, I way overreacted,” Harbaugh said. “I was just concerned about some things that had to do with the headsets and coaches in the press box and if you have to bring guys down. It was really stuff that was never going to be an issue because they handled it so well. A total overreaction on my part and I feel bad about it. It was the one thing I look back on the game and I am disappointed in myself about, because I didn’t have very much poise in that moment.”
Although Harbaugh didn’t get into specifics about what he was angry about, it appeared that he thought the 49ers were getting an unfair advantage because the power on their sideline wasn’t out, so they were still able to use their sideline-to-booth communications, while the Ravens’ communications system wasn’t working. Under NFL rules, if one team’s communications go out, the other team isn’t supposed to be able to use theirs.
The Ravens dominated the game before the blackout and were leading 28-6 when the lights went out. But the 49ers outscored the Ravens 17-0 for the rest of the third quarter. Harbaugh, however, said he wouldn’t blame the blackout for the fact that his team began to struggle.
“It wasn’t anything to do with the blackout,” he said. “The blackout had nothing to do with the game. The 49ers just outplayed us for a stretch. They played great. We did not, for a stretch of the game, but I was proud that our guys bounced back and finished.”
Harbaugh credited his brother, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, for doing a good job of keeping his team focused during the blackout.
“It probably gave them an opportunity to get their balance,” John Harbaugh said of the 49ers. “I’m not surprised. I don’t know that it would have taken that. I know the guy coaching them. I know how he competes. I know what he’s made of and therefore what their team is made of. There was really no doubt in my mind that they were going to do that at some point, and they were going to start throwing counter punches. They’ve got talent. They’ve got a great scheme and that’s what they did. It was really on us to stem the tide, which obviously we were eventually able to do, but man, they were throwing some haymakers at us, and they did a great job of that.”
Harbaugh did a great job, too. Even if chewing out the officials during the power outage was not his finest moment.
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What an amazing coach. Love me some Harbs
Funny how winning the Super Bowl can help you drop the little things…
At least he admitted it. Everyone makes mistakes, but it takes a real person to admit them.
It’s one of the biggest moments of his career and he had a damn good reason to be concerned. I don’t hold anything against him.
Brother Jim, take a lesson!
And if it was the other side of the stadium that lost power, Jim would have overreacted as well….
That’s weird, I thought Jim was the only one throwing tantrums on Sunday.
Seriously, what a clown on the sidelines.
Pretty sure he wouldn’t be saying these things had he lost the game…
Apology accepted John.
Anyone who’s watched 2 minutes of any Ravens game knows that John Harbaugh is going to whine to the officials about something, so it comes as zero surprise that he would lash out about something like this.
This is coming from a 49er fan…Don’t worry John, you’re no where as bad as Jim when it comes to overreacting lol
Ya think?
John blew a fuse.
Can you imagine the whining from the Ravens about the blackout if they had ended up losing the game ?
It would still be going on 20 years from now.
Talk about Harbaugh taking the high road. Something tells me he would be singing a different tune if his team lost the game. Blame that outage on Vegas, Katrina, Beyonce, Benson whomever, it happened and it let the 49ers back into that game. They had 30 + minutes to settle down and re-adjust which caused a huge swing in momentum. That game was on the verge of being a huge BLOW OUT before that outage. Anyone that disagrees wasn’t really watching that game and I like the 49ers.
Not a Ravens fan…and rooted against them last night, but this was a class statement from John. Congrats on the win.
If we never see another Crybaugh in the Super Bowl again it’ll be too soon. What a family of whiners.
They shouldn’t have powered the Superdome with windmills.
He’d be singing a different tune if he’d lost. He’d be using it as an excuse, much like how he always finds ways to make excuses for Ravens losses.
atwatercrush–
Really? If you came away from the Super Bowl thinking that John is the bigger “whiner” of the two Harbaughs, then I don’t know what game you were watching. How is noticing that your opponent has power and you don’t “whining”? Get a grip.
I loved the closeup of Harbaugh berating the stadium official who then in turn rolled his eyes
Power outage definitely helped the 49ers, the game would have been a blow-out.
Now that it has come out that their booth to sideline communications was not affected, I am even more convinced that the power outage helped their coaches make changes.
Better Team Won.
You’re a fool in you think the blackout didn’t effect how SF played after.
John your team was up 28-6 with all that momentum in the biggest game of your life and the power goes off. If you think you overreacted you should of seen me. Which reminds me, does anyone know where to find replacement drywall for cheap??
I thought Jim was gonna spontaneously combust. That guy needs to grow up.
John looked like a choir boy in comparison.
Would it have killed CBS to tell us what he was arguing about at the time it was going on instead of making us read his lips for 5 minutes?
I haven’t paid much atention to the Ravens until this post-season, but Harbaugh seems like a good guy as well as a good coach.
I swear during the game it was reported that the Niners were the one having the issue since power was lost on the niner’s side of the field.
Love this guy
his whiny younger brother should takes notes on how to conduct yourself with class as a football coach on the field, maybe more people would like him. (which is why i can’t stand him)
other than that, they are both excellent excellent coaches.
and enough with non call on the fourth and goal, its better that the ref didn’t throw a flag bc it would’ve been very questionable, just like the 4th down play against the falcons when bowman mugged the receiver EVEN WORSE!!
I couldn’t believe what I was watching when Harbaugh went ballistic on that poor stadium official.The coach has no class. It was obvious it was not the officials fault the power went out. The guy is standing on the field taking all that crap from Harbaugh ,he deserves a bonus not an apology.
the niner staff could communicate for the half hour the power was out and the ravens couldn’t…that’s a big deal isn’t it.
Translation: “Sorry, I acted like Jim for a moment there. I’m better than that.”
Let’s face it, after looking at the tv ratings and this game was rated the most watched program EVER, one wonders if that would have been achieved if the lights hadn’t gone out and the Ravens were on their way to a blowout win. I bet a lot of those viewers would have been switching channels in a heartbeat or getting a lot more drinks at their Super Bowl parties and not actually paying attention like some of us real die hard fans. So there was a bright side to that power outage.
Let’s be real. He only apologized because the Ravens won. Had they lost he would have screamed conspiracy. Biggest whiner in the league. Congrats Ravens
They’re both wound too tightly!
Whichever Harbaugh had lost they would have cried because their both whiners. I agree with the post above. The Ravens definitely had luck on their side in the playoffs by miraculously winning against Denver and getting a no call against san fran. San Fran dominated big time in the second half but B-more managed to squeak out a victory. Good for the Ravens tho they got 1 but it didnt come against the steelers where their 0-3 historically in the post-season. Still got a ways to catch Pittsburgh.
“It wasn’t anything to do with the blackout,” he said. “The blackout had nothing to do with the game. …
“It probably gave them an opportunity to get their balance,” John Harbaugh said
What? Huh? So which was it?
The Harbaughs are the most unprofessional coaches in the game today. I love how everyone comes down on Belichick because he like doesn’t talk to a reporter after the game. Jim Harbaugh ridicules a stadium official for something not even remotely in his control, he berates officials every single game well more than than normal ref razzing. I believe hes even been fined for that a few times. John Harbaugh on the other hand is jumping around like a school girl every play, throwing thousands of dollars worth of equipment every time something happens he doesn’t like. Its a joke. For a league that cares so much about the image and regulary fines players for having the wrong decal on their shoe or something, I’m surprised they do so little to crack down on sideline behavior.
I don’t think anybody whines as much or as loudly as the Harbaugh brothers.
I have a solution for fans hating the brothers of whine…ban cameras from taking their image during a game… Oh we’ll one can hope…
Why didnt the refs flag your brother for being out of the coaching area during SF final drive??
No one cares about the Ravens other than the strange people from “Baltimer”…
Does the Harbaughs crying and whining at the Refs really surprise anyone? And they always apologize afterwards (if they win)….so apologies are pretty useless from them at this point…classless punks as far as I am concerned.
So wait a minute, everyone is saying that John would have done the same thing if he didn’t do what now?
bigalhebdman says:Feb 4, 2013 4:50 PM
Let’s face it, after looking at the tv ratings and this game was rated the most watched program EVER,
Actually…last year’s Superbowl was rated the “most watched program EVER” Get your facts straight.
I wonder if he would have thought the same had he lost?
both of them seem like super whiners.
He’s only admitting it because it was caught on camera for all to see f bombs and all and the league will have something to say about his verbal abuse of a stadium official
John Harbaugh: “The other team has power to communicate from sideline to booth and we don’t? It’s not fair!!”
Stadium Official: “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing we can do.”
John Harbaugh: “Wrong! Turn off all the power!!!”
Stadium Official: “But that will just cause more of a delay.”
John Harbaugh: “I don’t care!!!!”
John Harbaugh: The white Tomlin.
The only guarantee before this Super Bowl was that a Harbaugh would be whining afterward.
Actually…last year’s Superbowl was rated the “most watched program EVER” Get your facts straight.
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Well the Ravens fans here would love to keep arguing meaningless semantics with you, but we have things to do.
You know, big parade tomorrow and all.
You people bashing John are funny. The dude comes out on national broadcast says he over reacted and apologized and you still crush him?
Have you ever looked at his little brother? That dude is wound way way too tight. He is going to bust a brain artery before it is all over.
Compared to most coaches, John is pretty relaxed on the field. They all whine and work the officials to some degree.
But I can say this with almost surety, he would have never blown off the after game interview like his brother did. Win or lose, John is accountable.
I see another comment has been deleted arbitrarily. Good job, PFT. Keep up the good work.
I feel sorry for the mothers of the Harbaughs, Ryans, and Gronkowskis. They had to put up with some epic tantrums and misbehaving.
Macker- you got Jim and John backwards.
I thought Flacco said in the postgame presser that it was the 49ers headsets that went out.
Harbaugh’s grammar is way deficient! Gramps is doing fine…
Just like that time his wife’s batteries died.
He just stood there watching the rest of the night.
Both these guys are, you know, a little squirrely.
Both hairboughs overreact to everything, especially jim.
anyone that is complaining about a coach or team bitching about a power outage during the biggest game of their lives is either delusional a hater or a flat out liar. that fiasco was an embarrasement and all 32 coaches would have hit the roof if their teams were involved and rightfully so. so go find something else to complain about with the harbaugh brothers. they were right on this