Rivera would have shaken Harbaugh's hand after run controversy originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
In an otherwise run-of-the-mill 23-7 win by the Ravens in Week 5, drama broke out after the game when Broncos head coach Vic Fangio got upset at John Harbaugh for running a play with three seconds left in the game instead of kneeling it out.
Both coaches went back and forth at each other in press conferences, defending their stance on the situation. Basically, Fangio wasn't happy with Harbaugh's decision and Harbaugh explained how his decision had nothing to do with his opponent.
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On Tuesday, Washington head coach Ron Rivera weighed in on the issue with the Sports Junkies and appeared to lean more toward coaches not telling each other what to do with their teams.
"Everybody makes their own decisions," Rivera said. "If that's what they want to do, that's what they want to do. I can't tell anybody else what's right or wrong or what they should do or shouldn't do. There was a time when quarterbacks would kneel down and some teams would submarine the center."
Harbaugh opted to run a play with three seconds left and a 16-point lead because the Ravens were chasing history. They entered Week 4 with 42 straight 100-yard rushing games, just one shy of tying the 1974-77 Pittsburgh Steelers' all-time record. Baltimore had 97 rushing yards at that point and wanted to see if it couldn't gain three more before the game ended.
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Quarterback Lamar Jackson took the snap and ran left for five yards, securing the Ravens' streak and the team's third-straight win. When asked what he'd do if he were on the other side of that play, Rivera didn't think he'd do anything different.
"I would've shaken [Harbaugh's] hand," Rivera said. "At the end of the day, you have to react and align and play for what your opponent is doing. That's my personal philosophy, that's not [Fangio's] or coach Harbaugh's, that's mine. So that's how I would approach it, and until I see the guy's going to kneel down, I'll tell our guys to be ready to play. That's the truth. If you want to stop them, then stop them."
The Ravens only need one more 100-yard rushing game to set the NFL record and they'll have a good chance to do it against a 1-3 Colts team on Monday Night Football.
