Chuck Pagano wore a proud smile as newly minted Ravens head coach John Harbaugh approached after closely monitoring the first round of individual drills for defensive backs in camp.
What Pagano heard next — a sharp 15-minute critique of players running in shorts, T-shirts and “damn near close to flip-flops” — set the tone for five seasons of collaboration and an enduring two-decade friendship.
“I’m not going to use the word, but he thought it stunk,” a laughing Pagano told The Post. “I thought that was a really good drill for my first one in Baltimore. I was so mad I wanted to fight him right then and there.
“But that was John: Shirts tucked in, shoes laced up, details. He’s like, ‘What was that? What are we trying to get accomplished?’ From that moment on, I understood he will build you up, give you praise, but he is never afraid to tell you the truth. He is never one of those guys who tells you what you want to hear, but he tells you what you need to hear. I think not every coach and every player are going to like it, but they are going to respect the hell out of it.”
