John Harbaugh wishes Ravens coach well as he battles illness

“Yes, ‘Joe D.' – Joe D'Alessandris – we love ‘Joe D.'; and he had a surgery earlier in the summer, and it came back a little bit – some complications have arisen from it, so he's in the hospital right now, and he'll be focusing on his health for the next significant period of time. It's a blow; it's a blow; because he's a great football coach – he's beloved by the players [and] by the coaches. He's [also] a top game planner [and] a top coach. He's a huge part of our offense, and he's going to be missed very much –but we're going to be much more concerned about his health, his welfare, and his well-being going forward,” Harbaugh told reporters.

“He has his daughters with him – his daughters have been amazing all summer – they're the absolute best. I know he cherishes those girls, so it's going to be OK. And then we're bringing in George Warhop [to coach the offensive line]. George Warhop's a guy – actually, we played against each other in college. He was at Cincinnati, [and] I was at Miami [of Ohio] – the oldest rivalry west of the Allegheny mountains; it's about 130 years old – that's pretty old, right? And [it's a] continuous rivalry played every year – the Victory Bell was always at stake. They won two [games], [and] we won two [games]. I can tell you, I remember George very well as a player – he does not remember me. He didn't notice me out there, but I noticed him. He was a great player, [and] he's been a great coach in this league, and we're very fortunate and blessed to have him come aboard.”

“Yes. It's an interesting dilemma for sure. It's definitely not something I've ever been associated with. I would just say, by the grace of God, George Warhop is available. [He's] a guy that we've known for many years, and respected. [He's] someone who Todd [Monken] has worked with in the past, in Tampa Bay,” Harbaugh declared.

“Other coaches have known him and worked with him on our staff. He doesn't know our system per se in terms of our terminology, but he can learn that very quickly, but he knows our techniques. He knows the style, the way we're running the plays, the principles of the plays – he knows all of that stuff. He's an experienced coach and that knows that stuff inside and out, so he'll step right in, and he'll start working with those guys right away. And I'll say this, [assistant offensive line coach] Travelle Wharton has been doing a great job, too. He's played all of those years, he brings that player/coach experience, and he's done a good job in the interim, and he'll continue to do a great job. [Run game coordinator] Travis Switzer has done a great job as well. We're happy with all of our coaches.”