And now he has joined the list of Reid disciples to find success after leaving the nest. Coming off a 5-11 season that ended the Brian Billick era, the Ravens will now play the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday at Heinz Field with a chance to advance to the Super Bowl . . . and just maybe match X's-and-O's with his former boss in the biggest game of the year.
Asked at the team's practice facility whether his playoff experience with the Eagles could be applied to preparing in Baltimore, he nodded.
"Certainly," he said. "Throughout your whole career - as a player, coach, whatever - you take all those things and you apply them. You just have a sense for what you want to do. Having been in four championship games [with the Eagles], that's a plus.
"We've been through it, we've seen how we've practiced, what it takes to win, what costs you games. Maybe that's something that you apply. It's not direct application, because everything is different, every year is different, every group of guys is different. But you take what you've learned and you try to apply it the best you can to the situation that presents itself."
There always has been chatter about how important postseason experience is for players.
The same could apply to coaches.
"Experience helps in any situation," Harbaugh said, standing behind a microphone and in front of a banner emblazoned with the team's logo and a corporate sponsor. "A lot of guys have been in playoff situations before, a few guys have been in championship games, [and they] understand that it is not anything other than a football game."
