John Harbaugh, Chuck Pagano, Mike Tomlin Offer Rave Reviews Of Haloti Ngata
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
PHOENIX - When the Detroit Lions traded away a pair of 2015 draft picks for Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, some hailed the move as great, impressed to see the Lions replacing Ndamukong Suh with another perennial Pro Bowl selection. Others expressed skepticism about how much the 31-year-old Ngata could actually contribute.
If the reviews from other NFL coaches give any indication, Ngata should help the Lions just as much as they hope he will.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, one of 16 coaches who spoke Tuesday at the owners meetings at the Arizona Biltmore, gave Ngata a glowing endorsement Tuesday.
"He was an iconic player for us, great leader, great friend," Harbaugh said. "He's a good technique player, but he's a great physical talent. He's just big, fast, leverage, powerful guy. Nobody moves him out of there.
"He's a pocket pusher," Harbaugh added. "He's a pretty good edge-to-edge guy, really good for his size. He's a powerful guy."
The coach said the Ravens only parted ways with Ngata because of his cap hit for 2015 - a whopping $16 million.
Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano, who spent four seasons with the Ravens, also spoke highly of Ngata. Pagano's last season in Baltimore was 2011, but he looked at film of Ngata this offseason, when rumors were circulating that Ngata would either be released or traded, and he still saw an impressive player.
"Dominant, dominant physical presence," Pagano said. "He's virtually unblockable. He's going to command double teams. He's going to get push on the pass rush. Don't be fooled by the numbers, sack numbers, this that and the other. He's a dominant force. It'll be real interesting.
"He'll be playing, probably, with a chip on his shoulder as well," Pagano added. "You're getting a big, big, big man. If you've seen him personally ... he [could] barely fit in the door to get in this room. He's a great player."
Pagano did not directly address a question on whether the skills of Ngata have declined with age. He only said the tape still reflected a high-caliber player.
"He's a force to be reckoned with, and you're going to have to make sure that you do everything you can to make sure he doesn't wreck the game," Pagano said. "He's still got game-wrecker in him."
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, who has faced the division rival Ravens - and thus, Ngata - on numerous occasions, said he will miss playing against Ngata because he likes to test game plans against great players.
"He's a spectacular player whose resume speaks for itself," Tomlin said. "I'm a big fan of Haloti, and I expect him to continue to do the things that he's been doing over the time he's been in the league, and that's to be a big-time disrupter. I think he's a uniquely conditioned guy for an enormous man. He's capable of playing a ridiculous amount of snaps for a guy of his size. He's just got unique qualities, I think, that's displayed in his play."
