John Harbaugh, Ravens, NFL
Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images

Ravens’ locker room crackdown supposedly not the idea of John Harbaugh

The Baltimore Ravens have gone from Super Bowl talk to locker room lockdown. And now everyone's wondering who's behind it.

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Lamar Jackson, Ravens, NFL

Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images

According to a detailed piece from The Baltimore Sun, the Ravens recently cleared out some of the fun from their facility. Gone are the pingpong table, cornhole boards, video games, and even the basketball hoop near Lamar Jackson's locker.

The idea, reportedly, was to send a message after a stunning 1-5 start.

But NFL Network's Mike Garafolo says it wasn't head coach John Harbaugh pulling the plug. Instead, he reports that veteran players made the call to remove the distractions, not the coaching staff.

That sounds convenient — and maybe a little too convenient. It's not hard to imagine Harbaugh wanting to tighten things up after such a rough start. Still, claiming it came from the locker room instead of the front office keeps the focus on leadership, not finger-pointing.

Either way, Baltimore's trying to fix a culture problem before it becomes a full-on collapse. The Ravens hit their bye week in desperate need of a spark, and Lamar Jackson is expected back Sunday against the Bears after a hamstring injury.

Jackson seemed to send a message of his own on social media, posting what looked like a response to recent criticism. Whatever the intent, the Ravens have plenty to prove — and if the video games stay off for a while, winning an actual NFL game might be the best way to turn them back on.