

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

With the Redskins and Ravens preparing to play a preseason game Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore coach John Harbaugh is once again lobbying for suggesting that Redskins fans adopt the Ravens as their secondary team.

“Of course we love playing the Redskins, we love kind of the Beltway rivalry thing,” Harbaugh told reporters Tuesday. “We only play them once every four years in the regular season, but our players know their players. Our fans know their fans. Like I’ve said many times before, we would love for all the Redskins fans to have their AFC team be the Ravens, have that kind of a regional kind of a feeling about one another. That would be the best thing, we think.”

As Harbaugh notes, he has advocated joint Redskins-Ravens fandom many times before. In 2011, he talked about taking over D.C.

Bringing a large number of Redskins and Ravens fans together — not a Super Bowl title — would be Harbaugh’s lasting legacy if he could accomplish it. But based on the reactions from fans of both teams every time he promotes Beltway (or Parkway) unity, I don’t see it happening.

As for Saturday’s game, Harbaugh said he’s a fan of what the Redskins have been doing this preseason.

“I watched them play [Monday] night,” he said. “They’re a very good football team. Jay Gruden does a great job. We’ve seen him in the division for a number of years. Of course Jim Haslett, he brings it from about every direction you can bring it with the pressures and things, so, a lot of good players. It’ll be a fun game.”

Thanks to @sportswcoleman.