LOS ANGELES — Practically 30 years in the past, the San Diego Chargers confronted the San Francisco 49ers in Tremendous Bowl XXIX. The Chargers had been outmatched that day — a 49-26 drubbing by among the best groups in league historical past. Nonetheless, the long run seemed shiny for the Chargers. They had been a decade into possession by the Spanos household and had promising expertise led by linebacker Junior Seau.
Since then, the Chargers have turn out to be synonymous with disappointment. They’ve burned by way of 9 head coaches and piled up embarrassing losses with out one other Tremendous Bowl look, all whereas alienating their fan base in a transfer from San Diego to Los Angeles in 2017.
Final yr’s 5-12 season, which included a 42-point loss to the Raiders in prime time, marked one other dreadful chapter within the franchise’s historical past as one other coach and common supervisor had been subsequently fired underneath Spanos possession.
“Our followers have stood robust by way of so many ups and downs and shut video games. They deserve extra. Frankly, they’ve earned extra,” proprietor Dean Spanos wrote in an announcement after firing former coach Brandon Staley and common supervisor Tom Telesco. “Constructing and sustaining a championship-caliber program stays our final objective. And reimagining how we obtain that objective begins at this time.”
Reimagining that objective led the Spanoses to teach Jim Harbaugh. The Chargers employed Harbaugh weeks after he led Michigan to a nationwide championship, hoping his successful pedigree would rub off on a corporation stranded in mediocrity.
In Harbaugh’s seven months on the job, gamers say he has shifted the tradition of this workforce into one which embodies his hyper-focused soccer mindset. Harbaugh’s strategy — figuring out with gamers, meting out distinctive proverbs, growing an “us-versus-the-world mentality” — is a script that has labored in every single place he is been since concluding a 14-year NFL enjoying profession as a Charger in 2000. His first workforce in L.A. expects to contend.
Relationship again to Harbaugh’s first head teaching job on the College of San Diego 20 years in the past, he has turned struggling groups into winners. Together with his success, nevertheless, points have adopted, together with studies of friction throughout his time teaching the 49ers and a contentious season spent battling the NCAA whereas at Michigan.
“The narrative that I am arduous to get together with or no matter different narrative out there’s, that is simply folks’s narrative,” Harbaugh advised ESPN. “No person’s ever doubted the place my coronary heart is each single time: what’s in one of the best curiosity of the workforce that I’m on.”
WHEN CHARGERS PLAYERS converse of Harbaugh, it typically begins with a smile or snigger — they usually all have a narrative.
Defensive lineman Scott Matlock retains a working tab on essentially the most notable issues Harbaugh says each day. Edge rusher Joey Bosa calls it a “LOL Guide,” however it’s only a notes app on Matlock’s iPad.
“It is simply to assist me bear in mind,” Matlock mentioned with a smile. “These little humorous moments and I can look again on it down the street and possibly after the season and see all the humorous issues that had been mentioned.”
Security Derwin James’ favourite second is when Harbaugh in contrast the primary day of coaching camp to childbirth, however many gamers battle to seek out only one: “Anytime he will get in entrance of the workforce and talks, you are ready on one thing,” extensive receiver Ladd McConkey mentioned.
It is a stark change from how final season ended. Gamers described a disconnected locker room and a coach in Staley who performed favorites and misplaced his allure because the workforce, which had Tremendous Bowl expectations, had one other disappointing season. After firing Staley, the Chargers misplaced their closing 4 video games to complete 5-12, however one participant, working again Joshua Kelley, advised reporters that the workforce felt “extra collectively” throughout that point.
Lots of Harbaugh’s adjustments are aimed toward bringing the workforce collectively. The Chargers locker room had been cut up by place teams, typically leaving gamers siloed with these they had been most round at follow and in conferences. Harbaugh altered that by reorganizing lockers in numerical order and including gamers’ hometowns and highschool rankings to their title placards. Harbaugh invitations totally different gamers to handle the workforce after every follow, which he calls “Sensible phrases.”
“It feels just like the coach is main the workforce the way in which it must be led,” Bosa mentioned. “It has the texture of being again in school with Coach [Urban] Meyer. The message is shipped from the highest and it would not get combined up because it’s shifting down the ladder.”
These particulars are obvious at follow, the place Harbaugh makes use of giant index playing cards for follow cues that learn, “Thud no sort out” (gamers can bump however not sort out to the bottom) or “Whiz tag off” (No bump or tackling) for the follow tempo. He issued “tempo violations” for gamers who disobeyed these cues. Harbaugh watches quarterback handoff drills intently together with his fingers on his knees, interrupting the drills a couple of occasions per week to point out the QBs exactly how he expects them to promote a play-action.
“There’s a big emphasis on the main points, excessive emphasis on the main points. Greater than any workforce I have been part of from school to highschool to something,” extensive receiver Joshua Palmer mentioned. “It is essentially the most detail-oriented emphasis I’ve ever been part of.”
One other change has been Harbaugh’s participation in exercises — he joins them in a power exercise on the finish of every follow. Probably the most shocking a part of his participation, gamers say, is that Harbaugh by no means joins in jest; he is typically essentially the most critical a part of the group.
“He is a distinct character, man. He’s a distinct particular person within the sense of simply no-nonsense,” linebacker Khalil Mack mentioned. “Understanding the expectation, figuring out what he expects from each particular person. … He’ll let you know when you’re not assembly that expectation.”
Harbaugh’s confidence — to inform a participant with Mack’s observe document that he is not enjoying as much as customary or hop right into a exercise with the remainder of the workforce — is pumping perception into the workforce.
“I believe everyone feels the brand new vibe,” linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu mentioned. “… We really feel extra assured going into issues.”
2:14
Finebaum blasts ‘laughable’ NCAA for Jim Harbaugh suspension
Paul Finebaum reacts to the NCAA suspending Jim Harbaugh regardless of his transfer to the NFL to teach the Chargers.
AT HIS INTRODUCTORY information convention, Harbaugh mentioned his objective for the Chargers was to win “a number of championships.” It could be a daring declare at a gap information convention for any new head coach, however it was extremely assured, contemplating Harbaugh was taking on a five-win workforce with no Tremendous Bowl title in its historical past.
Months later, that five-win workforce is with out a few of final season’s finest gamers. When Harbaugh arrived, the Chargers had been greater than $50 million over the wage cap, forcing them to half methods with extensive receiver Mike Williams, tight finish Gerald Everett and working again Austin Ekeler. The Chargers additionally traded longtime wideout Keenan Allen, who had one of the best season of his profession in 2023, to the Chicago Bears. The quartet accounted for 57% of quarterback Justin Herbert’s profession passing yards, landing passes and completions.
The Chargers traded up within the second spherical to pick out Georgia’s McConkey, however the offseason strikes left them with one of many league’s most inexperienced receiving teams. L.A. has one receiver with over 1,000 yards in a season (D.J. Chark Jr. with Jacksonville in 2019).
However Harbaugh has by no means received with prolific passing assaults. In San Francisco, his speeding offense was second in NFL yards per sport over his three seasons (139.6), whereas the offense ranked thirtieth in passing yards over that span (12,270).
The Chargers have not had a feared speeding offense because the days of LaDainian Tomlinson. They don’t seem to be generally known as a bodily workforce that wins video games on the line of scrimmage, typical of Harbaugh-led groups. The Chargers are identified for high-scoring offenses and their eye-catching powder-blue uniforms, however Harbaugh desires to vary that — at the very least the previous.
“We’ll be a troublesome workforce, a resilient workforce, a relentless workforce, a bodily workforce; that is what we’ll aspire to be,” he mentioned. “Do not let the powder blues idiot you.”
That course of started in earnest when the Chargers chosen sort out Joe Alt with the No. 5 decide within the 2024 draft. The Chargers selected Alt over a category with depth at receiver, the workforce’s largest want. With the subsequent decide the Giants selected LSU’s Malik Nabers, whose follow and preseason highlights have made waves on social media.
On draft night time, Harbaugh grew annoyed with questions concerning the workforce’s resolution to pick out a sort out.
“I do know the query goes to return up, ‘What a couple of weapon?’ Offensive linemen, we have a look at as weapons,” Harbaugh mentioned. “That group, once we discuss attacking on offense, the offensive line is the tip of the spear.”
Harbaugh moved Alt to proper sort out, giving the Chargers an offensive line that options three former first-round picks; left sort out Rashawn Slater and guard Zion Johnson are the others. They plan to lean on that line and newly signed working backs J.Ok. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, who they imagine will make life simpler for Herbert.
“Are you able to think about Justin Herbert with an important working sport?” offensive coordinator Greg Roman mentioned in February. “We do not know, however I can think about what it would appear to be. In order that’s type of the imaginative and prescient.”
There’s additionally pleasure amongst gamers about how the Chargers’ protection will look underneath coordinator Jesse Minter. Harbaugh introduced Minter to the NFL after he constructed Michigan into among the best defenses in school soccer over his two seasons because the DC.
Michigan led the nation in fewest factors allowed (13.1 PPG) and ranked third nationally in yards per play allowed (4.47) underneath Minter. Underneath Staley, the protection was the Chargers’ Achilles’ heel.
They ranked thirtieth over throughout his tenure in yards allowed per play (5.7), factors (24.8) and speeding yards per sport (134). Workforce sources complained concerning the complexity of Staley’s protection, noting the workforce by no means developed a defensive id and both made large changes, significantly earlier than huge video games, or none in any respect.
Gamers have raved about Minter’s simplistic strategy to his protection, one which performs to their strengths. Bosa was joyful to study that he will not be dropping into protection as typically, his most important focus being on making an attempt to sack quarterbacks. Linebacker Denzel Perryman mentioned, “We actually do not need to do an excessive amount of considering.”
“He is at all times making an attempt to place us in place to make performs and to assist the subsequent man subsequent to us,” cornerback Kristian Fulton mentioned. “So I believe the scheme actually matches everyone.”
MANY OF HARBAUGH’S information conferences start with a light-hearted analogy or adage. After a coaching camp follow in early August, he began with a ready assertion.
“By no means lie. By no means cheat. By no means steal. I used to be raised with that lesson,” he mentioned emphatically. “I’ve raised my household on that lesson. I’ve preached that lesson to the groups that I’ve coached. Nobody is ideal. If you happen to stumble, you apologize and also you make it proper. At the moment, I don’t apologize. I didn’t take part, was not conscious nor complicit in these mentioned allegations. So, it is again to work and attacking with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.”
Harbaugh was replying to the NCAA’s discover of allegations, which accused him of breaking guidelines as a part of impermissible in-person scouting and sign-stealing allegations that roiled Michigan’s championship season in 2023 and resulted in a three-game suspension of Harbaugh by the Huge Ten.
Three days later, Harbaugh deflected a query about separate NCAA recruiting sanctions, which successfully banned him from school athletics till August 2028. “I am stopping the engagement there with commenting,” he mentioned.
The assorted sanctions levied towards Harbaugh and Michigan will endlessly immediate questions concerning the legitimacy of the nationwide championship. It is a level that frustrates Harbaugh, who questions the NCAA’s authority.
“They have been preserving cash away from gamers for many years. They only received hit with a $2.7 billion lawsuit,” Harbaugh mentioned. “They don’t have any credibility. That is the reality.”
Whereas Harbaugh says now that the concept that controversy has adopted him is overblown, 9 years in the past, he spoke out about his dissatisfaction with how his first NFL teaching job with the San Francisco 49ers ended.
The 49ers had missed the playoffs for eight straight seasons earlier than Harbaugh arrived, main them to a few straight NFC Championship Video games. After the ultimate sport of his fourth season (an 8-8 end), the 49ers introduced they’d agreed to mutually half methods with Harbaugh a yr earlier than his contract expired. In January 2015, Harbaugh advised the San Jose Mercury Information that he “did not go away the 49ers. I felt just like the 49er hierarchy left me.”
At the moment, Harbaugh says he by no means had points with former 49ers common supervisor Trent Baalke or any 49ers’ higher administration throughout his tenure, downplaying their cut up.
“They mentioned they had been coming in they usually’re moving into a distinct course,” Harbaugh mentioned. “And I mentioned, ‘Nice, what course are we going? And so they mentioned, ‘Effectively, we’re moving into a course, however you are not coming with us.'”
Former 49ers tight finish Delanie Walker, who coached with the Chargers throughout coaching camp, mentioned that Harbaugh’s fashion constructed an “us-versus-the-world mentality” that may be troublesome for these exterior the roster and training employees to know.
However on the similar time, Walker mentioned he observed a barely totally different Harbaugh at coaching camp than the one he performed underneath greater than a decade in the past.
“Being in school [after the 49ers experience], I believe, simply modified his manner of teaching,” Walker mentioned. “He gave the gamers plenty of alternative to have an enter in what follow was going to be like. .. His development and understanding of what gamers want and the way they really feel has modified rather a lot.”
Whether or not Harbaugh’s tenure performs out as contentiously in the long run because it did in Michigan or San Francisco, it is a danger that the Chargers are comfy taking. Proprietor Dean Spanos and his son, workforce president John Spanos, dismissed the concept that Harbaugh has been difficult to work with elsewhere.
“The those who I’ve spoken with, who’ve labored with Jim, it was plenty of optimistic,” John Spanos mentioned. “His ardour and power rubs off on you just a little bit and the entire mindset of attacking every day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind. I imply, I do know it type of sounds clichè, however he lives it, he breathes it, and it’s actual, and it rubs off on folks.”
Regardless of the Chargers’ 5 wins final season, many gamers have pointed to the workforce’s eight one-score losses as proof they’re near being a contender. Harbaugh’s adjustments to the tradition and philosophy have gamers believing that this workforce will contend this season.
“Yearly, you are feeling like you are going to assault it. You are feeling such as you’re the workforce to beat. You are feeling like you are going to win the Tremendous Bowl, however this yr, it simply feels proper,” James mentioned. “And Coach Harbaugh is getting the message throughout to everyone; he is main the workforce, and everyone seems to be following swimsuit.”
