The Los Angeles Chargers have hired Jim Harbaugh to be their new head coach, bringing him back to the NFL for the first time since leaving the San Francisco 49ers after the 2014 season. While Harbaugh coming back to the NFL is big news in of itself, the Chargers hiring him is a big deal – because it breaks precedent for the team in a big way.
ladies and gentlemen, we got him.
we’ve agreed to terms with Jim Harbaugh to be our head coach » https://t.co/cM4NZTOqKE pic.twitter.com/PTauQDWDVb
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) January 25, 2024
Jim Harbaugh Hire Signals Culture Change for Los Angeles Chargers
Changing Course
When Dean Spanos fired Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco after the historic Raiders loss, he said, “Building and maintaining a championship caliber program remains our ultimate goal. And reimagining how we achieve that goal begins today.” The problem was, recent history did not bode well for Spanos’s words, because he had repeatedly gone for the lesser-known or cheaper name in hiring head coaches rather than trying to go for the best candidates available (ex: going for Brandon Staley when Brian Daboll was available). Basically, it’s not a good sign when Norv Turner has had the most playoff success of any coach for the Chargers in the 21st century.
And yet, with the hiring of the hottest and most experienced name on the head coaching market, Spanos is actually backing up his words and taking things seriously. The question is: why? What changed? One can only speculate, but it’s quite possible that the pressure of being on a bigger stage and getting more scrutiny after failure got to him.
What Harbaugh Will Bring to the Chargers
As stated earlier, Harbaugh was the hottest coach on the market this offseason. He joined the 49ers as head coach in 2011, and immediately turned the franchise around after a nearly decade-long playoff drought. Over the next three seasons, the team had a record of 36-11-1, with three straight NFC Championship appearances and one Super Bowl appearance. They went 8-8 in 2014 and then owner Jed York inexplicably fired Harbaugh.
That was with the help of a good running game and strong defense, but it was also without a top-tier quarterback. In that time period, they had Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick – who were both good, but not elite by any means. Now imagine what he could do with a top-tier quarterback like Justin Herbert. Given the soft rebuild that they’re going to be in, it may take another year or so for the team to get fully back on track – and a lot will also depend on who the new general manager is, which is still pending as of this writing. But based on his history and experience (and we haven’t even gotten into his college profile), if someone is going to turn the Chargers around, he’s definitely one of the better bets they could make.
Potential Staffing
Now that the Chargers have their new head coach, now the speculation (aside from who the GM will be) is what Harbaugh’s staff will look like. According to reporter Aaron Wilson, sources suggest that it could include his defensive coordinator from Michigan – Jesse Minter – as well as Greg Roman for offensive coordinator. That name has raised a few eyebrows, as he had become unpopular during his time with the Baltimore Ravens.
However, in fairness, he was Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator with the 49ers. Also in fairness, kind of like Harbaugh, he hasn’t worked with a quarterback like Harbaugh. Lamar Jackson, Tyrod Taylor (during his Bills OC tenure), Kaepernick – all more run-heavy quarterbacks, hence some of the more run-heavy offenses Roman has utilized. Some may wonder how Roman will fit with a Herbert-led offense, but Harbaugh should probably be given some benefit of the doubt. Kellen Moore staying on is still a possibility too, since they blocked other teams from interviewing him.
Jim Harbaugh’s son, Jay Harbaugh, was also named as a possible special teams coordinator. Given that Ryan Ficken has turned the special teams around very well since he took over, it would probably be better if Ficken would stick around. Granted, it’s not like Jay has zero experience – he’s been in the same position at Michigan for two years. But the special teams is one of the few things that fans would universally agree has worked well as of late, so one would think they’d want to avoid changing a good thing.
In Conclusion
Jim Harbaugh getting hired is some of the best news that Chargers fans have had in a little while – and bodes quite well for the Chargers’ future. As said earlier, the results may not be obvious right away – but history has shown that hiring a Harbaugh – either one – to turn your franchise around produces some quite good results. If the 49ers – and Ravens, for that matter – are any indication, then better days are indeed ahead for the Chargers.
Main Photo: Melanie Maxwell / USA TODAY NETWORK
