Adam Schefter reported today that the University of Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, “is expected to meet this week for a second time with the Los Angeles Chargers about their head-coaching job.”
Why Jim Harbaugh For The Los Angeles Chargers?
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last few weeks, Harbaugh has been the coaching candidate most consistently linked to the Los Angeles Chargers. He’s hot off a National Championship win and has ties to the NFL, as he played and coached multiple years in the league.
Coaching is also in his blood as his father, Jack Harbaugh, has spent his career coaching college football and is currently the assistant head coach at Michigan (a title that Jim gave him while he was suspended for three games this past season), while his brother, John Harbaugh is currently the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens.
When Harbaugh was first coaching the 49ers in 2011, Mike Sando of ESPN described his attention to detail as one of his markers of success, such as attending various position meetings, even the “8:45 a.m. special-teams meetings Tuesday through Saturday,” and devoting as much time as possible to spending with players. Sando also remarked on his ability to bring out good play from quarterback Alex Smith.
At the start of this year, Paolo Uggetti, Kyle Bonagura, and Adam Rittenberg of ESPN said how Harbaugh used some of the issues surrounding him off the field at Michigan as motivation, stating, “Without missing a beat, Harbaugh and Michigan used the suspensions and the backlash to the sign-stealing scheme to both fuel their national title aspirations and ardently defend their head coach at every turn. Instead of the controversy distracting the Wolverines, it’s only emboldened them in their belief that it is really them against the world.”
Harbaugh’s experience as a quarterback for over a decade in the NFL, and his ability to turn teams and programs around, are all pluses. And his competitive nature, oddities, and attention to detail are the icing on top. He has the tools and background to help multiple aspects of the Chargers.
Does This Mean He’ll Get the Job?
Harbaugh has been linked to the Chargers head coaching vacancy for a while, so it makes sense that a second interview would be taking place. As he’s also interviewing with the Atlanta Falcons and is still linked to Michigan, if the Chargers do want him, that’s great, but it all depends on the money and where he wants to go.
But for Bolt Fans, it is definitely a good sign that the Chargers are the first team to have a 2nd interview scheduled.
