As a student of Christianity, the Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh knows about the dangers of flattery. He is likely familiar with Proverbs 29:5 which states “A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.”
After improving to 7-3 on the season, on the back of a four-game win streak, Harbaugh issued a similar warning, not just to his team, but to whoever was listening, rebuke flatterers or become ‘soft’.
Jim Harbaugh: Kick Them Right In The Shins
When people are giving you accolades and compliments and telling you you’ve arrived, kick them in the shins,” Harbaugh said. “You kick them right in the shins, that’s what you do. . . . They’re trying to make you soft, kick ‘em in the shins.”
Soft is likely the biggest insult in the mind of Jim Harbaugh, therefore should be warded off at all costs, and perhaps more proverbial wisdom from the Old Testament, “Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor, rather than one who has a flattering tongue.” – Proverbs 28:23
The 7-3 Chargers have risen into the scope of the national media with one analyst predicting they follow suit with the first year Harbaugh led San Francisco 49ers and end up in the Conference Championship game.
It may not be the flatterers that will be the Chargers’ biggest problem, but the NFL schedule makers. According to ESPN’s strength of schedule, the Chargers have the easiest schedule overall, but the 15th hardest schedule remaining. This means the road is about to get much harder.
The teams they have beaten currently have a combined record of 23-50 (.315), and the teams on their current win streak have a winning percentage of just .286. The rest of the way is a combined
The Chargers’ first major test will come on Monday Night Football against the 7-4 Baltimore Ravens. Their remaining schedule includes games against the 9-1 Kansas City Chiefs and the. 6-5 Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons, all of whom have winning records.
