Jim Harbaugh is the new head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers , and to understand what that means and why this is happening, you have to understand the current state of the organization.
On January 11, 2017, team owner Dean Spanos announced the move from San Diego to Los Angeles in an open letter to fans. In the seven years and 14 days since, the Chargers have faced an uphill battle to find their place among one of the most competitive teams. Sports markets around the world. A fight of their own making, but a fight nonetheless.
Organizations know it takes time – tilling this new land, planting the seeds, nurturing and nurturing these seedlings until one day they blossom into a full-fledged fan base. So the Chargers took their punishment, some deserved and some not. Walking through a 27,000-seat football stadium every Sunday is packed with opposing fans. Through the transition of franchise quarterbacks from Philip Rivers to Justin Herbert. Through a temporary training facility and two head coaches, as well as a redesign of the uniforms.
What’s missing is the most important: wins in January and February. They have an exciting star quarterback. They have engaging branding, from their dashing powder blue jerseys to their edgy content. But in sport, it all means nothing without trophies, banners and parades. Especially in this small town. In the end, the business won.
Every time the Chargers had a chance over the past seven years and fourteen days, they’ve struggled.
In 2018, they lost to the New England Patriots in the divisional round.
Las Vegas’ Week 18 overtime loss in 2021 squandered one of the greatest comebacks in recent league history.
Jacksonville.
For the Chargers, the hump separating them from Los Angeles has proven to be a mountain. They are asking for trouble without providing the most important ingredient, which is sustainable victory.
So when head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco left the team after a tough loss to the Raiders in December, the pursuit of winning and The victory itself became the driving force.
Players and coaches are often asked about the sense of urgency as the season spirals.
The Spanos family has spent the past month grappling with the urgency of the moment.
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The shelf life of filing a claim in Los Angeles is limited, and the edge is in sight.
The Chargers had no choice but to push their boundaries, their approach, their identity to find the missing ingredient. Find someone who can give them the win they desperately need. To do that, they have to shop at the pinnacle of the sport. There are no up-and-comers or rising stars. No, they need a proof of concept. A winner through and through, and the skin on the wall proves it.
Enter Jim Harbaugh.
He agreed to terms with the Chargers on Wednesday, the team announced.The deal is reportedly a five-year deal CompetitorIt’s Jeff Howe.
“Jim Harbaugh personified football,” Dean Spanos said in a statement.
Who we want, who we get. pic.twitter.com/BIRjDWbUBBy
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) January 25, 2024
The results speak for themselves.
In 2007, Harbaugh took over a Stanford program that went 1-11 the previous season. In 2009, the Cardinals went 8-5. The following season, the team went 12-1, including a win in the Orange Bowl.
In 2011, Harbaugh moved to the NFL and took over the San Francisco 49ers, which had a record of 6 wins and 10 losses last season. The first year, they went 13-3 and reached the NFC Championship Game. The next season, 2012, they made it to the Super Bowl. They won 12 games and captured their third straight division title in 2013. They went 8-8 in 2014 before Harbaugh left for Michigan. Harbaugh finished with a 44-19-1 record. He has never had a losing record as an NFL head coach.
When Harbaugh arrived in Ann Arbor to lead his alma mater in 2015, the Wolverines had won more than eight games just once in the previous seven seasons under two head coaches. They won 10 games in 2015. They won 10 games again in 2016. They went 40-3 over the past three seasons, culminating in a national championship in January. This is the university’s first national title since 1997.
deeper
Mick: Jim Harbaugh could end badly at Michigan. Instead, he held a march.
“You need a team,” president of football operations John Spanos said in a statement. “No one in recent history has built a team more successfully and more times than Jim Harbaugh.”
Harbaugh’s hiring represents the organization’s financial and ideological commitment to winning.
“This organization is investing money, building infrastructure and doing everything it can to win,” Harbaugh said in a statement.
It doesn’t feel like lip service. Not this time.
The Chargers’ new training facility in El Segundo, Calif., will open in the spring. They signed Herbert to a top-market contract extension. They tapped into a deep and quality pool of head coaching candidates and drafted arguably the best of the bunch.
Will everything work?
That remains to be seen.
But commitment means something.
Because of where the Chargers have been and where they hope to be.
(Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
