Jim Harbaugh Isn’t for Everybody, but He’s Perfect for the Chargers

During one of his conversations with the Los Angeles Chargers, Jim Harbaugh stated in a direct manner that he has the worst poker face one could ever imagine. From a literal standpoint, you get exactly what you see.

It is not what you hear, because even if Harbaugh can tell you a story about his recent trip to Home Depot, his facial expressions plainly convey that his attention is elsewhere, such as assisting Justin Herbert, his crown jewel, in becoming a league MVP and Super Bowl champion. What you hear is not what you hear.

Alright, let’s get it straight. There is a possibility that an agitated Harbaugh could share the concept of reading comprehension, which is that it is what you see, not what you hear. The furious side of him made a brief appearance on Thursday during his introduction news conference as the new head coach of the Chargers sports team. The sixty minutes that he spent getting along with local reporters is not something that I recall from his four seasons as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. I was waiting for that side to appear since I did not remember him doing it.

The last time Harbaugh coached in the National Football League was nine years ago. Due to the fact that I do not pay close attention to college football, I was genuinely intrigued to see how much he has changed in front of a podium after spending the past ten years coaching at Michigan, where he had a great deal of success, including winning the national championship just a month ago.At every institution where Harbaugh has served as the head coach, he has been able to successfully transform the organization into a winning one. This includes the University of San Diego, Stanford, and the 49ers, between others. Despite the fact that Harbaugh, who is 60 years old, led San Francisco to Super Bowl XLVII, his team was defeated by John’s Baltimore Ravens, who are his older brother’s squad.

Regarding the reason he went back to the National Football League, the younger Harbaugh stated, “I want another shot.” “To simply be recognized as the champions of the world.”

In spite of the fact that Harbaugh has unfinished business in the professional ranks, the fiery part of his personality that made a brief appearance on Thursday made it clear that he has another motive for returning after being away for almost a decade. In response to a reporter’s inquiry regarding the power structure within the Chargers, Harbaugh displayed a certain degree of irritability, while simultaneously reminding him of his well-documented clashes with the 49ers’ hierarchy.

It’s possible that Harbaugh came back to shift the narrative that his aggressive coaching style is no longer effective in the National Football League after a few years. It was under Harbaugh’s leadership that the 49ers were able to make it to the postseason three years in a row until the team began to fall apart in the fourth year, when rumors began to circulate about a “toxic locker room” in San Francisco.

The advice that Harbaugh gave was, “Don’t believe everything you read.” “I remember that when I was in the sixth grade, my English teacher came in and presented this idea about critical reading. I am curious as to the number of people who actually look at that definition… The time you had in San Francisco was really fantastic.

That is the Harbaugh for whom I have fond memories. Exceptionally energetic, but sometimes tough, and frequently gets right to the point. When I was working at the news desk at the old NFL Network headquarters in 2014, I was entrusted with listening to his daily press conferences for the 49ers and transcribing important statements. During that time, I observed his mannerisms.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Harbaugh telling lengthy stories and spending five minutes discussing his intentions to live out of a recreational vehicle (RV) in a trailer park close to the Chargers’ facilities in Orange County. However, this is not the reason why the Chargers gambled so much to acquire Harbaugh.

He has a lot of experience in assisting players in reaching their full potential. His strategies, on the other hand, are not suitable for everyone, and some people could even consider him to be a bit of a jerk due to the fact that he finds ways to get under people’s skin in order to observe how they behave when they are put in difficult situations.

Most notably, Harbaugh did that to Alex Smith in order to assist him in reviving his career in San Francisco. Many people considered Smith to be a failure owing to the fact that he had six unsuccessful seasons after the organization selected him with the first overall choice in 2005. Smith recently stated on ESPN airways that he would still run through a wall for Harbaugh, despite the fact that Harbaugh benched him in 2013 in favor of Colin Kaepernick, who was the driving force behind the 49ers’ presence in the Super Bowl.

The majority of people have had encounters with personalities who are similar to Harbaugh, and in the majority of instances, the outcome is favorable. When I was in my early 20s, I worked for a newspaper, and I recall that I dreaded going into the newsroom on Tuesday nights. I worked there for those newspapers. I was afraid that I would not be able to live up to the ideal standards set by one of my traditional editors. In the event that he observed that I failed to identify a mistake when proofreading one of the stories that was set to be published the following morning, he would give me a substantial amount of attention.

During the first several months, this was the case, but after that, the errors ceased occurring. I was a copy editor machine, and I formed a close relationship with that editor because he laid the groundwork for my future career as a reporter for the National Football League. Despite the fact that he was a pain in my rear end, I am really thankful that dad showed me that harsh affection.

Herbert, who possesses all of the physical tools necessary to play at the same level as Patrick Mahomes, is the quarterback that the Chargers want Harbaugh to work with. Due to the fact that he is also exceptionally intelligent while playing, he has had his share of brilliant moments. That, even in that case, has not been sufficient throughout Herbert’s first four seasons in the role. Since choosing Herbert with the sixth overall pick in 2020, the Chargers have only once qualified for the postseason.

Now, here comes the jerk who is passionate about sharing his one-liners with others. An enthusiasm that has never been seen before in human history. So, let’s make this a wonderful day.

Not to mention his most well-known proverb, which goes as follows: “Who’s got it better than us?” There is no one!

When it came to winning the news conference, Harbaugh went above and above what was expected of him. In the course of his reintroduction to the media of the NFL, he offered all of his well-known sayings. He has not changed at all since he was a member of the 49ers.

At this point, the actual job begins, and the early stages of how Harbaugh constructs an NFL squad are not going to be well received by many people. The Chargers players and local reporters, on the other hand, will be OK so long as they continue to improve their reading comprehension skills.