Harbaugh’s Intense Approach with the Chargers
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — On a warm Monday afternoon, Jim Harbaugh took to the practice field wearing khaki pants for what appeared to be the first time as the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. His demeanor was unmistakably serious, signaling that he was ready to instill a sense of urgency and focus within his team. It was a classic display of Prime Harbaugh, brimming with energy, intensity, and a touch of theatricality.
As practice unfolded, Harbaugh’s voice echoed across the field, addressing individual players with a level of volume that was reminiscent of his coaching days with the San Francisco 49ers and Stanford. He stalked the sidelines, often bending down with his hands on his knees, expressing his frustration dramatically when the execution didn’t meet his standards. The culmination of his fervor came in a spirited, fire-and-brimstone speech directed at the team, followed by a display of physical fitness as he joined a group of players in push-ups during post-practice conditioning drills.
As if the intensity of the practice wasn’t enough, a mild earthquake rattled much of Southern California, felt distinctly in the Chargers’ facilities adjacent to the practice field. However, Harbaugh remained unfazed, claiming he learned of the 4.4 magnitude tremor only when others informed him. It seems that forces of nature have little influence on a man singularly focused on his goals.
At 60 years old and in his first season with the Chargers, just seven months removed from clinching a national championship with Michigan, Harbaugh’s mindset appeared razor-sharp. His frustration was palpable following the Chargers’ lackluster 16-3 defeat against Seattle in their preseason opener. With star quarterback Justin Herbert sidelined due to a plantar fascia injury, and facing stiff competition from Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs in the same division, it was evident that a Harbaugh Jump-Start was in order.
Having witnessed variations of this before, I anticipated Harbaugh’s demeanor when I spoke to him post-practice. Historically, he has oscillated between being expansive and approachable to being intensely focused and somewhat terse. On this day, he was decidedly the latter. When I asked him if winning the championship had changed him or made him feel more at ease as he approached this new venture, he responded with a swift denial.
“No,” Harbaugh asserted. “Now you got to go do it again. Contentment would never be a word I would associate with football, or football playing or coaching.”
Curious if the title had solidified any truths about himself, I pressed further.
“No, now it’s just … you’re right back at it,” he replied. “Any job you do, it’d be like digging a hole. That’s the only job I can think of where you start on top.”
So what was his focus now?
“Just attacking. Just attacking it with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind,” he declared, echoing a phrase familiar to those who have followed his career since his Stanford days in 2007. Even at this stage in his life, he maintains the same fierce determination and edge that characterized his earlier coaching tenures, albeit with a touch more gray hair and reading glasses, which he has donned since his time with the 49ers.
“When it comes to fashion,” Harbaugh joked, “as long as my zipper’s up, that’s about as far as I take the fashion, as you know.”
When asked about the energy and noise during practice, he elaborated.
“Just describing what the opportunity is and where we’re at and this opportunity leading up to the second preseason game,” he explained. “I mean, we want to make progress. Now we know where we’re at. Going from Week 1 to Week 2, that’s your biggest opportunity to make strides. It’s the most you’ll make in all of training camp. Just want guys to be aware of it and embrace it. And then go to the best of their God-given ability because … you can strike when the iron’s hot right now.”
During a subsequent news conference, when asked if the Chargers were where he desired them to be, Harbaugh had insightful reflections.
“Where I want to be? I always want more,” he stated. “If I were to answer that no matter where we were at. Want more. Want guys that want it. Want guys to have the urgency. And that could be extra. That could be extra conditioning. They’ve gotta get themselves into that competitive … I never call it life or death. It’s not life or death, playing this game or somebody’s football career. But your lifestyle’s at stake. That’s the way I used to look at it. My lifestyle’s at stake. I’ve gotta compete like my lifestyle’s at stake. Trying to instill that into as many as possible.”
Harbaugh’s mood hasn’t been lightened by ongoing NCAA issues either. Just last week, he received a one-year suspension and a four-year show-cause penalty for recruiting violations during the pandemic, which would only impact him if he pursued another college coaching job. Yet, he is unlikely to take such a route again. Additionally, the ongoing investigation into sign-stealing allegations involving Connor Stalions looms, potentially leading to further penalties, though likely not directly aimed at Harbaugh.
His response to these challenges was straightforward: “Never lie. Never cheat. Never steal. I was raised with that lesson. I have raised my family on that lesson. I have preached that lesson to the teams I’ve coached. No one’s perfect. If you stumble, you apologize and you make it right. Today, I do not apologize. I did not participate. I was not aware nor complicit in those said allegations. So for me, it’s back to work and attacking with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.”
Harbaugh once remarked on his respect for Urban Meyer as a consistent winner in college, noting that “controversy always follows where he’s been.” I asked him on Monday if, after facing his own NCAA scrutiny, he gained a better understanding of what Meyer or any other coach embroiled in NCAA issues experienced.
He quickly sidestepped the question: “You can probably tell, I mean, I am so focused on this job and this team, that’s it,” he said. “All other thoughts, all other thoughts of anything else than this team and … I have two great loves. Two great loves. My family at home and this family at work and …”
When prompted to elaborate, he concluded with a classic Harbaugh quip: “And to quote Porky Pig, ‘That’s all, folks.’” His lips curled into what might have been a smile, though it was hard to tell. I couldn’t help but grin at the moment.
Harbaugh’s spirits lifted when discussing his recent chartered flight with several former 49ers players to attend Patrick Willis’ Hall of Fame induction in Canton, Ohio.
“I felt love,” he reflected. “I felt the love that we all had for Patrick, that he had for his teammates, his teammates have for him. The love that Patrick had for the game was always so evident, the way he played the game … that was the biggest feeling.”
When asked if he felt nostalgic about those 49ers days, he reminisced, “Yeah, absolutely — memories I’m going to remember until they throw dirt over top of me.” He continued, “You talk about friendships that are long and trusting. Just wonderful to see a teammate reach the pinnacle, be honored at the pinnacle of all that have ever played the game. That’s powerful. That’s moving.”
Finally, as our conversation concluded, I expressed my belief that he is inherently an NFL coach, that this is where he belongs. Though he typically shies away from leading questions, his response reflected the essence of who he is:
“I am here. So this is where my feet are. And this is where all my focus is. On my two great loves — my love at home and my love at work. My total focus is on my two great loves.”
(Photo: Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
