Pro Football Focus’ Dalton Wasserman provided a reason to be optimistic for each team in the NFL. For the Chargers, it’s head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Here is what Wasserman had to say:
Jim Harbaugh has had one losing season as a head coach since 2009, a COVID-shortened 2020 campaign at Michigan when he went 2-4. He’s the culture changer that the Chargers needed. His influence was immediately evident in his first Chargers draft class when selecting physical players like tackle Joe Alt, linebacker Junior Colson and defensive tackle Justin Eboigbe.
Harbaugh has always emphasized the importance of running and stopping the run. His coordinators Greg Roman and Jesse Minter are fully on board with that philosophy. All of that is meant to complement Justin Herbert, who is the most talented quarterback Harbaugh has worked with since he had Andrew Luck at Stanford. With Harbaugh in charge, a turnaround in Los Angeles could come sooner than later.
There’s always plenty of hype surrounding the Chargers every year, but it feels different this time. For once, the Bolts have a coach with a winning resume at the college and NFL levels. As Wasserman said in his blurb, they have a culture changer. They haven’t had that in a long time.
If his 144-52 record in college and 49-22-1 record in the pros is any indication, Los Angeles will win a lot of games with Harbaugh at the helm, and it should start this season. I firmly believe he has the type of impact to turn this team around quickly. It’s what he does.
Harbaugh’s impact, combined with the talented Justin Herbert under center and one of the easiest schedules, gives reason to be optimistic about this upcoming season.