Jim Harbaugh would seem an ideal candidate to lead the Chargers out of chronic mediocrity.
A former Chargers quarterback, Harbaugh turned the University of San Diego, Stanford and Michigan into big winners.
He took the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl. He then turned Michigan into an undefeated powerhouse that won 25 in 26 Big Ten games. Strong, tough, and suitably unpredictable, the Wolverines are true to the character of their quirky, square-jawed coach.
As for the chance to coach Justin Herbert?
Harbaugh, 59, could hitchhike from Ann Arbor to Costa Mesa — if he also had the appropriate salary and influence that befits a coach with his credentials.
But there is a but here, related to the current sign-stealing controversy surrounding Harbaugh’s agenda. Although it would be amusing for many San Diegans to imagine Dean Spanos and John Spanos in hunter uniforms, they are not the type of bosses to take baggage.
Spanos are many things, but they are not carriers. Do you have luggage? Carry it yourself. Another place.
It’s not that the Spanoses supplement their football team and staff solely with altar boys. That’s because, by NFL standards, they avoid coaches and players who might require extra maintenance and who would bring the smell of a media circus into their cozy cocoon.
The Spanoses can tolerate mediocrity. Controversial, not so much.
(The Manti Te’o circus, if you’re wondering, was mostly bizarre. The Chargers correctly determined that Teo’s catfishing would prove inconsequential to his NFL hopes. Once Te’o answered questions from San Diego reporters after the Chargers drafted him (in 2013, catfishing incidents became a non-topic.)
AJ Smith has emphasized this many times as the franchise’s general manager. Other teams are willing to bring baggage, said the Generalissimo, who reported to Dean Spanos. The Chargers wouldn’t do it.
Exceptions were very rare.
Harbaugh may be innocent of having anything to do with the alleged sign stealing that led the Big Ten to suspend him for three games, including Saturday’s game against Ohio State.
Like it or not, this wasn’t the first time this year that Harbaugh’s program was publicly accused of bad behavior. Before the recent allegations surfaced in October, he faced charges from the NCAA for lying to investigators regarding a case involving COVID-19 recruiting violations. According to the Detroit Free Press, an NCAA panel rejected a negotiated four-game suspension for Harbaugh in the case; Michigan received a three-game suspension.
The NFL prefers to stay on solid ground with the dozens of college programs that serve as the league’s farm system.
As such, according to NFL.com, the league is unlikely to provide a safe haven for Harbaugh to escape any future NCAA discipline. “The NFL has been clear: no one should escape discipline by leaving college to join the pros,” the site reports.
Dean Spanos is simply loyal to NFL executives.
As a former Chargers scout, John Spanos has surely established football ties with most Big Ten schools, many of whom anonymously report being “irritated” with Harbaugh and his program, according to various media outlets.
We can’t rule out Harbaugh ending up with the Chargers. But that would require a break from Spanos tradition unless Samsonite Jim could be relieved of organizing or approving rule-breaking sign-stealing.
If the Chargers decide to fire coach Brandon Staley, who is in the third year of a four-year contract, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore would appear to be a traditional Spanos candidate. Retaining Moore, either as coordinator or by promoting him to head coach, would provide continuity for Herbert.
The 25-year-old QB is working under his third coordinator in four seasons in the NFL.
Harbaugh is a former Raiders QB with ties to team owner Mark Davis, but it’s worth considering that Harbaugh may already be in his dream job. Michigan can pay him more than most NFL teams pay their coaches and give him full say in personnel moves. Meanwhile, college football’s upcoming expansion into the postseason will improve its chances of winning the national title.
Ring
Sunday Injury vs. Edge Rusher Joey Bosa will encourage the NFL’s media partners to once again blame the Chargers’ failures on injuries.
This sauce would be weak. Overall, when each game is analyzed, the Chargers (4-6) have probably reached balance health-wise. They may have emerged victorious. Three of their four wins were against a team that was without its starting QB. The Dolphins, without a star left tackle, an All-Pro corner and a safety, were clearly in a worse situation heading into the season opener, which they won as an underdog on the road.
Focusing on the Chargers’ injuries doesn’t make sense, unless you recognize the giant blue and gold shamrock in the room: In terms of QB health, no team has come close to matching the Chargers’ good fortune over the of the last two decades.
- Brian Sipe Second Sunday in Cleveland: Wearing Sipe’s 17, a Browns QB led a last-minute run to a points victory. Like Sipe, a Grossmont High School/San Diego State alumnus, when he entered the NFL as a 13th round draft pick, Dorian Thompson-Robinson entered as an outsider. The 6-foot-1 ½ former UCLA star went in the fifth round and 140th overall this year. Sipe must have loved that the Browns beat the Steelers Steel Curtain style. His career was booming during the Steelers dynasty era. The 1980 NFL MVP saw the Steelers win 14 of 17 games against his Browns.
- Sean Payton earns his huge salary. Proving myself completely wrong, Russell Wilson moves better this year than last season. Monday night, Wilson outsmarted Vikings defenders and coordinator Brian Flores.
- Don’t bet against San Marcos Fred Warner playing all snaps Thursday at Seattle, although the All-Pro LB played all 71 defensive snaps for the Niners Sunday against the Bucs.
- Broncos sixth year WR Courtland Sutton it’s having the type of season the Chargers envisioned — when, I don’t know — as a rookie Quentin Johnston. There is a certain rigidity in Johnston’s game that needs to be addressed.
