Harbaugh Evolves: The New Chargers Coach and His Impact on the Game

Harbaugh: The Road to Redemption with the Chargers

Former San Francisco 49ers tight end Delanie Walker recalls a 2012 training practice that started as usual, until coach Jim Harbaugh called the team to the center of the field.

“We thought, ‘Oh yeah, he’s going to cancel practice.’ We were going to go to a water park or something.”

Delanie Walker

Harbaugh began to talk about the rivals of the NFC West. The Seattle Seahawks were in an amusement park, he told them. The St. Louis Rams and the Arizona Cardinals were also enjoying a day off. “Guess what the 49ers are going to do today?” Harbaugh asked. They would practice intensely. At least a hundred plays: “Everyone else takes breaks, the 49ers don’t,” Harbaugh said. “Everyone was a little angry that day,” Walker recalls with a laugh. This was Jim Harbaugh: demanding of his players to the point of exhaustion. The method was effective, until it angered everyone. But Harbaugh marked the beginning of a period of rebirth for the 49ers; that season, San Francisco reached Super Bowl XLVII.

“There will be no magic formulas,” Harbaugh promised Los Angeles Chargers fans at his introductory press conference in 2024. “The only ones I know are hard work, the old-fashioned way.” While Harbaugh largely operates the same way, the coach’s Chargers version has evolved. He’s traded khakis for gray pants. His training practices have shifted from game-day intensity to what his former players see as something close to a flag football version that prioritizes keeping the team healthy.

“That’s where it’s different. Now it’s like, ‘Yeah, let’s take that break.’ It’s like, ‘Damn, who is this guy?'”, said Walker, who was a volunteer coach with the Chargers during last year’s training camp. “This Jim Harbaugh, he became nicer for sure. So when people say he changed, I would say he changed to improve the game”.

Delanie Walker

The old Harbaugh annoyed some players, coaches, and executives. This Harbaugh, now 61 years old, hardened by failures and lessons from his first stint in the NFL and early difficulties in the college ranks, is approaching the job differently. It could be the difference for Harbaugh to achieve the goal of winning a Super Bowl, and how long the Chargers can tolerate him. Harbaugh’s second year in Los Angeles begins on Friday, when the Chargers face the Kansas City Chiefs in São Paulo (8 p.m. ET, YouTube).

“You don’t want things to get stale,” Harbaugh said. “That’s like overripe fruit, stale bread, burnt meat; you have to change things.”

Jim Harbaugh

Throughout Harbaugh’s two decades as a coach, there are two factions of his former players and coaches: those who despise him (often publicly) and those who are staunch supporters. The words “insane” or “crazy” to describe Harbaugh are common among both groups, but the meaning depends on who is speaking. Look no further than San Francisco. Despite three straight NFC Championship appearances and a Super Bowl appearance, Harbaugh’s approach infuriated the front office. And the players were tired of Harbaugh too.

“He just pushed the guys too much,” said former 49ers offensive lineman Alex Boone on HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” in April. “He wanted too much, demanded too much, expected too much… And you’re like, ‘This guy might be clinically insane. He’s crazy.'”

Alex Boone

The amount Harbaugh demands from his players now is his most significant change. That has become clear with the Chargers’ practices. This season, the NFL selected the Chargers for the Hall of Fame Game, giving them an additional preseason matchup and additional practice time. Because of that, Harbaugh reduced the time required at the facilities to avoid fatigue. Harbaugh communicates strict rhythms to the players before each practice. It is common to see the defenders raising both hands instead of trying to deflect a pass or the linemen stopping in the middle of a pass rush, obeying Harbaugh’s rules. There are shouts and reprimands from coaches and players alike when players deviate from the rhythm. Veterans, who have played elsewhere, routinely praise Harbaugh for his current approach to practice: “It’s not very common in the league, it’s different, I like it,” said cornerback Donte Jackson. But that doesn’t mean Harbaugh’s practices are easy.

“Six days a week, and every day is intense,” said safety Elijah Molden.

Elijah Molden

J.T. Rogan, who worked for Harbaugh as director of communications/operations for two years at Michigan, perhaps has the best perspective on Harbaugh’s evolution. Rogan was an All-American running back for Harbaugh at the University of San Diego, worked for him at Stanford, and tried him out as a player in San Francisco. Rogan said Harbaugh’s time at Michigan was transformative, and he noted Harbaugh’s difficulties in beating rival Ohio State and his use of analytics, which altered his coaching style and helped Michigan win the 2023 national championship in Harbaugh’s final season. However, the legitimacy of that championship will be forever tarnished by the controversy after several NCAA sanctions were imposed against Harbaugh for violating the rules.

“He taken that feedback and has really high emotional intelligence, even though you can’t call him emotional,” Rogan said.

J.T. Rogan

He continued: “For people who say: ‘Who wears the same clothes every day all the time?’ Or ‘Who wears heels on the plane?’ As if that detracts from their intellect and their ability to receive feedback and then evolve, but he has done it.” Harbaugh’s first year in Los Angeles was about changing the culture of a franchise synonymous with disappointment. The Chargers’ Week 11 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals seemed to be a turning point. L.A. had built a 27-6 lead over the Bengals early in the third quarter, then the game began to fall apart in the way Chargers fans are accustomed to. The Bengals scored 21 unanswered points, when quarterback Joe Burrow found wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase for a touchdown and tied the score at 27 with 12:12 remaining. But the Chargers won the game, thanks to two receptions of more than 27 yards by wide receiver Ladd McConkey and a touchdown by running back J.K. Dobbins in the final series. The victory seemed to be a turning point for the franchise and the first clear sign of Harbaugh’s impact in L.A.

“There have been many games over the years where we’ve been in that position and come up short,” said former Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa, who became a star as the No. 3 pick in 2016 but was released after a disappointing 2024 season and is now with the Buffalo Bills. “There was a kind of lack of faith in being able to pull it off in previous situations.”

Joey Bosa

But eight weeks later, against the Houston Texans, in their first playoff appearance since one of the most embarrassing playoff losses in team history, the Chargers looked like the Chargers of old. Star quarterback Justin Herbert, who threw three interceptions, the fewest in the league during the regular season, threw four that day. He became the first NFL player to throw more interceptions in a playoff game than in the regular season. The Texans pressured Herbert on 50% of his dropbacks and the Chargers suffered a 32-12 beatdown, another playoff embarrassment.

However, Los Angeles expects the Houston game to be an anomaly and the Cincinnati game to be the standard.

“We didn’t achieve the ultimate success that is reserved for the world champion,” Harbaugh said earlier this offseason. “But there are so many good things to build on; that creates a lot of excitement for me and [general manager Joe Hortiz] as we build version 2.0.”

Jim Harbaugh

The increase in win totals and postseason success have historically defined the second years of Harbaugh-led teams. He went from 7-4 in his first season at the University of San Diego to 11-1 the following year, winning the Pioneer Football League. After he took over a 1-11 Stanford team in 2007, the Cardinal finished 5-7 in his second season, narrowly missing a bowl game. Harbaugh’s 49ers reached the Super Bowl in his second season. (In his first two seasons at Michigan, Harbaugh led the Wolverines to back-to-back 10-3 seasons). But Harbaugh already has an uphill battle to replicate that second-year jump in L.A. Pro Bowl left tackle Rashawn Slater suffered a season-ending torn patellar tendon. Running back Najee Harris missed all of training camp after a July 4th fireworks accident damaged his eye. L.A. travels the most miles in the NFL this season, starting with the Chiefs in Brazil, and that opener is followed by divisional matchups against the Raiders and Broncos. Regardless of how difficult the outlook seems for this season, the Chargers appear confident, believing in Harbaugh’s process. But that’s how it always starts for Harbaugh’s teams, before the tension, frustration, and, in Michigan, the sanctions occur. The Chargers hope this version of Harbaugh keeps them in the honeymoon phase for the long term.

“We’re going for the Super Bowl,” Harbaugh said. “That’s our goal. We’ll do it or die trying.”

Jim Harbaugh