On New Year’s Day, the University of Michigan Wolverines defeated the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in overtime, 27-20, in the Rose Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship game versus the University of Washington Huskies.
It was a major triumph in what has been a turbulent season for Michigan that saw its head coach Jim Harbaugh get suspended for allegedly taking part in a sign-stealing scandal.
Being in Southern California for the Rose Bowl led to some inevitable questions about Harbaugh’s speculated interest in becoming the Los Angeles Chargers’ next head coach. He addressed that rumor a few days before the game without really giving any info.
“[I have] just a very one-track mind about this game,” Harbaugh said. “Right now, I’ll just have fun with the family and the team and the players. We’re at the happiest place on Earth. We’re going to enjoy ourselves and then get back to business.”
NFL News & Rumors: Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers Updates
It’s very possible that this was a sincere response from Harbaugh, as teams need to remain very focused when they have an opportunity to win it all.
The Chargers are finishing off what has been a disastrous season, even by their standards. Despite possessing enough talent to, in the minds of plenty, compete for a spot in the Super Bowl, they have underachieved the last two seasons, and right now, and they currently hold a 5-11 record after losing four in a row and seven of their last eight games.
They recently lost star quarterback Justin Herbert for the season due to a fractured finger, but well before that, fans were calling for Brandon Staley to be fired as head coach. That’s exactly what happened after an abysmal 63-21 loss to the rival Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15.
What the Bolts need more than anything else, even a high-level coach, is a winning culture. They have been on the wrong end of lots of bad luck for many years, and someone such as Harbaugh could effective stabilize the franchise and at least allow it to focus on getting ahead rather than putting out fires.
He had previously coached in the NFL about a decade ago and achieved clear success with the San Francisco 49ers. He took over them just prior to the 2011 season when the once-proud franchise was mired in a deep malaise. But they went from a 6-10 record in 2010 to 13-3 and an NFC Championship Game appearance the very next season.
In 2012, Jim Harbaugh guided San Francisco to the Super Bowl, where it narrowly lost to the Baltimore Ravens. He left the organization following the 2014 season after he and executive Trent Baalke reportedly had a rift.
The 60-year-old had a long playing career in the NFL as a quarterback. He was named to the Pro Bowl for the 1995 season and spent the 1999 and 2000 campaigns with the Chargers.
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