From player to coach, Jim Harbaugh imbues his Chargers with a fighting spirit

Coach Jim Harbaugh has led teams to turnarounds before and hopes to do the same with his Chargers. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Mike Riley can laugh about it now — that time his starting quarterback fought his teammate.

As Riley, the then-Chargers head coach recalled it, the team was on its way to its fourth consecutive loss. The Chargers failed to score a touchdown in a road game against the Oakland Raiders. Chargers safety Michael Dumas, who Riley called “one of the toughest guys around,” said something to the team’s quarterback about the offensive struggles.

Jim Harbaugh took offense. The quarterback pressed his facemask against Dumas’ and linebacker Junior Seau pulled them apart. It didn’t end on the field.

“By the time they got to the locker room, they were full-fledged fighting,” Riley said. “Jim would not back down to anything.”

Nearly three decades after being the maniacally driven quarterback who wasn’t afraid to square up with his defensive teammate, Harbaugh is bringing the same fire to the franchise as its head coach.

Read more: Why Jim Harbaugh jumped at chance to live ‘The Rockford Files’ RV beach life

The player once known as “Captain Comeback” for his dramatic playoff wins with the Indianapolis Colts will try to orchestrate another reverse for an organization that hasn’t won a playoff game since 2018.

Those who watched Harbaugh during his playing days know his rare mix of competitiveness, authenticity and empathy make him the ideal person to pull off the feat starting with Sunday’s season opener against the Oakland Raiders, kickoff at 1:05 p.m. in SoFi Stadium.

“He wants to win more than anybody, and he’s gonna,” said former Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf. “He’s gonna win. I just thought this was the best fit in the world because he’s going to do what’s best for the team to win. … That’s exactly what the Chargers were in need of.”

“The most competitive person you’ve ever met.”

Ryan Leaf, on former…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/player-coach-jim-harbaugh-imbues-101028138.html

Author : LA Times

Publish date : 2024-09-06 10:10:28

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.