One of the stories entering this year's iteration of the Chargers-Raiders rivalry is the coaches. Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll prepare to face off against one another once again on Monday Night Football.
Harbaugh got the better of Carroll at the collegiate level. His Stanford team went 2-1 against USC. The script flipped a bit in the pros as Carroll's Seahawks went 5-4 against Harbaugh's Niners. That includes their legacy matchup in the 2013 NFC Championship game. Monday's game is the rubber match!
Welcome to the Jim Harbaugh-Pete Carroll iteration of the Chargers-Raiders rivalry.
Harbaugh was asked about the rivalry that the two coaches have shared for nearly two decades.
"That's pretty well documented," Harbaugh said of the rivalry. "And he's a great coach. One of the best. A lot of respect. You know I always think, had I ever played for him on one of his teams-cause he was coaching when I was playing, or if I was on his staff once I got into coaching. I bet we would've been really good friends. Learned a lot from him just watching him. But he's always been on the other side."
Harbaugh said that the two know each other "pretty well" and Carroll participated in the Harbaugh Coaching Academy. "I think we would've been pretty good friends. Alas, we have been on opposite sides," Harbaugh said. "I'm not on his Christmas card list."
On Thursday, Carroll was also asked about the rivalry and any fond memories he has with Harbaugh. Jokingly, he said this:
"I remember Jim," Carroll started. "I have no fond memories, I'm not going to go there. There's great games, they've been great games. That's all, been a bunch of 'em."
Carroll gave his respects to LA's head coach when asked about Harbaugh's comment that they could've been teammates/friends "in a different life":
"He's seen my game," Carroll said. "He would like me to help him win if I could, and so he'd like us to play together I guess. But one thing we would see eye to eye on is about competing. He's always been a great competitor and he's battled through so much in his playing days and his coaching days as well. So I appreciate him saying that cause I'd like to play with him too."
Carroll sarcastically had one last jab ready to go when asked about Harbaugh saying he's "not on his Christmas card list":
"I'm surprised he would say that," Carroll started. "Because he sends me a birthday card every year, I don't know what to tell you."
It's nice to hear about both coaches' respect for one another while knowing that there's still some fire at the center of a nearly 20-year-long rivalry. And there's some added stakes to this matchup. Even if the Broncos win this week, the winner of this game will take first place in the AFC West via divisional win tiebreaker. As Harbaugh and Khalil Mack both say, divisional games count as two.
The 13th edition of Harbaugh vs. Carroll kicks off on Monday Night Football at 7 PM PT on ESPN.