It is hard to imagine a bigger upgrade at the head coach position than going from first-time head coach Brandon Staley to experienced winner Jim Harbaugh. Staley did not even last three seasons with the Bolts while Harbaugh is bringing a winning culture with him to Los Angeles.
Fans are over the moon thinking about what Harbaugh can bring to the table as the Chargers head coach. Harbaugh himself is even thrilled as the prospects of coaching Justin Herbert have made him very excited.
Harbaugh isn't just vastly different from Staley as a football coach but he is vastly different in how he approaches the fanbase as well. With the season slipping away from him in 2023, Staley boldly proclaimed during a post-game press conference that he wasn't there to "talk to the fans".
The fanbase, which had already turned on Staley at that point, did not appreciate the sentiment from the struggling head coach. Thankfully, Harbaugh knows that the fans are a critical part of his job, and said such during his introductory press conference with the team.
reporting for duty 🫡 pic.twitter.com/lfafowuotV
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) February 1, 2024
Jim Harbaugh's message to Chargers fans is a refreshing twist from Brandon Staley
Everything that Harbaugh said during his introductory press conference was a nice change of pace from what fans were used to hearing over the last several years. And the funny part is that it was not always that way with Staley.
Staley was one of the most well-spoken coaches in the league when he was hired by the Chargers and it was not hard to see how ownership fell for his act. However, as the losses mounted Staley become more and more on edge and his true self started to shine out.
Excuses were made left and right and the head coach never took accountability for the team's struggles. Even up until the day before he was fired, Staley stood in front of reporters and acted like the job he was doing was good enough. And how dare the fanbase question him.
That will never be the case with Harbaugh. Harbaugh very obviously has high standards not just for the football team but for himself as a head coach. He knows that the fans will hold him accountable and he is going to take that challenge head on.
There won't be any excuses, any finger-pointing, and most importantly, any passive-aggressive shots to the fanbase. Not with Jim Harbaugh in town, at least.