Unless you live under a rock, you probably are aware of the recent exchange between Jim Harbaugh and ESPN’s Chargers beat reporter Kris Rhim. But if you haven’t here’s the quick TL/DR plus the accompanying posts from X:
- Following the latest loss to the Seahawks where Justin Herbert was consistently smacked around due to a lack of pass protection, Harbaugh raved about Herbert’s “warrior play” that’s he’s had a front row seat to for over two seasons.
- Since this “warrior play” only arises when Herbert has to overcome incredibly tough circumstances and an offense that let’s him down more often than not, Rhim understandably asked Harbaugh why this is still happening after roughly 2.5 seasons under his watch
- Harbaugh took the question as an insult and proceeded to answer the question with a complete non-answer, showing some contempt after being confronted with some harsh reality
- Rhim and Harbaugh went back and forth before Rhim realized he wasn’t going to get a serious answer from Harbaugh
Here is the post from Rhim with the transcript and a video of the exchange:
So I’m just going to be frank about this: This may have been the most cringe-inducing presser for Harbaugh since he became the head coach in 2024. And no, not the kind of cringe that comes with the latest Harbaugh-ism or wacky metaphor that we’ve all become accustomed to when he’s at the microphone.
This was a coach who, from the very beginning of his tenure in LA, has taken an approach with the media to never actually answer any question with a straight-forward response. There’s always a story, an analogy, or a metaphor that stretches like it’s about to take a run at the vault in the Olympics.
All of Harbaugh’s -ism’s were ingested and palatable due to the results he had over the past two seasons which were 22 wins and two playoff appearances. There were some gripes and other things to nitpick over that span but it all became irrelevant for the most part due to the results. That’s how this business tends to work. At the end of the day, a coach can do whatever he wants, say whatever he wants, and be whoever he wants to be as long as he’s winning. With a record of 0-4 to begin his third season — on top of how the team has become 0-4 — that is no longer the case with Harbaugh, this fan base, and the media who have covered the team the past two-plus seasons.
Justin Herbert is the greatest thing on God’s green Earth to Harbaugh. He’s the son he wished he had and the most magnificent player of football he’s ever laid eyes on (or something along those lines, he’s said a lot of things about his quarterback since 2024). So it should be quite understandable that someone who has kept their eyes on every single move and decision this team has made since his hiring has a question or two about what’s going on when the team’s record is 0-4 in Year Three while Herbert is being pummeled at an alamring rate.
That is VERY understandable and should actually have been something Harbaugh should have expected to talk about at some point this year. Instead, he acted shocked and appalled that someone would have the audacity to point out the giant, purple, feather-covered elephant in the room.
Bringing it back to the initial question posed by Rhim, he didn’t even point a finger at any one thing. He even offered up that he wasn’t exactly sure what the issue was, but the reality is that Herbert’s only showing you his “warrior play” because he’s having to fight through hell in the first place. So Rhim points that out and follows it with the “charges” that were placed upon Harbaugh and McDaniel when they were respectively hired by the Chargers.
Harbaugh’s charge was to protect Herbert with a good offensive line. It was the whole “tip of the spear” monologue. So far, the spear has been shattered multiple times in two-plus years and isn’t poking anyone nonetheless capable of being used to protect his quarterback.
McDaniel’s charge was to make things easier for Herbert so he wouldn’t have to be a superhero every game to give the Chargers a chance. What’s wild here is that Herbert did not have to be as much of a hero the last two seasons because the defense was also that elite. Now, McDaniel seems to have taken the offense back several steps and aided in putting Herbert back into his hero ball state of mind.
(General manager Joe Hortiz also deserves a ton of blame for his actions thus far, but we’re sticking to Harbaugh as much as possible to not lose the plot.)
Both of these things are apparent and obvious when the team takes the field each week. So for Harbaugh to listen to Rhim’s words and still come away believing they were meant as an insult? That’s ONE THOUSAND PERCENT on Harbaugh for taking it that way. If pointing out an objective truth is insulting, then that tells you everything you need to know about his internal dialogue. If Harbaugh believed he has done everything in his power to hold tight and accomplish the goal he was charged with, he would have explained how he’s gone about doing that and what may have been out of his control that has led the team to this position.
And for those of you who cannot understand this concept, Harbaugh can still offer explanations and answer these types of questions without “throwing someone under the bus.” He can also be the one to actually shoulder the blame because that’s what leaders do. The buck stops with him. No ifs, ands, or buts. Whether it is or is not directly because of him, the team’s record and performance falls on him. There’s a lot of gray area in all of this obviously, but at the podium and in front of the football world, it is on Harbaugh. He knows this and I’m shocked he seemed so taken aback at being confronted in such a lukewarm manner.
Anthony Lynn went through this. Brandon Staley sure went through this. The tough questions come with the tough times. If you’re a well-seasoned head coach, you should understand the game at this point. Play well, the media will toss you some underhand pitches and move on. Play not so well and you’re going to be met with a few fastballs you may not have prepared for.
Either way, it’s up to you to take a calculated swing when the time comes.
Before I wrap this whole thing up, I just want to shout out Rhim once again for having the steel within him to ask the questions that need to be asked.
It has become such an archaic mindset within the sports media space to bend the knee to teams during media availabilities and only ask the questions that have zero chance at ruffling feathers. Players and coaches need and deserve to be pushed. Regardless of already knowing what their response will more than likely be, reporters still need to hold their ground.
Harbaugh isn’t likely to break or change up his approach anytime soon, but he’s going to feel the pressure all the same if things do not change. In a results-based business, the results should be free game to discuss, no matter how much the head coach or anyone else wants to pretend they don’t exist in the name of positivity and morale.
