Jim Harbaugh's stories confuse, but Chargers have never been this connected

Harbaugh's style of coaching has had a positive effect on his players.

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

One of the most important parts about being an NFL head coach is connecting with your players. More than just the X's and O's, but on a personal level. That's what Jim Harbaugh prides himself on, and the Los Angeles Chargers are benefitting from it.

Harbaugh has unusual ways of getting through to his team. Ahead of their Week 10 win, the Chargers head coach held a team meeting the night before. Harbaugh apparently worked in the song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," a six-minute tune that tells the tale of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, a ship that sank during a storm on Nov. 10, 1975, according to Daniel Popper of the Athletic.

A funny expert from Popper's piece about how players reacted, at least at first: "Harbaugh’s methods are unorthodox. Henley said he was “lost” during the Edmund Fitzgerald speech. Molden said it was “kind of hard to follow.” Edge rusher Bud Dupree said he “couldn’t really grasp” what Harbaugh was getting at. Center Bradley Bozeman, when asked about the speech, simply offered an “I don’t know” and a smile."

What does this have to do with football? Well, Joey Bosa seemed to relate the story to the Chargers in some form.

“Not relating to the people on the ship but to the storm and, I think, the Chargers and the bolts in the storm,”said Bosa. “We just kind of want to carry that mindset that we’re the storm. He [Harbaugh] always has me engaged. Everything he says comes from the heart and has a purpose. I definitely feel it. I don’t know if I’ve had a connection like this with a head coach before.”

Those are strong words from one of the Chargers' veterans. Whatever Harbaugh's doing, it's resonating with his team.

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