Chargers' Jim Harbaugh blasted for controversial coaching move

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh has been ripped for a controversial decision he made.

Oct 21, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh reacts against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Jim Harbaugh didn't do a whole lot wrong in his first season as Los Angeles Chargers head coach. He seemed to push all the right buttons, leading the Chargers to 11 wins and a playoff appearance and transforming the defense into an elite unit.

However, there is one area in which Harbaugh may have missed it: offensive coordinator.

Harbaugh chose not to retain Kellen Moore from the previous staff and instead hired Greg Roman, who he worked with during his time with the San Francisco 49ers.

While, Moore just helped guide the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl, and the Chargers' offense wasn't quite elite in 2024, finishing 20th in the NFL.

Well, Jason Reed of Bolt Beat is taking Harbaugh to task over it and clearly feels he made the wrong decision in letting Moore head to the Eagles.

"The Chargers had the chance to keep Moore around under the new coaching regime," Reed wrote. "Harbaugh did that with special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken. The team could have blocked Moore from interviewing for other offensive coordinator positions. However, Harbaugh had his guy who he had prior ties to and that was that. Roman was brought in while Moore quickly took the offensive coordinator job with the Eagles just four days after Harbaugh was hired by the Bolts."

Reed then went on to explain that Los Angeles' offense looked great under Moore when it was healthy in 2023 and that Harbaugh should have taken that into consideration.

"In a perfect world, Harbaugh would have seen that nuance and would have given Moore one more year to give his star quarterback some play-calling consistency," Reed continued. "Moore would not have solved the personnel issues on the interior offensive line or at wide receiver, but he definitely could have squeezed more out of the Chargers' offense than Roman did."

The Chargers' offense looked lifeless in their Wild Card Round playoff matchup against the Houston Texans, managing just 12 points in a blowout loss.

As Reed did note, roster personnel may have been a bigger issue for Los Angeles than anything else, but perhaps the Bolts' offense would have performed better under Moore.

Oct 29, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore (right) talks with quarterback Justin Herbert (10) against the Chicago Bears in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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