Former Chargers RB Lorenzo Neal Breaks Down the Huge Upside to Hiring Jim Harbaugh
The Los Angeles Chargers finally got their man, as the team officially announced the hiring of Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh brings a wealth of coaching experience, which comes from stints at the college and NFL level.
Even more exciting is that Harbaugh has previous head coaching experience, which is something the Chargers have missed since hiring Anthony Lynn and Brandon Staley.
Despite his coaching experience, Harbaugh also has a massive upside, which is how physical he teaches his teams to be. Lorenzo Neal and Matt "Money" Smith discuss how Harbaugh's previous stint with the 49ers can lead to a far tougher team in the Chargers.
Back when Harbaugh was running the 49ers, he had ultra-physical players on the defense like Ahmad Brooks, Navaro Bowman, and Alden Smith. On the offensive side, he also had Frank Gore, a force in his heyday.
That toughness is something that can be replicated to rewire this Chargers team. While Austin Ekeler is no slouch, he has not been an ugly down-the-middle runner, which is something missing from this team.
Smith goes into detail about the running back room in terms of the big back that the Chargers need, which they do in Isaiah Spiller, but he has not been given the right opportunity.
Toughness matters not only in the running back room but in the general sense.
"One word, man, 'tough'. If you can't cut it, you're not on this team. That's what I love. When are we going to change the culture? And how do you change that? Well, you have to bring the right person in."
The Chargers hope they do have the right person, and we believe that they do. Harbaugh has a keen eye for turning each team into a punishing force that opponents can't handle.
We know how Harbaugh transformed the 49ers from a bottom-dwelling NFC team to a powerhouse that secured 3 NFC Conference Championship Appearances, one NFC Championship, and one Super Bowl appearance.
Harbaugh can turn the Chargers into the same winning culture and toughness, which is a huge reason why he chose to leave Michigan behind, despite winning a National Championship.
Harbaugh wants to win a Super Bowl, and after losing against his brother and the Ravens—he wants to right that wrong. While the Chargers might be a bit of a conundrum in terms of cap space and free agents next season, they still possess the grit that Harbaugh can turn into a dominating AFC force.
