COSTA MESA — It will be fascinating to see how history remembers the Chargers’ past week or so.
Will NFL historians look back and marvel at what was, in fact, the beginning of the end of Chargering?
Will the kids in the team’s fandom teach their future children that it was the hiring of Coach Jim Harbaugh and then General Manager Joe Hortiz that ushered in a happier era, winning to match the vibes at their introductory news conferences?
Because, from the here and now, with the Chargers replacing Brandon Staley with Harbaugh and Tom Telesco with Hortiz, the team looks the part of a can’t-miss prospect. It looks like a five-tool prospect, a five-star recruit; all the potential in the world.
The Chargers landed Harbaugh, the most sought-after coach on the market, and they’re teaming him, a so-called “quarterback whisperer,” with Justin Herbert, one of football’s great young QBs. They’re also reportedly finalizing the hire of defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who will follow Harbaugh from Michigan, where they won this season’s College Football Playoff national championship.
Team owner Dean Spanos finally stepped up and gave fans what they actually wanted, and he splurged to do it, too, reportedly signing Harbaugh to a deal that will pay him $16 million annually for five years.
And they’ve paired Harbaugh with Hortiz, a general manager of his liking – this is no “arranged marriage,” said John Spanos, president of football operations – who has a proven knack for drafting. What this is, to cite the men themselves, is Batman and Robin (but no tights, Hortiz specified). Or Red and Andy Dufresne, from “Shawshank Redemption.” Partners.
Harbaugh, a former Chargers QB, led the San Francisco 49ers to three NFC championship games, Super Bowl XLVII and was named the NFL Coach of the Year in his first three NFL seasons before his issues with the 49ers’ front office eventually led him back to college.
Hortiz – who has ties to…
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