Jim Harbaugh gets testy with reporter in defense of Mike McDaniel
· Yahoo Sports
The Los Angeles Chargers’ disastrous season continued this weekend, as Sunday’s 24-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams dropped the team to 0-7 and kept them as the NFL’s only winless team.
Despite the Chargers’ struggles, head coach Jim Harbaugh has been steadfast in his support for quarterback Justin Herbert, a divisive figure amongst NFL media for years, and eccentric offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, who is just as polarizing.
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While Harbaugh remained adamant in his defense of both and the team’s ability to iron things out after Sunday’s loss, frustration is boiling over for the almost perpetually optimistic coach. During Sunday’s post-game press conference, The Athletic Chargers beat reporter Noah Furtado and Harbaugh had a tense exchange over the decision to have McDaniel continue calling plays.
“Uh, yes, not gonna address anything. I’m focused on this game, and that’s my focus,” a glum Harbaugh said after Furtado asked if he’d stick with his floundering coordinator.
Furtado followed, “But what from the past seven games tells you that this can be fixed? Why are you keeping him? What is the rationale?”
“Yeah, our motivation is a dedication to getting it changed, getting it fixed,” Harbaugh responded.
Jim Harbaugh: “We’re aware of what the issues are, and we’re the only ones that can fix them.” Follow up: “Are you aware of what the issues are?” Harbaugh: Summarizes the game.
Follow up: “Is Mike going to continue to call plays, Jim?” Harbaugh: “Uh, yes, not gonna address anything. I’m focused on this game and that’s my focus.”
Follow up: “But what from the past seven games tells you that this can be fixed? Why are you keeping him? What is the rationale?” Harbaugh: “Yeah, our motivation is a dedication to getting it changed, getting it fixed.”
Follow up: “So you don’t want to answer the question.” Harbaugh: “I said I’m focused on this game, we’re gonna go watch this tape, and I believe in our guys, I believe in our players, our coaches.”
Follow up: “Jim, do you understand why I’m asking you about Mike and his role in all of this?” Harbaugh: “You’ve asked and I think I’ve answered the question, so.”
Follow up: “But I’ve asked you about him and you haven’t talked about him. You’ve just said vague—” Harbaugh: “I’ve talked about us. The team. It’s the team, the team, the team. It’s us.”
— Noah Furtado (@bynoahfurtado) November 2, 2026
Even after Furtado asserted that Harbaugh didn’t want to answer the question directly, the head coach kept his line.
“I said I’m focused on this game, we’re gonna go watch this tape, and I believe in our guys, I believe in our players, our coaches,” he said.
Furtado kept pressing for a direct answer on McDaniel’s role in the offense’s ineffectiveness, but to no avail.
“I’ve talked about us. The team. It’s the team, the team, the team. It’s us,” Harbaugh answered.
This isn’t the first time this season the coach has been prickly during a post-game presser, such as when he was visibly annoyed with ESPN’s Kris Rhim after the reporter asked about the job everyone around Herbert has done to ease the quarterback’s need to be a “superhero.”
The reality is that as much as Dan Orlovsky may love his tools, Herbert has yet to win a playoff game in his career, and Harbaugh, who believes he’s coaching the best quarterback in human history, was brought in to help him take the next step. The situation is becoming more untenable by the week, and if Harbaugh and his coordinators don’t figure things out soon, pointed questions from the media will be the least of his concerns as his seat inevitably warms up.
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