How Jim Harbaugh started getting ready 'to grow to be a coach' with the 1-15 Panthers in 2001

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It was the day after the Carolina Panthers suffered their fifteenth straight loss to finish a 1-15 season in 2001. Head coach George Seifert had been fired hours earlier. The temper was quiet as Jack Harbaugh and his spouse helped their son transfer out of the Charlotte resort he had referred to as house the previous two months because the group’s scout group quarterback.

Jim Harbaugh did not inform his dad and mom he was calling it quits as a participant that day. However he knew after 15 seasons and consecutive 1-15 data with the then-San Diego Chargers and Panthers it was time to comply with within the footsteps of his father and older brother, John.

It was time to teach.

“That is the soccer gods explaining to me that we’re not going to play anymore, we’ll want you teaching,” the first-year Los Angeles Chargers coach recalled of his transient time at Carolina as he ready for Sunday’s recreation towards the Panthers (1 p.m. ET, CBS).

Since then, Harbaugh, 60, has grow to be extra famend as a coach than he ever was throughout his 15-year NFL taking part in profession. He led the San Francisco 49ers to Tremendous Bowl XLVII, shedding to John and the Baltimore Ravens in a 34-31 thriller. And he received a nationwide championship at his alma mater, Michigan, final season earlier than returning to the NFL with the Chargers.

He started his new NFL journey final week with a 22-10 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders behind his staple working recreation that produced 176 yards, 135 by J.K. Dobbins.

It is a potential nightmare situation for a Carolina group that gave up 180 yards dashing and noticed second-year quarterback Bryce Young proceed to wrestle in a 47-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints after ending 2023 with an NFL-worst 2-15 document.

“It is a completely different deal than we performed final week,” mentioned Carolina defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, who coached below Harbaugh from 2011 to 2014 with the 49ers. “Final week was zone working, working exterior, making an attempt to chop you off on the bottom.

“That is extra go proper at you or attempt to run over you. And so we have got to be prepared for it.”

Harbaugh calls the choice to cease taking part in after the 2001 season certainly one of “two highly effective recollections” from his time at Carolina.

The opposite was assembly then-offensive line assistant Greg Roman, who was in his first teaching job.

They hit it off instantly.

“He was at all times within the movie room, at all times,” Roman, 52, recalled. “He’d be sitting in our particular groups coach’s workplace on the ground watching movie … at night time. So what does that let you know? So he was simply grooming himself to grow to be a coach.”

Evero mentioned Roman and Harbaugh are of the “identical mindset” of their philosophy constructed round robust, bodily soccer and an influence run recreation.

So in 2009, when Harbaugh wanted assist turning round Stanford within the first yr of his second head-coaching job, he employed Roman as his affiliate head coach.

They ended Stanford’s streak of seven straight shedding seasons by going 8-5. That was adopted by a 12-1 document that helped Harbaugh land the head-coaching job with the 49ers, the place Roman turned the offensive coordinator.

Harbaugh turned to Roman once more when he got here again to the NFL with the Chargers this yr.

“Nothing extra profound than assembly Greg Roman in Carolina,” Harbaugh mentioned.

Harbaugh was most impressed by Roman’s potential to show. It did not take lengthy at Carolina for Harbaugh to ask him for soccer ideas “that I might by no means heard earlier than.”

“It was enchanting,” Harbaugh mentioned. “If this man was a chess participant, he can be in all probability considering seven, eight, 9 strikes forward. … I knew he was going to be a shining star already.”

One other profound second with Carolina was working with rookie huge receiver Steve Smith Sr.

Smith did not get many alternatives in video games that season, however he went on to grow to be the group’s all-time main receiver and was key to Carolina reaching Tremendous Bowl XXXVIII.

“They have been tearing up our protection, so it did not bode nicely,” Roman mentioned.

Stated Harbaugh: “I had extra enjoyable in these eight practices after I found out that I am simply [passing] to Steve Smith. This man [was] a shining star.”

Harbaugh by no means performed a down for Carolina, however he took his job severely.

“I keep in mind him speaking about how he was taking part in it prefer it was recreation day,” Jack Harbaugh mentioned. “He did every part he might to make the group higher and exhibit he may nonetheless be capable of play.”

Harbaugh did sufficient to impress former Carolina tight finish Wesley Walls.

“Jim positively paid consideration to the sport at a unique degree,” he mentioned. “It would not shock me in any respect he is grow to be an awesome coach.”

Harbaugh referred to as Panthers proprietor David Tepper early in 2023 when the group was searching for a head coach. The decision wasn’t characterised as a job interview, in accordance with a supply with information of the discuss, however in hindsight, Harbaugh may need been the best choice.

Tepper employed Frank Reich, who was subsequently fired after a 1-11 begin.

Few present Carolina gamers have been conscious of that decision, that Harbaugh had been with the group or how dominant Harbaugh’s 49ers have been from 2011 to 2014, together with a 23-10 divisional playoff victory in 2013 at Carolina.

That recreation was traditional Harbaugh soccer. The 49ers rushed 34 occasions for 126 yards and a landing to spoil the Panthers’ first playoff look since 2009.

The bodily nature of the sport led to what then-Carolina coach Ron Rivera referred to as a lack of composure by him and a number of other gamers, two of whom have been referred to as for pointless roughness.

First-year Carolina coach Dave Canales is getting ready for a similar sort of depth from the Chargers.

“It’s important to take a look at quite a lot of stuff and actually simply take a look at the fashion of soccer they need,” he mentioned. “Greg Roman … he is unbelievable. He is one of many premier offensive coordinators within the NFL. He is received a method about him.”

It is similar to Harbaugh’s.

“[Harbaugh] does an awesome job of getting guys to purchase into what he’s, and the group is at all times going to epitomize what he stands for: toughness, physicality,” he mentioned.

The Panthers by no means received to expertise that aspect of Harbaugh the participant, however Harbaugh the coach is grateful for his time in Charlotte and the way it satisfied him to cease taking part in.

He was reminded of that a couple of years in the past when asking his dad “how lengthy do you go in teaching?”

“He mentioned, I am going to always remember it, ‘You coach till you can’t step onto the sphere another time, till you’ll be able to’t endure another follow or put another recreation plan collectively. And once you come to that time, you coach for 2 extra years,”’ Harbaugh mentioned.

“You are asking me how I felt as a participant at the moment? I felt like I had two extra in me, however soccer gods have been saying one thing completely different.”

ESPN Chargers reporter Kris Rhim contributed to this story.