Will Jim Harbaugh be cast into Canton?

By: Jake Rajala

Jim Harbaugh is one of the most creative, innovative football coaches in the professional football league. He led a team in the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl. Then all he did was go to University of Michigan and win a Championship. After that he returned to the NFL to lead the Los Angeles Chargers to a playoff berth in his first season! The NFL world knows he’s success in any situation. With that said, a fascinating question surrounds him: is he a future NFL Hall of Famer?

I believe it’s a pipe dream to believe that Harbaugh is a future HOFer right now. He has only coached for five NFL seasons. In that time, he hasn’t won a Lombardi trophy. However, it should be noted that Harbaugh has done quite well in his four seasons. Mike Tomlin, who is a sure-fire Hall of Fame HC, has a winning percentage of .630. Furthermore, future HOF coach Sean Payton, has a winning percentage of .618. Well, let it be known that Harbaugh has a winning percentage of .685! Yes, you read that correctly.

The Chargers face an uphill battle to get through the playoffs and win a Super Bowl. It will blatantly be a challenge for Harbaugh to ever get the first seed in the playoffs with the Kansas City Chiefs in their division. They were also swept by the Chiefs last season.

To be fair, the Chargers have their franchise QB and a competitive roster. I’d like to see the Chargers bring in another WR to help Ladd McConkey. Quentin Johnson was a drop machine last season. It may be wise to be aggressive to land Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, or Amari Cooper.

I hope Harbaugh has playoff success before potentially going back to the college ranks. He has the brains and tenacity to succeed in the NFL. He is also 61 years old – which isn’t overly old in coaching years.

It won’t be easy for Harbaugh to get a gold jacket. Mike McCarthy has a Super Bowl ring, but he’s not a lock to make it into Canton. Harbaugh will likely not only need a Super Bowl on his resume, but many seasons of success. I’m not only referring to victories, but I believe that Harbaugh needs to prove he’s a special figure. Sean Payton has similar success in victories and division titles as McCarthy, but Payton has proven to be a genius play-caller, too.

Payton has led the Saints to be Top-3 in scoring offense seven times! Meanwhile, McCarthy has only led GB to be Top-3 in scoring three times! Payton also led the Saints to have a 5-0 record with Teddy Bridgewater. The craziest, yet creative move by Payton was arguably his onside kick call in the Super Bowl – which was a huge success.