“You never know what you’re going to get.” No, this isn’t a rookie scout report. This is a current Chargers vet trying to sum up his head coach. Because let’s be real: in today’s NFL, most coaches are buttoned-up, playbook-first, and soundbite-safe. But Jim Harbaugh? Let’s just say the man is peculiar, in every good way possible. That’s why his brother-in-law has a lot to say about him, revealing what Harbaugh actually is!
Whether Jim Harbaugh is roasting his brother on national TV or firing up those game-winning drives from the sideline with that weird, wide-eyed stare, he always puts on a show. There’s something about him that feels less like a head coach and more like a football myth come to life. And with Chargers chasing that redemption arc? Everyone’s asking the same question: what makes him tick? Well, his brother-in-law had his say.
Tom Crean wasn’t fooling around. “He’s like your junior high coach — we’re gonna work, but we’ll get ice cream after the game,” he said about Jim. For fans imagining Harbaugh as just another headset-wielding hard-nosed coach barking orders, this would come off as a surprise. This is the same guy who turned Stanford into a BCS force, led the 49ers to a Super Bowl, and made Michigan believe they could run through anybody, anywhere.
“I think [Jim Harbaugh] is much more running a junior high football camaraderie mentality…he brings the joy out in a very tough violent aggressive demanding sport” –@TomCrean
On the latest episode of the Move the Sticks podcast, @MoveTheSticks & @BuckyBrooks are joined by… pic.twitter.com/PPueu5YI5E
— NFL Podcasts (@NFL_Podcasts) July 1, 2025
“He is the hard side of NFL football,” Crean told NFL Podcasters. “But he brings out the joy in a very aggressive, demanding sport… it never turns off. It might dim a little, but it never goes to zero,” he added. This kind of a paradox? It has followed Harbaugh for years.
Remember Stanford? Harbaugh took a 1–11 team and somehow turned them into Orange Bowl champs by 2010. Total turnaround. Then at Michigan? He finally broke the Buckeye curse, ripped off three straight Big Ten titles from 2021 to 2023, and had the whole program believing again.
And that’s exactly what sets him apart. His teams don’t just play hard; they buy in completely. Guys start thinking they can take on the world… and sometimes, they actually do. We might see a familiar pattern with the Chargers this year.
His secret? Crean explained it. “He made them believe they were way better than they actually were.” That’s not easy in a league packed with big personalities and even bigger pressure. Keeping players locked in without wearing them down? That’s a real skill. And somehow, Harbaugh pulls it off. He let us in on another secret. Short memory, big vision. “He never lets his last play mentally affect his next play,” Crean remarked. And honestly, that says it all. That kind of bounce-back mindset? It’s contagious. Players feel it. They believe in it. And that’s why they go all-in for him.
Early signs in LA ahead of the season tell a similar story. Chargers OTAs? Full attendance. High energy. Not just from the rookies trying to make a name for themselves, either. Justin Herbert? He’s always had the arm, the size, the talent. But now he’s got a coach who’s just as locked in on sharpening his mindset as his mechanics. That kind of belief? It travels.
Oh, Crean’s not full of praise for Jim only because he’s the brother-in-law. There’s another name that said something similar for the HC.
Cameron Dicker’s perception of Jim Harbaugh mirrors Tom Crean!
Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker echoed that very, very similar sentiment in a recent interview. “It’s fun. It’s funny — he loves you like your own parents love you… But man, you never know what you’re going to get,” he said. For Dicker, who has already seen his fair share of coaching personalities in his young career, this is a breath of fresh air. He’s unpredictable in the best way, always keeping guys on their toes. One minute it’s football, the next it’s some wild story or offbeat reference that gets the whole room laughing. But that’s the magic: even when the pressure’s on, Harbaugh finds a way to keep things…loose.
“It is great,” Dicker added. “What you see [with the media] is how he is with us,” he added. That kind of realness? You don’t always see it in the NFL. A lot of coaches have their “press conference mode” and then their behind-the-scenes mode. And mostly, they’re two very different people. But with Jim, what you see is what you get. Whether he’s roasting his brother John over some old baseball blunder or dropping one-liners in the middle of a serious meeting, he keeps it 100. And for the younger guys, especially, that honesty? It matters.
Sure, it’s easy to write off Harbaugh as just quirky or a little old-school. And you know what? Yeah, the guy is definitely both. But if you ask folks like Crean and Dicker, there’s something way more important going on. This is not just a PR stunt. It’s a trust-building blueprint. It’s about showing up the same way every day, being authentic, and making players believe they’re part of something bigger.
He’s not the type to sugarcoat things. You won’t catch him handing out participation trophies or soft-pedalling a tough message. But he does instill belief. Whether he’s getting college kids in Ann Arbor to think they can take down the nation’s best or reigniting a Chargers team that’s been stuck in neutral for years, he will make his players rally behind him. And this Chargers roster? That’s exactly what it needs.
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