Jim Harbaugh: Working with Mike McDaniel has been "Awesome with a capital A"
After a four-year stint as Dolphins head coach, Mike McDaniel landed with the Chargers as their offensive coordinator in 2026. McDaniel and head coach Jim Harbaugh certainly make for an intriguing coaching combination. While there are months until the Chargers will suit up for a game, so far, the two men have been working well together.
"Awesome," Harbaugh said Tuesday, via Eric Smith of the Chargers’ website, when asked how it’s been having McDaniel in the building. " Awesome with a capital A . ” Harbaugh noted he’s gained plenty of insight from McDaniel since the OC has been in Southern California, saying he’s had a "paradigm shift in ways I've thought about football.
” "Where to really start would be just how his mind is. Just how much football information, how good it is, his expertise at all positions, and on defense, too," Harbaugh said. "He's a real expert in how defenses play different coverages, schemes, fronts, blitz patterns.
"The receivers, the timing between the quarterback, offensive line play, the running backs being tied into the blocking scheme … really been doing a lot of listening, a lot of learning, just leaned in to how he sees football," Harbaugh added. “It's really great. And it is what I really thought it was, a perfect combination of Mike McDaniel and Justin Herbert.
” Harbaugh noted he feels like the pairing with McDaniel as offensive coordinator and Herbert is “going to bode really well for the Chargers,” as McDaniel’s scheme is designed to better protect the QB. “It's probably two ways. One, it's just less … dropback protection.