The first AFC West battle between Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh and Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton should be an interesting one, to say the least.
Harbaugh, after all, seemed to be on the shortlist of candidates for the job in Denverbefore Payton got it.
Fast forward to now, Harbaugh has a national title under his belt and a job with one of Payton’s primary rivals. The Broncos head coach spoke at length this week about what it means to encounter a Harbaugh-directed team.
“They do a great job. If you look up his overall career as a pro coach, [the] turnover margin is off the charts,” Payton said, according to DNVR’s Henry Chisholm. “They protect the ball, they’re smart, and they’re well-coached. They always have balance relative to running the football and throwing the football. All the things that we sometimes—all the things that are necessary to develop a team and he’s done that wherever he’s been. If you got back to USD—University of San Diego—it’s just not an accident.”
Payton would know. Harbaugh happened to coach the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-2014 and went 3-1 against the New Orleans Saints in that span, two of those wins while Payton was the head coach (Payton was suspended during Harbaugh’s other win).
