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⚡ Good morning to everybody however particularly …

JIM HARBAUGH AND THE LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

Jim Harbaugh is again within the NFL, and the Chargers — who’ve discovered each means conceivable to lose — have a man who wins in all places he goes. Los Angeles signed Harbaugh to a five-year contract, ending a will-he-won’t-he NFL sweepstakes/saga that spanned a number of years.

There are many ramifications, however let’s start right here: This can be a large win for the Chargers. Harbaugh is not for everybody, and his schtick can put on skinny, however the outcomes communicate for themselves.

• 2015-23 with Michigan: 89-25, three Faculty Soccer Playoff appearances, 2023 nationwide champion
• 2011-14 with 49ers: 44-19-1, three playoff appearances, one Tremendous Bowl look; second-best profitable share (min. 50 video games) because the 1970 merger
• 2007-10 with Stanford: 29-21, inherited a 1-11 staff, however led the Cardinal to a school-record 12 wins in fourth and closing 12 months
• 2004-06 with San Diego: 29-6, two Pioneer League titles

The Chargers, in the meantime, went 0-7 in one-score video games this season and are 30-32 with Justin Herbert as their beginning quarterback. Over the past 4 years since drafting him, they rank twenty eighth in each defensive anticipated factors added and particular groups anticipated factors added. They’ve made “Chargering” a verb. Doug Clawson explains why Harbaugh may put an finish to that.

Harbaugh flirted with the NFL every of the final two offseasons — with the Vikings in 2022 and the Broncos in 2023 — and had a bevy of events this time round, together with the Falcons and Panthers. As an alternative, he’ll head west once more, changing Brandon Staley, who was fired in mid-December.

Harbaugh’s closing season at Michigan resulted in a title, however he was additionally embroiled in a pair of scandals that brought on him to overlook six video games. And he barely made it to that closing season, surviving the new seat a number of instances. Will Backus detailed Harbaugh’s wild, magical journey in Ann Arbor. This is how Michigan management stated farewell.

The Chargers have an costly, getting older roster that has largely underperformed but in addition have the one invaluable piece each coach wants: a franchise quarterback. Los Angeles owns the No. 5 total draft choose, with which it may go in nearly any route. In his newest mock draft, Chris Trapasso has the Chargers taking Georgia star tight finish Brock Bowers. Harbaugh and whoever his GM finally ends up being have a wide selection.

Harbaugh is predicted to carry Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter with him, one other robust transfer. The Wolverines stifled opponents final 12 months, main the nation in complete protection and yards per try allowed and rating second in interception fee.

It will not be straightforward, however the Chargers can flip issues round rapidly. They lastly have the best coach to do it.

👍 Honorable mentions

• The Harbaugh brothers will face off subsequent season.
• The Warriors honored late assistant coach Dejan Milojevic.
• The Bengals employed Dan Pitcher as offensive coordinator.
• The highest-10 highway upsets proceed in faculty basketball. Alabama topped No. 8 Auburn, 79-75, in Tuscaloosa, and Northwestern beat No. 10 Illinois, 96-91 in time beyond regulation, in Evanston. This Northwestern graduate could be very grateful for Boo Buie (29 factors). (We’re as much as 30 top-10 highway losses this season, probably the most ever earlier than February, in response to CBS Sports activities researcher Andrew Tulin. Insanity does not await March!)
• 5-star 2024 huge receiver Ryan Williams re-committed to Alabama.
• There’s loads of mutual respect between Daybreak Staley and Kim Mulkey forward of No. 1 South Carolina‘s go to to No. 9 LSU tonight.

🐬 And never such an excellent morning for …

THE MIAMI DOLPHINS

After one other one-and-done playoff exit, the Dolphins had quite a lot of inquiries to reply. Wednesday, they added one other. Miami and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio mutually parted methods.

The surface-level numbers do not come near doing Fangio justice. Miami completed tenth in complete protection and twenty second in scoring protection regardless of a rash of accidents to prime gamers. Jalen Ramsey did not debut till Week 8. Xavien Howard was out and in of the lineup. Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb each suffered season-ending accidents. Within the 4 weeks Ramsey and Phillips shared the sphere, Miami’s protection led the league in anticipated factors added and success fee.

Fangio has produced a top-10 scoring protection in seven of his final 9 seasons as a defensive coordinator. We’ve a number of candidates for his successor in South Seashore, however he leaves huge sneakers to fill.

Miami’s loss, it appears, will likely be Philadelphia’s acquire. The Eagles are reportedly the frontrunners for Fangio’s providers after they fired Sean Desai. Fangio served as a marketing consultant for Philadelphia forward of final 12 months’s Tremendous Bowl, and he is a Pennsylvania native. Philadelphia completed thirtieth in scoring protection in 2023.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏈 Sherrone Moore leads checklist of potential Harbaugh replacements at Michigan

Simply over two months in the past, then-interim coach Sherrone Moore delivered a teary tribute to Harbaugh after a win over Penn State. Now, he is seemingly going to interchange his outdated boss.

Moore served as appearing head coach for 4 video games in 2023, and whereas Michigan cannot make something official for seven days, Moore is the clear favourite, writes Dennis Dodd.

• Dodd: “The 12 months could not have gone higher for the 37-year-old from Derby, Kansas. (Not less than in the event you neglect that Moore was suspended by Michigan for one recreation amid his position within the ongoing investigation concerning alleged recruiting violations.) Let’s face it, most everybody has forgotten that dalliance. … He was the strategist behind a punishing operating recreation that produced a school-record 56 profession dashing touchdowns by Blake Corum. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy developed right into a prime NFL Draft alternative. And the fourth-and-2 name in opposition to Alabama within the Rose Bowl must be worthy of a portray. The one draw back is Moore has no expertise operating a behemoth, however he is earned his shot. Moore has made calls in latest weeks to fill his workers in preparation for Harbaugh’s departure, in response to CBS Sports activities senior NFL Insider Jonathan Jones.”

🏀 Bucks to rent Doc Rivers to interchange Adrian Griffin

Hours following the firing of a first-time head coach after 43 video games, the Bucks swung to the precise different facet of the pendulum, and are going to carry aboard one of the vital skilled coaches in NBA historical past. Doc Rivers is changing Adrian Griffin in Milwaukee.

Griffin went 30-13 as head coach, however a sequence of incidents confirmed simply how tenuous his standing was. Jack Maloney did a terrific job on this checklist, which incorporates …

• Maloney: “The Bucks didn’t have an excellent begin to 2024. A loss to the Pacers on New Yr’s Day, during which they gave up a double-digit fourth-quarter lead, kicked off a 1-4 skid. The third of these losses got here in Houston, the place the Rockets blitzed the Bucks within the first half, prompting Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s harshest phrases but. … ‘We’ve to be higher. We’ve to play higher. We’ve to defend higher. We’ve to belief each other higher. We’ve to be coached higher … We’ve 4 months to get higher, so let’s have a look at.'”

Bucks GM Jon Horst addressed the firing Wednesday. So did Antetokounmpo, who stated, “It caught me abruptly.”

I do not know if Rivers is the reply. In case you missed it, Invoice Reiter actually does not assume he’s, and I’m leaning in direction of agreeing with him. Rivers has a number of wins (1,097, ninth in NBA historical past), expertise with stars and a 2008 title with Boston. And Rivers apparently even had served as a casual marketing consultant for the Bucks in some unspecified time in the future throughout his transient tenure at ESPN.

However for a staff chasing championships, Rivers’ latest historical past does not encourage confidence. He is blown three 3-1 sequence leads. He is 17-33 in close-out video games and 6-10 in Recreation 7s. He has not made it previous the second spherical since 2012.

Possibly issues change. The Bucks are actually 31-13 after beating the Cavaliers, 126-116, final night time below interim coach Joe Prunty. It might not shock me if we’re speaking concerning the world-champion Bucks in 5 months. It additionally would not shock me if we’re speaking concerning the playoff-flameout Bucks properly earlier than then. Rivers is getting one other shot, and Milwaukee is betting huge on him.

📺 What we’re watching Thursday

🏀 Celtics at Warmth, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 No. 1 South Carolina at No. 9 LSU (W), 8 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 San Francisco at Gonzaga (M), 9 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Kings at Warriors, 10 p.m. on TNT