FOXBORO, Mass. — Jim Harbaugh burst into the locker room like the Kool-Aid Man. There was an open entrance, so he did not have to break down a wall.
But considering the enthusiasm the Los Angeles Chargers coach was exuding, he probably could have shouldered through some drywall if necessary. Harbaugh was yelling one name while scanning the assembled Chargers coaches, players and staff. Advertisement “Joe Hortiz?!” “Joe Hortiz?!” “Joe Hortiz?!” Harbaugh found his general manager near the exit.
He beelined over and put a hand on Hortiz’s shoulder. “Give me a hug!” Harbaugh said. jim and joe 💙 pic.
twitter.com/pNWV0rhxJn — Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) December 28, 2024 The two architects of this miraculous turnaround embraced. A celebration was certainly in order.
The Chargers had just clinched a postseason spot with a 40-7 victory over the New England Patriots on Saturday at Gillette Stadium. And this hug represented the engine — two people, one mission — that drove the Chargers from national embarrassment to playoff team in 10 months. “He takes no deep, long bows, but he should,” Harbaugh said of Hortiz.
“He should take a very deep, long bow for just how good he is and what he’s been able to do.” “He’s that guy,” safety Derwin James Jr. said of Harbaugh.
“I’m just trying to continue to give everything I got for him because, man, there’s nobody like him.” The win over the Patriots was a full-circle moment. One year and 13 .
