Super Bowl champion discusses what Jim Harbaugh brings to Chargers

Retired tight end and one-time Super Bowl champion Vernon Davis played under current Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 through the 2014 season and believes Harbaugh can turn the Chargers into a legitimate championship contender sooner rather than later. 

"Harbaugh has the ability to get guys to rally behind him," Davis said during a recent appearance on the "No Huddle Podcast," per Jordan Elliott of NBC Sports Bay Area. "His energy, his enthusiasm, everything that he brings — when he walks in in the morning, you know what you're going to get. He's always upbeat. He's just the type of coach that knows how to get guys going. He just has an ability to be able to do that." 

Harbaugh originally joined San Francisco in January 2011 and guided the 2012 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII, where they suffered a 34-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He became head coach of the Michigan Wolverines ahead of the 2015 college campaign and most recently claimed the national championship with that program this past January. 

"He figured it out, and I think that's how he's been able to achieve the ample amount of success he's been able to achieve in both college and the pros, because of who he is and what he stands for," Davis said about Harbaugh. "His integrity, his character. Guys get that, they see it. He's holding everybody accountable." 

Harbaugh quickly impressed key Los Angeles players, such as star pass-rusher Joey Bosa, this past winter, and the coach also has one of the NFL's top young quarterbacks on his roster in Justin Herbert. With that said, the Chargers last earned a playoff win in January 2019. 

"He is that leader, he's that piece that every team knows they need," Davis added about Harbaugh. "If we don't do what he says, he's going to hold us accountable and they know that, and I think that's what we had. As a team, we understood that, and we were able to come together and win some games. We had a coach that was the real deal."

As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Harbaugh as a betting favorite at +900 odds to win the Coach Of The Year Award for the upcoming season. It certainly sounds like Davis wouldn't bet against Harbaugh regarding that honor as of Memorial Day.