LOS ANGELES -- This time last year, there was palpable excitement surrounding the Los Angeles Chargers. In a city with stars like Shohei Ohtani and LeBron James, the Chargers seemed to have found theirs in hiring coach Jim Harbaugh.
Many players described the Harbaugh experience in their news conferences and lauded the culture he was cultivating. Harbaugh's famous face was plastered across L.A., and fans seemed to scream at practices for his autograph before those of any player.
A year later, with the Chargers fresh off a playoff appearance and an 11-win season, that bubbly excitement of last year has shifted.