Connect with us

Published

on

The Jim Harbaugh derby for NFL teams is about to heat up.

The Los Angeles Chargers are set to be the first NFL team to meet with Harbaugh about their head-coaching vacancy and will interview the Michigan coach Monday, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Neither Harbaugh nor the Chargers are expected to make a decision imminently, sources told Schefter. Harbaugh will be deliberate with any decision he makes about his future, while he Chargers still have other candidates that they plan to interview.

Atlanta, Carolina, Las Vegas, Seattle, Tennessee and Washington also have openings.

Harbaugh, who previously coached in the NFL, has a prior relationship with the Chargers and the Spanos family that owns the team. He played for the Bolts in 1999 and 2000 before retiring after the 2001 season.

The Chargers are looking for a new coach and general manager after Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco were fired on Dec. 15, a day after a 63-21 loss in Las Vegas to the Raiders.

Asked about possible interest in the NFL and then about the Chargers during an availability at Disneyland before the Rose Bowl on Dec. 27, Harbaugh gave the same answer to both questions.

“Such a one-track mind. That’s the way we’re going about things. Literally, whatever day we’re in, looking to get the most out of it, dominate the day, then we’re going to sleep tonight and wake up tomorrow and see if we can’t dominate that day,” he said. “It’s a single-minded group. Just very focused on taking care of business today and see if we can’t do the same tomorrow.”

Harbaugh has spent the last week decompressing after the Wolverines beat Washington 34-13 in Monday’s College Football Playoff National Championship. Michigan held a parade and ceremony to celebrate its national title Saturday.

Harbaugh, 60, has been at Michigan for nine seasons and has an 86-25 record. His tenure at his alma mater has been longer than most people expected when he was hired in 2015. He was at the University of San Diego for three seasons (2004-06), Stanford for four (2007-2010) and the San Francisco 49ers for four (2011-14).

To prepare for a possible NFL return, Harbaugh recently hired Don Yee as his new agent. Yee is known for his representation of another famous Michigan quarterback — seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady — but the Pasadena-based agent also represents Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton, who was the most sought-after coaching free agent last year.

Harbaugh has not hidden his interest in a potential return to the NFL. He led the 49ers to a 44-19-1 record and an appearance in Super Bowl XLVII, where the Niners lost to the Baltimore Ravens, coached by his brother, John.

Jim Harbaugh has had NFL flirtations the past two years. He interviewed with the Minnesota Vikings two years ago and had discussions with the Broncos and Carolina Panthers last year.

Despite leading Michigan to its first national title since 1997, it was a frustrating year for Harbaugh. He was suspended for the first three games by the NCAA for a Level I violation because the association concluded he misled investigators. Harbaugh then was suspended for the final three regular-season games by the Big Ten for violating the conference’s sportsmanship policy over alleged sign stealing.

Michigan has received a notice of allegations for Level II NCAA violations over recruiting during the pandemic.

The Chargers have conducted seven interviews about their vacancy. They interviewed interim coach Giff Smith and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore on Tuesday, Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham on Thursday and Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken on Friday. On Saturday, they interviewed two defensive coordinators: San Francisco’s Steve Wilks and Baltimore’s Mike Macdonald. And on Sunday, they interviewed former Minnesota Vikings coach and Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier.

Even though Monken, Wilks and Macdonald are working for playoff teams, they were allowed to interview virtually under the league’s revised policy for head-coaching interviews, since their teams are off this week because they are the top seeds in their respective conferences.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

Foligno takes puck off hand, will miss 4 weeks

Published

on

By

Foligno takes puck off hand, will miss 4 weeks

Chicago Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno will miss four weeks after injuring his hand Saturday in his team’s 3-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, coach Jeff Blashill said.

Foligno, 38, suffered the injury with 90 seconds left in the second period when he was skating near the top of the Blackhawks’ defensive zone and Jake McCabe‘s shot on net deflected off Foligno’s hand.

Foligno immediately hunched over and favored his hand while skating back to the Blackhawks’ bench. Foligno, who did not return for the third period, finished with three shots on goal and logged 10:41 in ice time.

The absence of Foligno, who has six points in 15 games, means the Blackhawks will be without their fourth-line center who was anchoring a combination featuring Sam Lafferty and Landon Slaggert. His injury is also the second to impact the Blackhawks’ forward group with winger Jason Dickinson currently on injured reserve.

After finishing last season with the second-fewest points in the NHL, the Blackhawks (9-5-4) have emerged into one of the biggest surprises through the first quarter of the regular season. With their win against the Maple Leafs, they enter Sunday third in the Central Division and a point ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken in the Western Conference wild-card race.

Continue Reading

Sports

Devils’ Hughes out 8 weeks after finger surgery

Published

on

By

Devils' Hughes out 8 weeks after finger surgery

New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes had successful surgery on his finger Saturday, the team announced. The expected recovery time is eight weeks, though he will be reevaluated in six weeks.

According to sources, Hughes injured his hand in a “freak accident” that involved getting cut by glass at a team dinner Thursday.

Hughes’ procedure was performed by Dr. Robert Hotchkiss at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

The 24-year-old was off to a terrific start for New Jersey, which is 12-4-1 and atop the Metropolitan Division entering Friday. The American-born star has 10 goals and 20 points in his first 17 games.

The injury will create an interesting predicament for Team USA ahead of the 2026 Olympics in Milan. Hughes’ brother, Quinn, has already been named to the team while the Devils star was expected to be a front-runner for the roster. Federations must submit rosters by Dec. 31. The Devils’ projected return-to-play timeline is around the second week of January. The Olympic men’s hockey tournament begins Feb. 11.

Olympic rosters feature 25 players, which is two more spots than teams had at Four Nations.

Continue Reading

Sports

Canucks sign ex-Leaf Kampf to one-year deal

Published

on

By

Canucks sign ex-Leaf Kampf to one-year deal

Center David Kampf signed a one-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, just a day after the Toronto Maple Leafs terminated his previous deal.

Kampf, whose deal with the Canucks will carry a $1.1 million cap hit, was entering the third year of his four-year contract with the Maple Leafs that was worth $2.4 million annually.

The Leafs waived Kampf before the season, and he began the year with their AHL affiliate. Kampf played four games in the AHL before taking a voluntary leave of absence, which wasn’t sanctioned by the Leafs, to evaluate his options.

Kampf, who scored 5 goals and 13 points in 59 games last season, gives the Canucks a two-way center who has logged more than 110 short-handed minutes in seven straight seasons.

The Canucks have faced defensive challenges under first-year coach Adam Foote, who already has had to navigate injuries to Filip Chytil, Thatcher Demko, Derek Forbort, Filip Hronek and Quinn Hughes, among others.

Entering Saturday, the Canucks were allowing 3.53 goals per game, which is the fifth most in the NHL, while their penalty kill is the worst in the league at 66.1%. The Los Angeles Kings set the NHL record for the worst penalty kill in league history with a 68.2% success rate in the 1979-80 campaign.

Kampf also provides a veteran presence at center for the Canucks, who entered the season with questions at the position. Those concerns have intensified with Teddy Blueger and Chytil on injured reserve.

Entering Saturday, the Canucks (8-9-2) had the second-fewest points in the Pacific Division but were two points behind the Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets for Western Conference wild-card spots.

Continue Reading

Trending