Jim Harbaugh Gives Predictably Weird Reaction To Derwin James' Suspension

You can't expect Jim Harbaugh to hop on a podium and not drop a mind-boggling answer.

Just a week after comparing himself to Moses from the Bible, Harbaugh gave another memorable quote, this time reacting to a contested suspension of one of his defensive stars.

Chargers safety Derwin James was suspended after Week 3 due to a helmet-to-helmet hit on Steelers tight end Pat Freieurmuth. 

NFL fans were mixed about James' one-game suspension, which NFL exec Jon Runyan attributed to the safety's ‘history’ of unsportsmanlike hits.

PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 22: Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. (3) looks on during the regular season NFL football game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers on September 22, 2024 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

At first, Harbaugh reacted normally to the suspension — disagreeing with the premise that Freieurmuth was "defenseless" during Derwin's hit.

READ: NFL Fans Mixed On Chargers Safety Derwin James' Suspension For 'Targeting'

"There was not a defenseless player; [he] changed his course, and I thought that Derwin's helmet was stiff-armed by Mr. Freiermuth," Harbaugh told reporters on Wednesday. 

"I thought [the stiff-arm] caused his head to make the contact and I thought the contact was first with the forearm, then the shoulder, then the head."

Then, the 'Harbaughism' kicked in. 

"You can never really take the head out of the game because it's in between the two shoulders," Harbaugh added. 

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 22: Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh runs towards the locker room prior to a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on September 22, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)

"Trying to tackle with the shoulder, now the head, and the helmets coming with it. It's in between the two shoulders. So, to the best of his human ability, he is trying to do that."

What a heady response. 

There are NFL coaches. 

Then there are skips who can somehow overanalyze even the most casual conversation.

READ: Jim Harbaugh Gets Biblical With The Media, Likens Himself To 'Moses'

Ol' Jim could've disagreed with the suspension and left it at that. But that's too much to ask of Harbaugh, who's a quote generator and one of the most idiosyncratic leaders the game has ever seen.

NFL fans questioned the league's decision to suspend James as the Chargers brace for the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4; now, the former will brace for the reigning Super Bowl champs without their three-time Pro Bowler.

The tinfoil hats came out after the news of James' suspension, with some fans suggesting that the NFL did its utmost to ensure KC could win the divisional matchup.

Surely, Jim Harbaugh has an opinion on that theory, though that kind of speculation could cost him.

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