Chargers-Raiders Week Has More Spice With Jim Harbaugh And Pete Carroll

No matter where the Chargers have called home, Raiders Week is something that, well, is always something.

That’s certainly true come Monday when the two longtime rivals square off in Las Vegas.

From Los Angeles to San Diego to Carson and back to Los Angeles it’s special for the Chargers when the Raiders are on the docket. That includes when they were in Oakland, Los Angeles, back to Oakland and now Las Vegas.

But this showdown which needs no hype is ascending a level. And it has more to do with what’s on the sidelines than what’s in their respective huddles.

In one corner, the Chargers’ corner, is coach Jim Harbaugh. And on the opposite side of the ring, uh, field is Raiders coach Pete Carroll.

This is going to be good.

It’s always spiffy football and theatrics when these two high-energy, big-ego coaches clash no matter the stakes or at what level. They love what the other guy does in getting the most from his team, but they can’t stand each other.

Maybe that’s harsh. Then again…

“That’s expected and pretty well documented,’’ Harbaugh said of his friction with Carroll on Wednesday. "He’s a great coach, one of the best. A lot of respect. I always thought if I had ever played for him or on one of his teams, I bet we would have been really good friends."

Well that never happened and it’s doubtful it will at this late stage of both their careers. But when their paths do cross, fireworks usually follow.

They used to battle when Harbaugh was directing the San Francisco 49ers and Carroll, the Seattle Seahawks, where Carroll held a 5-4 edge.

Then there were those epic Pac-12 shindigs, when Harbaugh was trying to resurrect the Stanford program and Carroll was pulling the levels during one of USC’s glory eras, with the advantage going to Harbaugh, 2-1.

Of course the highlight of these two wrestling with each other came in 2009. Or was it 2007?

In the latter, Stanford was a 41-point underdog to the No. 1 ranked Trojans.

"We bow to no program here at Stanford University,’’ Harbaugh said of the Trojans.

Final score: 24-23 as Stanford snapped USC’s 35-game winning streak.

Then in 2009 with Stanford buzzing with Andrew Luck at quarterback, it rolled into the L.A. Memorial Coliseum and punched Carroll’s bunch right in the mouth, embarrassing the Trojans, 55-21.

Neither will forget what Harbaugh did late in the blowout, when going for two points after a touchdown instead of kicking a PAT to signal everything was A-OK between the two. Just a reminder the score was 48-21 when Harbaugh told his kicker to chill.

"I’m not on his Christmas card list,’’ Harbaugh said.

Harbaugh didn’t take a holiday from piling on Carroll when he had the opportunity. Asked what would prompt him to go for two points, his reply was classic.

"Because I couldn’t go for three,’’ a smug Harbaugh said.

The tense post-game meeting between them at midfield came with a limp handshake and loaded question from Carroll.

"What’s your deal?’’ he asked.

Oh, just Jim being Jim and Chargers fans can’t get enough of him since he signed on last year.

That Carroll took such umbrage only increased Harbaugh’s smile, making for a better story.

Of course, the most important part of “Monday Night Football” will come from the players as both teams attempt to start the season 2-0.

The Chargers, fresh from knocking off the AFC defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in Brazil, are eager to win one stateside.

The Raiders, possessing a new groove with Geno Smith under center, Tom Brady in the front office and the always energetic Carroll roaming the sidelines, look to build on their opening day conquest of the New England Patriots.

But don’t take your eyes off Harbaugh and Carroll, two of the most successful and entertaining coaches the NFL has to offer.

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