Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh made it clear he was unhappy with punter JK Scott after a costly special-teams breakdown during Thursday night's preseason loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
The play became a talking point because Scott appeared to have an opportunity to slow down 49ers returner Jacob Cowing but did not make a serious attempt at the tackle. Cowing ultimately turned the return into an 80-plus-yard touchdown, adding another painful moment to the Chargers' preseason performance.
Harbaugh was asked afterward whether Scott had been instructed not to risk injury by attempting to tackle the returner.
The coach's response was blunt.
“No, he’s got to plan, when he’s in that position, to make a tackle. So, we need to work on it, coach it up.”
That answer suggested the problem was not that Scott was protecting himself under team instructions. Instead, Harbaugh indicated that the Chargers expect their punter to have a plan for making a tackle when he becomes the last line of defense.
The play that frustrated Harbaugh
The sequence began with Scott's punt, which the Chargers coach believed did not land where it needed to.
Harbaugh said the punt was “short and in the middle,” allowing San Francisco's coverage to be stretched and eventually beaten on the return.
Cowing took advantage of the opening and raced down the field for the long touchdown return. The failure was particularly damaging because Scott was positioned in a spot where he potentially could have prevented the play from reaching the end zone.
OutKick described Scott's effort as effectively making a “business decision” rather than committing to the tackle.
For a coach like Harbaugh, the distinction matters. A player attempting to make a tackle and missing is part of football. Choosing not to make the attempt is a different issue because it can raise questions about effort and accountability.
Harbaugh also criticized the punt itself
The Chargers coach did not place the entire problem on Scott's tackling attempt.
Harbaugh also pointed directly at the punt.
“The punt was short and in the middle and we got outflanked,” he said.
That assessment suggests the breakdown began before Cowing ever received the ball.
A punt that lands in the wrong location can put the coverage unit in a difficult position, particularly when the returner has space and the coverage players are forced to change direction.
In this case, the Chargers were unable to contain Cowing, and the result was an explosive touchdown that exposed problems on multiple levels of the special-teams unit.
Scott has been a productive punter
Scott's recent performance makes the criticism notable.
According to OutKick, Scott ranked 10th in the NFL last season with a 47.8-yard average.
The Chargers therefore are not dealing with an inexperienced player who has never performed at the NFL level.
Instead, Scott is an established punter who is expected to contribute consistently to the team's field-position battle.
That makes the preseason mistake more significant from a coaching perspective. Harbaugh's comments suggest that the Chargers want Scott to improve not only his punt placement but also his preparation for situations in which he becomes responsible for making the final defensive play.
Why the “business decision” drew attention
The phrase “business decision” has become common in football when a player appears to avoid a collision because of the potential physical consequences.
For a punter, there is an understandable concern about injuries. Punters are not generally used as defensive players, and losing a team's primary punter could create its own problems.
But Harbaugh's comments indicate that the Chargers do not view that as an excuse for failing to attempt a tackle.
When a punter is the last player between a returner and the end zone, the expectation is apparently that he must be prepared to make the play.
That does not necessarily mean the punter will successfully bring down the returner. It means the coaching staff expects an effort to be made.
Preseason still matters to coaches
Although preseason games do not carry the stakes of regular-season contests, moments like this can influence how coaches evaluate players before roster decisions are finalized.
The Chargers have only one punter on their roster, according to the OutKick report, making Scott's position relatively secure. But Harbaugh's comments demonstrate that special-teams execution remains an area the coaching staff intends to address.
The team can use the remaining preseason work to correct the mistakes through practice, including tackling drills and coverage assignments.
Scott did not speak with reporters after the game, according to the report, leaving Harbaugh's comments as the primary public assessment of the controversial play.
A lesson Harbaugh wants fixed
Harbaugh's reaction ultimately went beyond one missed tackle.
The coach's comments pointed to a broader expectation: every player has a responsibility when a play breaks down.
The Chargers will not want a repeat of a sequence in which a poorly placed punt is followed by a coverage breakdown and then a failure by the final defender to make an attempt at stopping the returner.
For Scott, the lesson is straightforward. If another returner gets through the Chargers' coverage, Harbaugh expects his punter to be ready to make the tackle.
And after Cowing's long touchdown return, the Chargers coach made clear that particular part of the game needs work before the regular season begins.
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