Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh watches a play against Ohio State during the second half at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. 2022-11-26-harbaugh
Jim Harbaugh’s running-the-ball offensive strategy is nothing new, but it’s something new for the Justin Herbert-led Chargers. During his first stint in the NFL as a head coach from 2011 to 2014, Harbaugh’s 49ers ran the ball to high heavens. As did the Wolverines. Now, analysts and experts think he’s going to bring the same strategy to Los Angeles.
Taking a look at how Harbaugh has previously run his offenses, former 49ers TE Delanie Walked confidently told Kay Adams on the Kay and Adams Show:
“They like to run the ball. He ran the ball in Michigan, they had a great running back group, that they were able to just pound the ball a lot and then make the big plays when they needed to… They are going to run the ball but they are also going to have some plays that come off of it that’s going to have defenses turned around and not knowing what to do.”
The Chargers have more focused on the passing game over the years but that is about to change, as per Walker. The Chargers often find themselves in two-minute situations, which explains their high frequency of passing plays. But as per Delanie, and the information that has come out of the Chargers camp, Harbaugh is going to turn it around.
In addition to running the ball, Delanie predicts more play-action that will have defenses skittering to find their bearings. However, it’s not just conjecture at this point, as Chargers OC Greg Roman had already expressed his intent to have Justin Herbert run the ball earlier in February.
Chargers OC’s Run Game Plan for Justin Herbert
Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman expressed confidence to reporters in February that the team will develop a consistent running game, which he believes will enhance quarterback Justin Herbert’s performance. He said
“Can you imagine Justin Herbert with a great running game?” Roman said. “… We don’t know, but I can imagine what it might look like. So that’s kind of the vision.”
This would be Herbert’s first attempt at a run game if they decide to go forward with it, but with Harbaugh’s direction, he might just be able to pull it off. Having Roman also won’t hurt, considering he helped develop the Ravens’ rushing offense in his previous stint.
However, Herbert is at his best when passing, something Roman also acknowledged, saying that his offense wouldn’t look the way it did with Jackson. So whether or not the Chargers employ the running game exclusively will depend on how Herbert does during training camp.
Nidhi is an NFL Editor for The SportsRush. Her interest in NFL began with 'The Blindside' and has been working as an NFL journalist for the past year. As an athlete herself, she uses her personal experience to cover sports immaculately. She is a graduate of English Literature and when not doing deep dives into Mahomes' latest family drama, she inhales books on her kindle like nobody's business. She is proud that she recognised Travis Kelce's charm (like many other NFL fangirls) way before Taylor Swift did, and is waiting with bated breath for the new album to drop.
