Can Jim Harbaugh work some rushing magic with the Chargers?

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Jim Harbaugh continued to walk as he walked through the first full training session for the Los Angeles Chargers this week.

A whistle of gold strings hit his neck as he walked, wearing Jordan 12 cleats, khakis and a powder blue Chargers polo shirt. Harbaugh was in his happy place directing traffic at midfield – telling the players where to go for the next practice session.

“A little swag,” Harbaugh leaned in and told the coach when asked about his shoe choice. “A little sugar on the flakes. Not too much.”

Things moved at a work-like pace as the players continued to train individually. Gone were the music and DJ’s that often serve as backdrops at most NFL training camps.

Harbaugh even picked up a lost mouth guard he found and brought it to his owner in the defensive practice area, outside of Ty Shelby’s sanctuary.

Fresh off winning the national title with Michigan, Harbaugh and the Chargers have high expectations — including the goal of returning to the playoffs for just the second time in six seasons.

The Chargers are 57-58 with one game win since moving to Los Angeles and haven’t finished in the AFC West since 2009. But Harbaugh has a history of getting off to a fast start. he took a new program.

He took a 5-7 Michigan team to 10 wins in his first year in Ann Arbor in 2015. And in San Francisco, he quickly turned around a 49ers team that went 6-10 in 2010. going 13-3 heavyweight in the NFC. West in his first year in 2011.

Safety Derwin James, one of the Chargers’ longest-tenured players, sees the same thing happening with the Bolts this season, predicting that his team’s 5-12 finish last season will be a memory. you are far away.

“I don’t even care about last year,” James said. “I’m very focused now, the chaos we have in the team and everyone gathered. I’ve completely forgotten about last year, and I’m ready to go out this year and compete.

“And I’m sure the guys in the locker room are ready to do the same thing. We’re tired of hearing about last year. It’s a new team, new coaches and everything. it’s different.”

The master of analogies, Harbaugh described the start of training camp as the beginning of the Bolts’ life.

“It feels like New Year’s Day,” Harbaugh said. “It feels like birth. It’s like coming out of the womb, you know. You’re in there and you’re comfortable. It’s safe. Now, poof! You’re out and you’re born.

“The lights are on. The commotion. It’s bright and people are looking at you, people are talking about you. It’s a fun thing to do.”

One man Harbaugh expects to be a key figure in his efforts to turn around the Tourists is offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Harbaugh credits Roman with his ability to see the future and anticipate what plays will be called later in a series or game.

Like Roman, Harbaugh’s clear and experienced team-building approach could help the Chargers avoid some of the problems they’ve had in past years with late-season engineering.

“I think one thing that helps a coach is when you start at the end and you go back,” Roman said. “When you put something together, you always start where you want to be and this is what it looks like here. And immediately, when you’re working in the background you start building it there. , you start to see things start to emerge.”

Any success the Chargers have this season will depend on the development and production of quarterback Justin Herbert. One of the most talented quarterbacks in the league, Herbert is only 30-32 years old as a starter and has yet to win a playoff game in four NFL seasons.

“He’s the guy that everybody wants to follow,” Herbert said, when asked what it’s like to play for the quirky Harbaugh. “He’s a great leader. He’s obviously very smart and smart. He’s played the game. He knows how to coach it, motivate it. So, having him around has been great. We’ve learned the team.

“And it’s great to see him out there throwing, too. He’s definitely one of those guys who brings energy. Wherever he goes, he’s always the same person. And that’s what we respect about He is very. Wherever he goes, he is always one, and to have a leader like that, we look forward to playing for him.

The Chargers rewarded Herbert with a huge contract last season, and now it’s up to Harbaugh to open up that opportunity.

“It’s focused on being the best football team we can be,” Herbert said. “It doesn’t miss any steps. It doesn’t get out there and wait for things to happen. It just keeps going out there and making things happen.”

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for over a decade, covering Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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