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Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) has been handing the football off a lot so far this season, especially to J.K. Dobbins (27). (Ashley Landis / Associated Press)
Justin Herbert’s lauded right arm launched deep touchdowns and threaded passes through tiny windows. Now it’s quietly handing the ball off. Onlookers wring their hands about Herbert’s seemingly diminished role in an offense that suddenly ranks second in rushing, but the Chargers nod patiently as their plan settles in.
“A running game,” Chargers quarterback coach Shane Day said, “is a quarterback’s best friend.”
Through two games, Herbert’s personal stats have been mostly forgettable. Keeping pace with his first four record-setting seasons in which he threw 2,422 times for 17,223 yards seemed impossible anyway.
The only number he’s concerned with is wins, and for the first time since 2012 the Chargers had two consecutive wins to start the season behind a potent rushing attack that Herbert is content to orchestrate quietly.
“My job as a quarterback is just to be a point guard,” Herbert said. “To get [my teammates] the ball, to get us in the right looks. … As long as I’m doing that, I’m doing my job.”
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) has started many plays under center this season, a big change from his first years in the NFL. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Offensive coordinator Greg Roman has used a punishing ground game at his NFL stops in San Francisco, Buffalo and Baltimore. The Ravens were ranked in the top three in the NFL in yards rushing per game in each of Roman’s four seasons, including a record-setting 3,296 yards rushing in 2019 when quarterback Lamar Jackson was named NFL most valuable player. Even with Herbert’s elite arm talent, few seemed surprised at Roman’s offensive plan for the Chargers.
“Can you imagine Justin Herbert with a great running game?” Roman proposed after joining the Chargers.
The idea is only starting to take shape.
Herbert has…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-chargers-run-heavy-offense-100149247.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2024-09-20 10:01:49
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