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Eric Williams
NFC West Writer
Stability along the offensive line leads to chemistry, cohesion and a physically dominant group up front.
The last time the Los Angeles Chargers had an imposing group that used fewer than four different offensive line combinations during a regular season was in 2018. So it’s no surprise that’s the last time the Chargers made a meaningful postseason run, advancing to the AFC divisional round.
The Chargers lost that game in the freezing cold on the road to the Patriots, who would go on to win Tom Brady’s last New England Super Bowl in a historic comeback over the Atlanta Falcons.
That season, the Chargers used just three different offensive line combinations. Center Mike Pouncey served as the line’s anchor, playing in every game and earning an invitation to the Pro Bowl.
It will be up to new Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh and new offensive coordinator Greg Roman to develop an O-line that can serve as the engine for a balanced offense, creating running lanes and keeping quarterback Justin Herbert upright for a full season.
Physical offensive lines that dominate up front have been a hallmark of Harbaugh’s successful offenses at Michigan and Stanford in college, and when Roman and Harbaugh were together in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers.
“It’s critical,” Roman told the team’s website when asked about the importance of the offensive line to a team’s success. “It’s what has to happen first. For the guys running the ball to be successful, the offensive line — and tight ends and receivers — have to block.
“And in order for the passing game to function at a high level, the offensive line has to be really dialed in as a unit. That’s so important. Vince Lombardi said that football at its core is a game of blocking and tackling. Our ability to block people is really going to open things up for everyone on offense.”
Roman and Harbaugh’s first task will be finding a new anchor of…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/what-chargers-jim-harbaugh-must-fix-to-get-most-out-of-qb-justin-herbert
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Publish date : 2024-03-05 22:40:22
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