Jim Harbaugh wants balanced Chargers offense so Justin Herbert 'doesn't have to be Superman'

New Los Angeles head coach Jim Harbaugh is now partnered with a quarterback in Justin Herbert who the head coach considers to be a "three-to-five quarterback in the league." Harbaugh is determined to maximize Herbert's talents. 

"Do not want to screw this up," Harbaugh said on the Rich Eisen Show. "I feel confident that we're gonna put him in the position to help our team get to where it wants to go." 

Part of taking Herbert's game to the next level is a more balanced attack around him. The Chargers need improved offensive line play and a more productive rushing attack. The Chargers ranked No. 20 in sacks allowed with 43 and were No. 27 in yards per carry with just 3.8. 

“Protecting him. We need a run game," Harbaugh explained. "We need to be able to be balanced so he doesn’t have to be Superman every single play.”

It's clear Harbaugh is bringing a physical and relentless approach to Los Angeles, even mentioning Vince Lombardi.

"Like Vince Lombardi would say, blocking. We gotta protect him," Harbaugh said. "Add the play-action game, which comes off a really good running game. We were in the 20s in the run game. We gotta get better in the run game."

Herbert's put up astonishing statistics through his first four seasons in the NFL, throwing for 17,223 yards with 114 touchdowns and 42 interceptions. While Herbert will continue to be among the league leaders in key passing categories, the main priorities are winning and keeping him healthy. Herbert has been battered and bruised too often in his career with lackluster line play and a running game that hasn't done its job to the best of its abilities. Herbert had fractured rib cartilage in 2022 and had season-ending surgery on his right index finger this season. 

How the Chargers will improve the o-line and run game remains to be seen, but early in the Los Angeles offseason Harbaugh's keying in on areas where the offense has to flip the script.