Top Defensive Coordinator Views Chargers Offense as Best Preparation for His Run Defense

New Los Angeles Chargers head coach, Jim Harbaugh has run the ball at each and every coaching stop in his illustrious career. All signs point to the offensive line and the running game to take center stage for him in 2024 as well.

The first recipient of what should be a physical downhill rushing attack has been the Chargers’ defense and defensive coordinator, Jesse Minter recognizes the challenge but also recognizes the benefits it has for his unit’s ability to limit the ground game in the upcoming season.

Los Angeles Chargers DC: There’s no better offense than ours to build a good run defense

After the team’s joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams , Minter was asked by reporters about the importance of stopping the run. To him, it is a fundamental aspect of defense and it allows the pass rushers to ‘tee off’ when they’ve earned the right to.

“You can’t be a good defense without controlling the run game. It’s not always going to be a one yard gain or no gain or a tfl but in the NFL holding runs to two, two and a half three yards or less is really important. On first down, to create advantageous second downs, they have really bought into that. They want to stop the run, they want to be great, they want to earn the right to get in those “Hey, we know it’s passing down, we can tee off on these guys.”

Minter believes that there is no better way to teach this than going up against the Chargers, for two reasons; the variety within their schemes and the physicality of the offensive line.

“There’s no better offense than ours to go against to build a good run defense in my opinion. Just with the amount of schemes that we run, the physicality that our o-line [plays with], the gap schemes, the zone schemes. All the different things that that G.Ro (Greg Roman) has done over his career. It’s a great system for us to get to defend every day to become better at stopping the run.”

Last season, the Chargers were exactly middle of the pack (16th) when defending the run on first downs, but were 23rd against passes on first down.

NFL teams ran the ball on first down about a third of the time on average. The top three teams with the highest percentage of first-down runs were Chicago, Buffalo, and Baltimore; all teams with highly mobile quarterbacks. The Bears were the highest with 42.6 percent. The lowest first-down rushing team was Minnesota with 23.2 percent.

More must-reads:

• Kris Rhim Talks Chargers Training Camp Takeaways, Jesse Minter Defense, Surprise Standouts
• Jim Harbaugh Demands Accountability From His Players But Refuses Responsibility For Michigan Violations