Former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks knows the ins and outs of this league, providing keen insight in his notebook. Today’s installment covers:
- How concerned should we be with Marvin Harrison Jr.’s disappearing act?
- New day in NOLA? Assessing Klint Kubiak’s debut as Saints offensive coordinator.
But first, a look at one head coach who’s right at home in today’s NFL …
When Jim Harbaugh left the NFL following the 2014 season to take the job at the University of Michigan, the league was becoming increasingly pass-happy. Over the past few years, though, the pro game has shifted back in the direction of teams that can run the ball.
While the “three yards and a cloud of dust” approach makes some observers cringe, many of the most consistent teams in the NFL today rely on a punishing ground attack to spark success in the regular season and beyond. Last season, 11 of the 14 playoff participants finished the regular season ranked in the top 15 in rushing yards, with three of the four teams that made it to Championship Sunday (the 49ers, Lions and Ravens) boasting top-five run games.
This transition away from air dominance continued in the opening week of this season: Per NFL Research, teams combined for just 6,026 net passing yards league-wide, the lowest total in a Week 1 since 2000 (5,824) and more than 2,400 yards fewer than the all-time high (8,440 in 2019). Just two quarterbacks — the Rams’ Matthew Stafford and Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa — hit the 300-yard mark last week, the lowest Week 1 total since 2005.
Harbaugh’s last NFL season in San Francisco ended with his 49ers missing the playoffs (despite ranking fourth in rushing), but he just led his alma mater to a national title behind a bruising ground attack. With the NFL embracing the run game once again, Harbaugh returns to the league with a blueprint that should translate into immediate success for his Chargers.
The 60-year-old head coach leaned into a ground-and-pound approach to resurrect the University of San Diego, Stanford and the Niners before rebuilding Michigan into a true powerhouse. Consequently, it wasn’t at all surprising to see the Chargers rely on a run-heavy game plan to knock off the Raiders, 22-10, in Harbaugh’s debut with the team last Sunday. Los Angeles finished with more yards rushing (176) than passing (140). J.K. Dobbins led the way with 135 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries, while Justin Herbert completed 17 of his 26 passes for a modest 144 yards and a score.
Though it is only a one-game sample, the Bolts’ winning formula is similar to the strategy that helped Harbaugh compile a 44-19-1 regular-season record during his first stint as a coach in the league. The former NFL quarterback believes in building his offense around the O-line and running game because winning the trenches helps every part of the team.
“The offensive line, to me, is important,” Harbaugh told reporters at the Annual League Meeting in March. “If I asked you the question of like, what position group depends on no other position group to be good, but every other position group depends on them to be good — what position group is that? Offensive line. They’re not relying on any other position group to be good, but yet every other position group relies on the offensive line to be good. And then the D-line, they’ll be the ones that argue back, ‘Yeah, we don’t need the offensive line to be good.’ … ‘Do you? Do you like when the offense has a 12-play drive and the field position?’ … ‘Yeah — oh, yeah. OK, you’re right.’ “
Harbaugh has always focused on the offensive line to spearhead his rebuilding efforts. At Stanford, he routinely put seven or eight linemen on the field in old-school, I-formation looks to bludgeon opponents into submission. The formula turned long-suffering Stanford into a legit power, with the Cardinal playing smashmouth football under his direction and knocking off high-prestige programs like USC. After working his magic in San Francisco with a stellar offensive line — allowing quarterbacks Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick to shine while guiding the 49ers to three straight NFC Championship Game appearances and a Super Bowl — Harbaugh built the Wolverines into a juggernaut behind an offensive line that won back-to-back Joe Moore Awards (given to the best O-line in college football). The coach had some talented signal-callers during his college years — SEE: first-round picks Andrew Luck and J.J. McCarthy — but he clearly believes in a throwback approach that makes the quarterback a side dish instead of the main entree.
Given Harbaugh’s success building elite squads on the collegiate and pro levels without featuring the quarterback as the focal point of the offense, it’s only natural that he follows this exact same approach with the Chargers, despite the presence of a highly regarded QB in Herbert. Harbaugh believes the offensive line is the tip of the spear and constructs his attack around the five best blockers on the roster.
Los Angeles’ new head coach understands the impact of the offensive line on the signal-caller’s performance. With a dominant O-line that excels in run blocking and pass protection, the game becomes easier for the guy under center. When you hand the ball off to a productive running back who churns out 4-to-5 yards a pop, the defense eventually adjusts by loading the box, inherently leaving one-on-one coverage outside. In addition, the illusions created by a complementary play-action passing game lead to bigger throwing windows and wide-open receivers down the field. As the quarterback masters the slick ball-handling maneuvers that lure linebackers and safeties to the line of scrimmage, the field opens up for receivers attacking voids at intermediate depth (10-to-19 yards). And with the increased utilization of quarters coverage across the NFL, safeties are forced to attack the line of scrimmage from depth in order to fulfill their run-gap responsibilities. Thus, the deception of the play-action passing game can produce chunk plays down the field on post routes and deep overs.
Harbaugh took advantage of those areas with Smith in San Francisco, but Herbert’s superior ability will enable him to take his passing game to another level in time. As a bigger and stronger athlete with more arm talent, the 26-year-old can attack the edges on bootlegs or throw it over the top of the defense on traditional play-action passes with vertical routes featured within the concepts.
With a smoke-and-mirrors passing game built on deception and misdirection in the backfield, the Chargers can win without premier receivers on the perimeter. The offense is built with catch-and-run specialists in mind — playmakers are preferred over route runners. By putting receivers on the move behind defenders lured to the line of scrimmage with play fakes, Harbaugh puts the onus on his quarterback to defeat coverage with clever ball handling and precise ball placement, instead of relying on pass catchers to win against one-on-one coverage.
From a game-management standpoint, increased utilization of the ground attack also allows a coach to control the action. Whether it is dictating the coverage with run-heavy sets, slowing down the tempo with a deliberate pace between plays after each run or wearing down opponents with body blows between the tackles, the reliance on the running game sets the table for ending up in the winner’s circle.
As the Chargers embrace Harbaugh’s ground-based offense, forging the identity of a team that wants to punish opponents with physicality and toughness, I predict the wins will come. Like the coach said at his introductory press conference, “Don’t let the powder blues fool you.” Under Harbaugh, this team will turn into a bully.
Gauging Marvin Harrison Jr.’s dud debut
When the Cardinals selected Marvin Harrison Jr. fourth overall, he was widely seen as the WR1 of the 2024 NFL Draft. In Arizona, it looked like he was going to be a Larry Fitzgerald-type playmaker poised to produce monstrous numbers from the jump.
But then, in the Cardinals’ Week 1 loss to the Bills, Harrison finished with … one catch for 4 yards on three targets.
That’s an eyebrow-raising stat line for a receiver billed as one of the most polished and pro-ready players in the rookie class. So, what the heck happened? I dug into the game tape to find out. And I can say it’s too soon to hit the panic button on Harrison and the Cardinals’ offense, because play calls, coverage and faulty execution were to blame for last Sunday’s disappearing act.
Schematically, Arizona was stymied by a Buffalo defense that prioritized limiting Harrison’s impact. Bills head coach Sean McDermott clearly instructed his defenders to keep eyes on No. 18; their awareness of the rookie pass catcher’s whereabouts appeared to be part of a strategy to force the Cardinals away from the No. 1 option in the passing game.
“Certainly, [Harrison] is on the forefront of our minds in terms of getting him the ball,” Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing said Tuesday. “I think [the Bills] did some things to take him away, and certainly I could’ve called some plays to get him more involved early, but I thought it was a good start. We have some work to do.”
The Cardinals likely expected some double coverage or loaded-zone tactics to take Harrison away on key downs, but Petzing said he was “a little bit surprised” by how much Buffalo focused on the rookie. Now, Petzing must develop an effective plan to counter the extra defensive attention that will go toward his team’s top target. Whether it involves utilizing more high-low concepts designed to exploit cloud coverage (when the corner is aligned over the outside receiver, assigned to play the flat area with a safety over the top) or featuring more stack and bunch concepts to create natural picks and screens against 2-Man (two-deep, man-to-man underneath), it is on the play-caller to create easy touches for Harrison.
Petzing should have a “Get the ball to No. 18” column on his call sheet, with a handful of routes and plays specifically designed to get Harrison on the perimeter. He must keep his star player engaged with regular touches while also attacking the defense with concepts that work well for Kyler Murray and Harrison. The QB-WR duo must be on the same page if Harrison is to generate the kind of production and performance that would match his lofty draft status.
“One of the things I try to stress with Kyler is that it’s not his job to get certain people the ball or worry about how a guy is doing in the flow of the game,” Petzing said. “I’ve got to do that with the way I call the game, and he’s got to make the best decision based on the look, the coverage, how the routes are run.”
Despite being a heralded rookie, Harrison must earn the trust of his quarterback and play-caller whenever his number is called. The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder needs to improve his releases and top-of-route wiggle to separate from defenders in sticky coverage. In addition, he must utilize his speed and quickness to run away from defenders squatting on underneath routes (that is, when they backpedal and sit down at the chain markers, anticipating a short or intermediate pattern).
With a week to solidify the chemistry between Murray and Harrison, the Cardinals should be able to get them humming like the well-oiled machine we expected them to be when the former Ohio State standout was handed the Cardinals hat on draft night. And that begins with this Sunday’s divisional bout against the Rams.
Saints marching under Klint Kubiak
The Saints’ offense fell off in the post-Drew Brees/Sean Payton era, but it looks like new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has reworked a stale playbook to add some sizzle to a unit that features a cast of underappreciated playmakers with home-run potential.
In Kubiak’s New Orleans debut, the Saints smashed the division rival Panthers, 47-10, with the offense racking up 379 total yards utilizing a balanced approach (199 yards passing, 180 rushing). Derek Carr completed 19 of his 23 throws for 200 yards and three touchdowns, while Alvin Kamara had 20 touches for 110 yards and a score. In a winnable NFC South, New Orleans suddenly looks like a playoff contender again.
Utilizing heavy doses of pre-snap shifting and play-action passes, the Saints were able to keep the Panthers on their heels with a game plan laced with misdirection. The constant movement diverted the eyes of Carolina’s second- and third-level defenders, leading to big-play opportunities for explosive weapons like Rashid Shaheed.
On the ground, the blur motion, complementary passes and bootleg action slowed down pursuing defenders, creating huge lanes for Kamara between the tackles and on the edges. The five-time Pro Bowler sliced and diced through defenders, showcasing his exceptional balance and body control while bouncing from gap to gap. In addition, the creative offense put the ball in the hands of Kamara on a variety of screens and “now” passes that enabled him to take advantage of two-on-one and three-on-two situations on the perimeter. Given Kamara’s speed, quickness and burst, the deception of the Saints’ new-look offense creates more splash-play opportunities for the RB1.
For Carr, the revamped playbook has put him into his comfort zone as a playmaker from the pocket. The exotic pre-snap shifts and motions move defenders, allowing the veteran field general to identify coverages and move defenders out of windows before each snap, ultimately resulting in a more decisive and aggressive passer. In addition, the Saints’ subtle utilization of play-action passes and bootleg action allows the athletic quarterback to take advantage of easier half-field reads on the move. With Kubiak clearing up the picture via motion and misdirection, Carr was able to post a near-perfect passer rating in Week 1.
If the Saints continue to create easy playmaking chances for their stars, the rest of the league could soon discover how challenging it is to defend a dynamic offense sparked by a red-hot quarterback and a rejuvenated terror out of the backfield.
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