Jim Harbaugh's new-age Chargers have that old 'Charm City' feel

Nov. 21, 2024 4 AM PT

It was almost as if he never left Baltimore.

J.K. Dobbins couldn’t help but notice how familiar everything felt with the Chargers. That familiarity convinced him to be part of the Jim Harbaugh-led overhaul in L.A. after four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.

“When I got in the building for the first time, it felt like home because of the culture and people — everything was like the Ravens,” Dobbins said. “So that played a big role in my decision to come here.”

New general manager Joe Hortiz brought more former Ravens with him from Baltimore: Gus Edwards, Bradley Bozeman, Hayden Hurst, Sam Mustipher and Tony Jefferson. Ex-Ravens personnel and playbook schemes also popped up.

It was clear that Harbaugh and Hortiz were planning to revive the Chargers by adding an L.A. twist to Baltimore’s “B-more style” of gritty, hard-hitting football. So far, the plan is working — coming off a 5-12 season, the “Charm City” Chargers are 7-3.

Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz talks during his introductory press conference.

“You become very familiar with those players and you know what they’re like and their makeup,” said Hortiz, who was hired days after Harbaugh came aboard. “It’s easy to bring those guys in because we know what we want here.”

Hortiz learned how to build a team under the guidance of revered GM Ozzie Newsome as well as Newsome’s successor, Eric DeCosta. Hortiz began as a personnel assistant and steadily climbed the ranks, spending 26 seasons immersed in the Ravens’ culture and the last five as their director of player personnel.

“Baltimore taught me a lot, and every day I get to apply it,” Hortiz said. “When I got the job, I didn’t even realize how much I knew because of Ozzie and Eric. I didn’t realize what was taught until I was sitting in this chair and had to apply it.”

He spent 16 of those years with Jim’s brother, John, the longtime coach of the Ravens, who the Chargers will face Monday night at home. That connection has made building a relationship with Jim much easier.

“We have the same type of vision and philosophy,” Hortiz said. “I’m brothers with John. I’m already brothers with Jim.”

Baltimore Ravens first round draft pick Zay Flowers, second from left, holds a jersey.

During Hortiz’s tenure with the Ravens, they had 17 winning seasons, five losing seasons, a regular-season record of 246-173 (.587) and 17-13 (.567) in the playoffs, and won a Super Bowl. Hortiz also was there in the 2000 season when Baltimore won its first Super Bowl under coach Brian Billick.

Over the same period, the Chargers posted 11 winning and 10 losing seasons, with a regular-season record of 206-213 (.486) and a 5-8 (.385) playoff record.

The Chargers currently hold an AFC playoff spot, the fifth seed in a wild-card position, and have a 90% probability to qualify for the postseason, according to NFL.com.

To the Chargers’ benefit, every former Raven on the roster has had playoff experience. Last season, Dobbins, Edwards and Mustipher were part of a team that appeared in the AFC championship game.

Linebacker Bud Dupree, signed in the offseason by the Chargers, faced the Ravens twice a season during six years with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Those AFC North battles were dogfights.

“You just bring in guys who fit that mold,” said Dupree, who still harbors animosity over those division clashes, “and obviously that mold comes from those hard-nosed organizations. When you come from a winning culture, losing a game is devastating. … They want to win.”

The competitiveness trickles down from the coaches’ room, with Hortiz and Harbaugh bringing in coordinators from Harbaugh’s successful stints in Michigan and San Francisco. All share ties to Baltimore.

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh (left) and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter stand on the field before a game.

Jesse Minter, who was a defensive assistant for four years in Baltimore and won a national championship last year as Michigan’s defensive coordinator, became the Chargers’ coordinator. Under Minter, the defense has significantly improved, giving up the fewest points per game (14.5), ranking 11th in rushing defense (110.5 yards per game) and 12th in passing defense (206.6) — a notable leap in each category compared to the previous three seasons.

Defensive back Jefferson, currently on the practice squad, has the unique perspective of playing for the Ravens (2017-19, 2021) and spending time as a scout under Hortiz in Baltimore before unretiring this year. Jefferson developed a strong relationship with Minter after they arrived in Baltimore in 2017 and spent three seasons together.

“We talk about our mentality first and foremost before we talk about anything else, and that comes from Minter,” Jefferson said about the Chargers defenders. “We all felt that in Baltimore, and it’s here now.”

There is a similar feeling on offense. Although the personnel differs, Dobbins says the Chargers’ attack “is almost identical” to what the Ravens ran.

Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman watches action from the sideline in team apparel.

Enter Greg Roman, who coached in Baltimore from 2017 to 2022, became the offensive coordinator in 2019 and now holds the same job in L.A. Under his leadership, the Ravens consistently ranked in the top three for yards rushing and led the league twice.

The Chargers rank 12th in rushing (121.6 ypg), an improvement from finishing in the bottom half of the league in recent years: 24th (96.6) in 2023, 30th (88.4) in 2022 and 21st (107.9) in 2021.

Dobbins, on pace to become the Chargers’ first 1,000-yard rusher since Melvin Gordon in 2017, and Edwards were Roman’s featured backs then, just as they are now.

“We want to run the ball,” Hortiz said. “We wanted physical, aggressive, smart backs that are great teammates. I watched Gus and J.K. share the load for years.”

The ground game starts with the offensive line and its coach, Mike Devlin, one of five former staff members in Baltimore, the others being offensive assistants Marc Trestman and Andy Bischoff.

“There was no pitch for me,” Devlin said on deciding to join the Chargers. “They offered me, and I wanted to come here because I believe in this family, Roman and his system. Since I’ve been here, I’ve had nothing but that feeling when I walked in the doors that we’re going to win and we’re expected to win.”

Bozeman, who spent four seasons in Baltimore and is the starting center, says the similarities are apparent down to the smallest details, such as practicing during the off week or wearing custom blue-collar work shirts.

“There’s a lot of parallels, for sure,” Bozeman said. “That winning mentality is here. ... Baltimore is gritty — they get after it. That’s what they’re built on, those principles, and I feel like that’s the same foundation we’re building on now.”

As the saying goes, if “great artists steal,” the Chargers have become master painters, with “Charm City” the perfect place to start, even if it is 2,700 miles away.

“Why wouldn’t you try to emulate them?” Devlin said of the Ravens. “We are trying and striving so that someday, someone will emulate us.”