Jim Harbaugh gushes over talent of veteran Chargers: 'I feel lucky to be here'

Jim Harbaugh made a beeline toward midfield, shook Raiders coach Antonio Pierce’s hand and turned right around toward the sideline. There was no extra pomp for Harbaugh’s first win as the Chargers’ coach. This circumstance called for him to duck straight into the locker room.

The Chargers’ 22-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, Harbaugh insisted, was not about him. Instead, it belonged to Derwin James Jr., Justin Herbert, Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack and the veteran Chargers whose own hard work was formerly overshadowed by the franchise’s forgettable results.

“They’ve been playing that way long before us newcomers arrived on the scene,” Harbaugh said Monday. “So I feel lucky to be here, to be able to be coaching these guys, as do the rest of the coaches on the staff. That’s the L.A. Chargers mentality.”

Harbaugh commended James, the three-time Pro Bowl selection, for recording his 500th career tackle. The safety was the fastest defensive back since the turn of the century to reach 500 tackles. When James, who finished with seven tackles, was shown on the sideline during the game with a graphic commemorating the milestone, his face remained unchanged.

That’s the hard-working, focused example Harbaugh wants the Chargers to portray in their new era.

“It took me one practice and a half to realize that the way No. 3 does things, let’s all do it like that,” Harbaugh said.

Harbaugh’s way, from his success at Stanford, the San Francisco 49ers and Michigan, has been characterized by a dominant running game and a punishing defense. The Chargers flashed those traits Sunday, racking up their best rushing performance since the 2023 season opener and forcing three turnovers on defense.

When Harbaugh was presented a game ball in the locker room by team owner Dean Spanos, the coach later passed it to running back J.K. Dobbins, who rushed for 135 yards and one touchdown.

Dobbins thanked the offensive line for blocking, Herbert for running the offense and the defense for keeping the team afloat when the offense was struggling during the first half. The communal approach is Harbaugh’s true way.

“I wouldn’t even say that coach ever comes in and says, ‘I want it to be my way, or this way,’” defensive lineman Morgan Fox said. “Coach comes in and says, ‘This is our way.’ … He wants to play our way and our way is our best, and our best is more physical and fast and relentless.”

Etc.

The Charges signed cornerback Nehemiah Shelton to the practice squad and released cornerback Matt Hankins. Shelton, a Gardena Serra alumnus, has been with the New York Jets for the last two seasons after going undrafted out of San José State in 2023.