Most coaches and players would dislike spending a week on the road, but Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers are enjoying it.
Since they have games in the Eastern time zone for two weeks in a row, the Chargers are staying in Charlotte, North Carolina, this week before their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Both teams are 2-0 in this AFC matchup.
The Chargers started their road trip with a strong 26-3 win over Carolina last Sunday.
“There’s no reason why we can’t have some fun. Let’s bring the board games and the snacks. It’s a team that enjoys each other’s company, which is one of the positive things I’ve noticed,” Harbaugh said about the long road trip.
Harbaugh is familiar with staying on the East Coast when his team has back-to-back games. He did this with the San Francisco 49ers in 2011 and 2012, practicing in Youngstown, Ohio, for a week.
While Youngstown might seem like a strange choice, it is the home of the DeBartolo family, which owns the 49ers.
Harbaugh has good memories of Youngstown since the 49ers won both games after practicing there.
This is the first time since 2005 that the Chargers have five road games in the Eastern time zone. The last time they had two straight weeks out East was in 2004. In 2013 and 2017, they played two consecutive road games against East teams, but there was a bye week in between.
In 2018, the Chargers stayed in Cleveland before heading to London for their “home game” against Tennessee.
Harbaugh understands that being away from home and the team’s new training facility isn’t perfect. However, staying in Charlotte and then traveling to Pittsburgh on Saturday saves them from taking two long flights, as it reduces the distance by 3,908 air miles.
According to the NFL, the Chargers were expected to travel the most miles this season. However, their change in plans has moved them down to eighth place in distance traveled.
“The body clock, it’s like, we would fly back (after the Carolina game), and we would be getting back on a plane in practically 4 1/2 days and flying back.
That’s the main reason for doing it — the 10:00 West Coast time and body clock. Just some of the studies, by people a lot smarter than me, have figured out that’s a good way to do it,” Harbaugh explained.
Team captains Justin Herbert, Derwin James, and Rashawn Slater all agreed that not traveling back after the Panthers game was the right choice.
“I’m of the mindset it’s a great opportunity for us to be together, to focus on our game, and spend time with each other, get to know each other,” Herbert said. “I think any time you spend a week with your guys, especially like it is in camp, I think it’s an opportunity for us to grow and to get better.”
While some of his teammates will bring out chess boards, Herbert plans to play Settlers of Catan. In this strategy game, players gather resources to claim territories.
Harbaugh mentioned that he prefers Monopoly but also likes chess. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who was also part of Harbaugh’s staff in San Francisco, noted that there isn’t much free time for the coaching staff.
“It’s all business. We’re on the clock, but it’s a lot of fun,” he said. “It really is a good team bonding time because everybody’s around each other.”
Since 1988, NFL teams primarily on Pacific time have a record of 260-303 when crossing three time zones. Arizona, which stays on standard time all year, has a slight advantage if they have to play East during November, December, or January.
After their win on Sunday, the Chargers have a record of 55-58 since 1988 when traveling cross country, but they have won eight straight games and nine out of their last ten.
Besides Youngstown, which is 75 miles (120.70 kilometers) from Pittsburgh, the Chargers also considered staying at The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia.
The Greenbrier has three practice fields and a sports performance center with a weight room and meeting spaces. It has been used by the 49ers and Arizona Cardinals during the regular season.
Denver will stay there next week between games against Tampa Bay and the New York Jets.
However, Harbaugh chose to practice for three days at UNC Charlotte because he has a good relationship with Biff Poggi, who is in his second year as head coach after serving as an associate head coach at Michigan for two years.
Charlotte practices in the morning, which allows the Chargers to keep their usual schedule from 12:45 to 2:45 p.m.
“I’m excited to have him and excited that he can be here. Making that trip back after the Panthers game and turning right around to play the Steelers is a tough transition,” Poggi said during his Tuesday news conference.
This setup also allows the Chargers to have on-field walkthroughs. When Harbaugh was with the 49ers and stayed in Youngstown, their walkthroughs took place in an empty parking lot behind the hotel.
In 2012, Harbaugh arranged buses around the lot to prevent wandering cars or possible spies from the Jets from seeing their practice.
“That was interesting. I mean, the conditions were pretty Spartan, but it was great,” Roman said. “We put the work in and just adapted. I think everybody had a great time.”
