Jim Harbaugh ranks higher than Jalen Hurts in this career rushing stat
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh was once an NFL quarterback known for his athleticism and ability to use his legs when a play broke down.
A comparison posted by Bleacher Report went viral showing how good of a scrambler Harbaugh was. Harbaugh's career rushing yards per carry is higher than that of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who's considered to be a prolific rushing quarterback.
Harbaugh played for 15 seasons and had a career yards per carry of 5.0. Hurts is entering his fifth season and his career YPC is 4.8.
What makes Harbaugh's 5.0 all the more impressive is that he played during an era where most quarterbacks didn't scramble and designed quarterback runs and read-option offenses were virtually non-existent.
Harbaugh also has other interesting rushing statistics. Between 1990 and 1999, Harbaugh ranked No. 2 in rushing yards by a quarterback (2,362), ahead of Randall Cunningham and behind only Steve Young.
Then there's a stat and fun fact that always seems to resurface online about Harbaugh's rushing prowess.
Harbaugh had more career rushing yards than the great Bo Jackson, whose career was cut short due to injuries. Harbaugh had 2,787 career rushing yards with 18 touchdowns, while Jackson had 2,782 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns.
It's no surprise that a scrambling quarterback like Harbaugh has favored mobile quarterbacks during his coaching career. Andrew Luck, Colin Kaepernick and J.J. McCarthy all were mobile quarterbacks in Harbaugh's offenses.
"The value of a running quarterback, somebody who can pick up four or five first downs a game, is huge," Harbaugh once said.
And now Harbaugh has yet another fierce competitor willing to pick up first downs with his legs in Justin Herbert. Herbert's career yards per carry is currently at 4.1. He can certainly learn a thing or two from the way Harbaugh once ran around the gridiron in the NFL.
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