Poor air quality forces the Chargers to change their practice schedule

Jim Harbaugh wore a Los Angeles Fire Department hat during his press conference Thursday, a tip of the hat to the men and women fighting fires in and around Los Angeles.

“The heart goes out, and prayer, Abundant prayers for all “Those who are affected by this tragedy,” Harbaugh said, via Eric Smith of the team’s website. “We were also greatly inspired by first responders, firefighters and residents supporting each other.

“It’s been so inspiring. Abundant prayers and thoughts for all who are in this fight. You see neighbors on the rooftops, helping their neighbors, it’s really inspiring.”

Wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal owns a home near one of the fires, and Harbaugh said his daughter Grace evacuated her Hollywood home Wednesday night.

“Sang, he was a strong supporter of his family and the team,” Harbaugh said. “The organization has been tremendous. Everyone here knows — we all know — that if we need anything, if our families need anything, if we need anything while we’re away on this trip, Bill Stetson and the group are here, our organization has places “We can go there if we need to evacuate.”

Poor air quality at the team’s training facility prompted a change to the practice schedule on Wednesday and Thursday to limit the amount of outdoor exposure. Some players wore masks.

On Thursday, the offense, defense and scout team were on the field followed by a special teams period. Then the attack and defense scout teams finished the field work.

Harbaugh said the players did about half their usual work on the field over the past two days.

“Our guys did a great job of improvising and adjusting,” Harbaugh said. “In fact, we were able to get as close as possible to what normal practice would have been.”