Justin Herbert apparently needs to work on his poker face, too. With the Los Angeles Chargers struggling, even the quarterback's demeanor has become a topic worthy of retirement speculation.
James Jones had heard enough. During a discussion on "Speakeasy," the former receiver argued that looking miserable while losing football games comes with the territory. Expecting Herbert to look thrilled about any of this feels like a pretty ambitious request.
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James Jones Rejects Justin Herbert Retirement Talk
Jones, who won Super Bowl 45 with the Green Bay Packers, offered a blunt explanation for the mood surrounding Herbert. There simply isn't much to celebrate.
"There's nothing to be happy about in that Chargers building," Jones said on "Speakeasy"
.
He extended that observation to the entire team. Coaches answering questions at the podium and defensive players dealing with another disappointing result have their own frustrations to wear.
Jones even suggested Herbert could play well in another loss and show the same body language. In his view, an unhappy expression offers a pretty limited window into a quarterback's career plans.
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"Shouldn't be no retirement talk. Shouldn't be none of that. Losing just sucks and that's the body language that they have right now," Jones said
.
The retirement discussion in the segment centered on interpretations of Herbert's demeanor. Jones treated the suggestion as an unnecessary leap, while still acknowledging the quarterback's performance deserves scrutiny.
"And you're not playing well on top of that," he added. "That's all it is."
That acknowledgment matters. Jones believes Herbert needs to improve, and he made no attempt to dress up the situation as acceptable. His patience with the retirement angle, however, had clearly expired.
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Herbert Has Plenty To Fix as the Los Angeles Chargers Search for a Win
The Chargers fell to 0–4 with a 30–23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4. Herbert finished with 189 passing yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, taking four sacks and losing a fumble. That is plenty of material for a difficult film session.
Through Week 4, Herbert sits No. 33 in PFN's NFL QB Impact
rankings, with a 61.4 grade. He has completed 59.7% of his passes, throwing four touchdowns against six interceptions.
The offense's design has drawn scrutiny as well. Kurt Warner questioned Mike McDaniel's approach with Herbert
, arguing that some concepts made poor use of the quarterback's considerable ability.
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Jones' prescription was straightforward. Herbert and the Chargers have to work their way through the mess, and that starts with giving themselves something worth smiling about.
"You got to find a way to climb out this hole," Jones said
. "You got to find a way to get better and you got to find a way to get a W. That's all it is, man."
This article originally appeared on
Pro Football Network
.
