Can Herbert step us as vocal leader for Chargers?
Mike Florio and Michael Holley examine Justin Herbert's leadership and question if Jim Harbaugh and Mike McDaniel can get the Los Angeles Chargers quarterback to reach the next level.
Video Transcript
Speaking of the Chargers, one of the teams that the Rams will be playing as they're working their way through the soft part of the schedule.
The Chargers obviously not gonna be an easy out this year, and they're trying to get more out of Justin Herbert with Mike McDaniel there as the offensive coordinator.
Last night, he had a 65-yard touchdown pass to Quentin Johnston.
And according to NFL Next Gen Stats, Michael, 48 air yards on the touchdown was longer than any touchdown that any quarterback has thrown in Mike McDaniel's time as head coach of the Dolphins or offensive coordinator of the 49ers.
48 yards in the air.
They do not, under McDaniel, throw the ball that far down the field.
And when he was in Miami, let's just say he didn't have a quarterback who could- Right.
Right throw the ball reliably that far down the field.
Yeah.
I was And you said Miami.
Don't stop there.
San Francisco, he didn't really have anybody like that.
He didn't have anybody I mean, now, he I'm thinking he was there.
He left the Niners.
Did he have Purdy at all?
Was, does this Did he- No did, did he work with Purdy?
He, he landed in Miami in 2022.
Okay.
Purdy was drafted in 2022.
He was there with Trey Lance- Okay and Jimmy G. Okay.
Yeah, still.
Did I mean, Jimmy G's fine, but not like this.
A- and Trey Lance, who knows?
It we just don't know enough about him, but he's got Trey Lance again.
I would say he hasn't had This is one of those things where we'll learn more about Mike McDaniel than we will Justin Herbert.
Like, everybody raves about Justin Herbert.
It's, it's, it's, it's kind of like the, he's the it guy, even though he doesn't have the, the resume, especially in the postseason, to back it up.
But if you look at all of these, when people have quarterback conversations, and who's the most gifted and who's the most skilled, people love what Justin Herbert has.
They love his physical skills.
They love his profile.
But then he gets into these games, and you don't really see it show up at the most important times.
So I'm not surprised that Justin Herbert has the ability to do that.
Question is, will Mike McDaniel adjust his system?
Will he adapt to something he's never had before?
Yeah.
Y- of course, you had all this, you know, the, all, all the, the dynamics with, with Tua, and the, the ball fakes and, you know, little magic tricks that he did in the backfield.
That was fun to watch.
But you, you kinda had to do that because you had a quarterback who was limited physically.
And so that really put the emphasis on McDaniel's system.
Will he kinda step back from his system and let Justin Herbert be Justin Herbert?
We'll see.
Well, there is the disconnect between the way people feel about Justin Herbert as a quarterback and the success or lack thereof of the Chargers.
And even though they've been to the playoffs each of the last two years under Jim Harbaugh, he has not had the kind of impact on the Chargers that he had on the 49ers.
He took the 49ers first year, boom, to the brink of the Super Bowl.
Second year, to the brink of winning the Super Bowl.
Third year, back to the brink of the Super Bowl.
He hasn't had that impact with the Chargers.
And everybody says that Justin Herbert is this incredible specimen of football ability.
At some point, they have to win a playoff game.
At some point, he's gotta step up and carry a team.
And, you know Look, and this gets to, I think, a point that will be made later in the program.
There are only so many quarterbacks that are natural-born leaders.
There are only so many quarterbacks that are the guy who comes in, and everybody knows from the moment he walks through the door that he is the alpha.
He is- Right the man, and we are going to instinctively defer to him.
Even if we can't articulate in our own brains why we're doing it- Right there is just something about this guy that makes us, "Yes, whatever you need.
Whatever you need.
I..." And you, you want It's a combination of fearing the consequences and craving the approval of this person.
It gets, it gets kind of psychologically It's a mess.
Like, "I'm afraid of what he'll do if I don't do what he wants," and, "Oh, I hope I can please him and get him to be happy with me."
It's both of them in one.
There aren't many guys who are naturally that way at the quarterback position.
So the challenge is while coaxing them to be that way, while also being true to their own nature and allowing them to be authentic, everybody else around the quarterback needs to get everyone to think he's that guy, and I think that's what Jim Harbaugh's been doing for the last two years.
And my point is Justin Herbert's not that guy.
He's not that guy.
He's got all the tools when it comes to throwing the football.
He's not the guy who's gonna walk into the room and have that Peyton Manning sheriff vibe.
He's just not.
And that's okay because- Can that be developed though?
Most quarterbacks aren't.
Can that be developed?
Well, I've, I've heard stories of efforts to try to get a guy to become a badass, right?
Like maybe a quarterback who doesn't curse, all of a sudden is dropping F-bombs out on the practice field- Yeah at, at the players who aren't doing what needs to be done.
I guess it can be coaxed out of a guy.
You can get him to loosen up.
'Cause maybe it's not that's his authentic self, it's he's not comfortable being his authentic self, so he's put up walls on his personality, and he doesn't feel like it's time.
And we see that with rookies all the time, young quarterbacks all the time.
They, they feel like they need a couple of years before they fully and completely become that guy that is kicking ass and taking names.
But I think you can maybe coax it.
But also, if, if the guy isn't gonna make it clear to the world that he's the guy, then the coach has to make it clear to the world this is the guy.
You follow him.
Right.
He's your leader.
Follow him.
But something's My whole point is something's missing in the entire Chargers organization.
No question.
No question.
They've got a quarterback that in theory should be able to take them to the top of the mountain, and they haven't gotten even close to it.
They haven't gotten past the foothills.
Yeah, and I agree with you, Mike.
I mean, there are some quarterbacks who just have it, they have it naturally.
And nobody's gotta coax them to do but do it.
Nobody's gotta tell them, "Hey, you need to step up here."
I don't think, I don't think any- no one had to tell Peyton Manning that.
You mentioned him.
No one had to tell Brady that.
No one had to tell Dan Marino that.
John Elway.
You could just see it in those guys.
I, I saw a clip, fr- from the, the Cowboys, that Cowboys thing on Netflix, and it was a clip of Troy Aikman when Barry Switzer had taken over as coach.
And Aikman was on the sideline, and he was pissed.
He was like, "Look, hey, is somebody gonna say something here?
You can't be every All these coaches, you just can't be everybody's buddy.
Man, things are, the operation is, is a little sloppy, and somebody's gotta say something, so I'm saying it."
So that is natural.
But I don't think you necessarily have to be that to be a leader.
Maybe you, you just have to be in command.
There are lots of ways to lead.
And y- you don't have to go so far outside of your personality where guys look at him and say, "This guy never cusses.
Do you know what he said to me before practice?
He didn't even get the He didn't even cuss right.
He doesn't even know how to do it.
He didn't even say it right.
He got all, all of his slang is wrong."
You know, you don't have to do it that, do it to that point where you're inauthentic.
But I think Justin Herbert probably is gonna have to ramp it up a li- a bit.
Maybe it's like he's gotta look at it like he's an actor.
He's just, "At football practice, I'm playing the r- I'm playing the role of the leading man of the quarterback who is in charge and has to tell people what to do."
I think it can be done.
I, we know leaders are born, but I think leaders can be developed as well.
Well, you start making 48 air yard throws that connect and that get caught and become touchdowns on a consistent basis, that's gonna, that's gonna wake up and get the attention of all the guys with the Chargers.
All right, it's time to take a break.
