Kris Rhim, ESPN
The Los Angeles Chargers‘ Week 1 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders marked a seminal second within the relationship between quarterback Justin Herbert and coach Jim Harbaugh.
After the nationwide anthem ended, Harbaugh pounded Herbert’s shoulder pads together with his palms. Herbert, unprepared, tried to go for a hug, however Harbaugh continued the barrage of slaps and punches to Herbert’s pads.
The pad-punching stems from Harbaugh’s 14-year taking part in profession, a tip he realized from Bears teammate and Corridor of Fame working again Walter Payton to ease his nerves. Harbaugh has continued that ritual every recreation and Herbert’s willingness to take part shocked some gamers.
“Justin has all the time hated cameras and issues the place he is the focal point,” left sort out Rashawn Slater stated, “however I see him smiling when [Harbaugh] does it, so I am like, that have to be an indication that he actually respects Coach.”
One of many hallmarks of Harbaugh’s teaching profession has been his relationships with the quarterbacks he has coached. From Josh Johnson on the College of San Diego to Colin Kaepernick with the San Francisco 49ers, Harbaugh has helped elevate the quarterbacks of his groups. However his relationship with Herbert is totally different. Harbaugh has been enamored with the 26-year-old Herbert since he took the job, fascinated by Herbert’s measurement, intelligence and even his garments.
Herbert, sometimes reserved and deflective of public reward, seems to have stepped outdoors his consolation zone to embrace Harbaugh.
“He is a man that everybody needs to observe and play for,” Herbert stated.
It is a relationship that will likely be essential to a Chargers franchise that expects to contend for the group’s first Tremendous Bowl on the backs of Harbaugh and Herbert. The outcomes on the sector have fluctuated via six weeks, with Herbert recording profession lows in nearly each passing class, for the 3-2 Chargers forward of “Monday Night time Soccer” in opposition to the Arizona Cardinals (8:45 p.m. ET, ESPN+).
“It’s a little little bit of a bromance,” tight finish Hayden Hurst stated. “I believe Jim needs to actually emulate Justin. He is obtained all of the bodily traits that Jim stated he does not have, so it is type of humorous. I believe they complement one another effectively.”
Like many gamers, Herbert typically provides his teammates high-fives and slaps their helmets as they arrive off the sector after large performs. However Harbaugh advised Herbert earlier this season that that ritual wanted to finish.
“He stated not with the best hand,” Herbert stated. “I can do high-fives with the left hand.”
Harbaugh needs Herbert to guard the franchise’s most beneficial hand. A fractured proper index finger ended Herbert’s season in Week 14 final yr, and the Chargers went winless in that span, so Harbaugh’s logic is sound. Nonetheless, that interplay admittedly made outdoors linebacker Joey Bosa jealous.
“What about me? My fingers are already so destroyed. It does not even matter,” Bosa joked. “However no, [Harbaugh] treats him how he ought to deal with him, and I believe their relationship is enjoyable to look at.”
That relationship can typically seem like Harbaugh mimicking Herbert in the way in which a youthful brother may with an older one. Harbaugh stated he needs to be finest associates with Herbert, and that “in case you do not like — you do not love — Justin Herbert, there’s one thing unsuitable with you.”
On the similar information convention, Harbaugh stated he’d begun sporting the identical Nike sneakers as Herbert, asking the tools workers to get him a pair of “these Justin Herbert” footwear. He stepped to the left of the rostrum to point out reporters the white and black sneakers.
That admiration extends to different areas, like in a workforce assembly earlier this season when Herbert started doing calf raises and Harbaugh adopted go well with. “Jim’s wanting him up and down and began doing calf raises, too,” Hurst stated whereas hysterically laughing.
Harbaugh performed quarterback for 14 years within the NFL however by no means had Herbert’s passing capacity; it is one of many the explanation why he admires Herbert. Harbaugh advised reporters that if he had the selection of genes to commerce with Herbert throughout his taking part in profession, Herbert’s arm expertise can be on the prime of the listing. Harbaugh additionally as soon as stated he started teaching backup quarterbacks Easton Stick and Taylor Heinicke in a different way as a result of Herbert is “unreplicable.”
On the sector, the connection hasn’t yielded overwhelming success for Herbert. The truth is, Herbert is off to the worst statistical begin of his profession. For all of Harbaugh’s affection for Herbert, offensive coordinator Greg Roman has employed Herbert’s arm lower than prior coaches.
“If we throw 500 occasions or 50 occasions, we simply should be executing as an offense,” Herbert stated. “Selfishly, I like to throw the soccer, however I wish to get this offense to be as finest as we will and what that appears like adjustments from week to week.”
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By means of six video games, Herbert has profession lows in passing yards (815), makes an attempt (125) and completions (80). A few of his statistical drop-off could possibly be attributed to Herbert coping with a excessive proper ankle sprain since Week 2 of this season, however the offense hasn’t leaned on Herbert the way in which coordinators have in earlier years. He entered this season averaging probably the most passing makes an attempt per recreation in NFL historical past (39.1).
The offensive technique shifted, nevertheless, within the Chargers’ Week 6 win over the Denver Broncos.
Herbert seemed like his outdated self, ending with season-highs in passing yards (237), completions (21) and makes an attempt (34) whereas throwing for a landing.
“Hopefully, this reminds all people that Justin Herbert’s actually good at taking part in quarterback,” Harbaugh stated.
It was one other second the place Harbaugh was utilizing a information convention to go with Herbert — a technique he is used his whole profession to construct confidence in his quarterbacks.
On the league conferences in March, there have been many matters that Harbaugh needed to handle publicly for the primary time since taking the teaching job; chief amongst them was the choice to commerce longtime Charger Keenan Allen.
However that day, Harbaugh made waves for his reward of quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who performed underneath Harbaugh on the College of Michigan and was anticipated to be a first-round decide. Harbaugh referred to as McCarthy the perfect quarterback within the draft and stated McCarthy had the perfect throwing professional day he’d ever seen.
Harbaugh’s public infatuation with McCarthy raised questions on whether or not Harbaugh can be keen to commerce Herbert, with a number of groups reaching out to the Chargers to inquire a few commerce. These calls had been rapidly shot down by normal supervisor Joe Hortiz, who already knew greater than most how a lot Harbaugh admired Herbert.
Since Harbaugh started as a head coach 20 years in the past on the College of San Diego, his vocal admiration for quarterbacks who’ve performed for him has been instinctual. That a lot was evident after Harbaugh needed to briefly depart the Chargers’ Week 6 recreation in opposition to the Broncos with an irregular heartbeat. After the sport, Harbaugh mirrored on the final time he felt comparable discomfort, which he stated was throughout a 2012 recreation when he coached the 49ers. He rapidly talked about Kaepernick. “Colin had an ideal night time that night time,” he stated as an apart earlier than describing a medical process he had following that recreation.
In Harbaugh’s second season at USD, he began quarterback Josh Johnson, a sophomore from Oakland, California, who was uncertain about his soccer future. Harbaugh modified that.
Johnson had among the finest careers in Toreros historical past. He nonetheless holds faculty information for profession effectivity ranking (176.7), completion share (.679), and landing passes in a season (43). Johnson has performed within the NFL since 2008 and is now a Baltimore Raven taking part in for Jim’s brother, John Harbaugh. Johnson credit his prolonged NFL profession to Jim Harbaugh’s affect.
“It was life-changing for me to play for him,” Johnson stated. “He instilled lots of confidence in me. He was the primary individual that advised me, with conviction, ‘You are going to play within the NFL.’ Even earlier than I believed it, he believed it.”
Harbaugh’s constant public reward is paired with a delicate and affected person method to teaching the place, which gamers say is uncommon. It has been a singular expertise for Heinicke, who has been with the workforce for lower than two months. He was shocked at Harbaugh’s comparatively calm method to errors, juxtaposing it to his expertise taking part in underneath Norv Turner, the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings and Carolina Panthers when Heinicke performed in each spots.
Heinicke stated Turner is certainly one of his favourite coaches of all time, however he was “terrified” of Turner due to the way in which he disciplined him and different quarterbacks for making errors. “I nonetheless have nightmares about him a bit bit,” Heinicke stated.
“Harbaugh’s undoubtedly extra encouraging than different guys I have been round,” he stated.
It was the same expertise for Stick, who has been with the Chargers since 2019, backing up Herbert via three totally different coaches. Stick stated that Harbaugh’s expertise taking part in quarterback frames his method, making him extra affected person than different coaches.
Nonetheless, Heinicke and Stick each stated Harbaugh’s course of and relationship is particular with Herbert.
“There’s undoubtedly a love there and a respect there that is fairly distinctive,” Stick stated with a smile.
NFL reporter Jamison Hensley contributed to this story.
