Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh was not shy when discussing his expectations for starting quarterback Justin Herbert before the season, opting instead to make a very specific — and very bold — claim.“Allow me to call my shot, like Babe Ruth pointing his bat over to centerfield.Justin Herbert, when it’s all said and done, when his career comes to an end, I predict he will be known as the greatest, best ever to play the position of quarterback,” Harbaugh said during an appearance on the podcast “The White House with Michael Irvin.” “When it’s all said and done, and his career is finished, we’re going to look back and say, ‘Yep, that’s the best that ever did it.’”Harbaugh, in his third season as the Chargers’ head coach, is known for his quarterback acumen, so his words can’t be immediately dismissed.
In college, he coached future first-round picks such as Andrew Luck and J.J.McCarthy.
And in the NFL, he brought out the best in Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick.Herbert, the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, has long tantalized analysts because of his supreme physical traits, which include athleticism and a cannon of a right arm.
To add fuel to the fire, Harbaugh earlier this year hired a new offensive coordinator, former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, a quarterback guru in his own right who led the Dolphins to great offensive heights for multiple seasons.So a perfect storm was brewing for Herbert to live up to his head coach’s lofty dreams in Week 1.Instead, in a week when offenses dominated the NFL, Los Angeles fell flat, mustering only two touchdowns in a 26-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.After one report claimed McDaniel was going to explore more of his playbook thanks to Herbert’s physical gifts, the quarterback ended his first start with a pedestrian stat line: 17 of 27 passing for 209 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.
On Sunday, Harbaugh described the performance as sloppy.On Mo...