Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh pushed back hard during his Monday news conference after a reporter questioned why quarterback Justin Herbert still has to play "superhero" ball two and a half seasons into Harbaugh's tenure.
With the Chargers sitting at 0-4, the reporter asked why Herbert, who was brought in as the franchise cornerstone, continues to carry the offence despite the team's efforts to build around him. Harbaugh paused, then said the framing "just sounds more like an insult than it does a question," adding, "I don't know if it's the group in front of him, his protection, what is going on... I'm saying he's the kind of competitor that I have never seen flinch, I have never seen rattled."
The reporter clarified that no insult was intended, restating the question: why does Herbert remain among the NFL's most pressured quarterbacks in his third season under this staff? Harbaugh answered that the whole team feeds off Herbert's resilience. "You ask me what gives me optimism? What gives me hope with this football team? I see that throughout the entire team. We attack, we improve."
The numbers underline the concern. Herbert has been sacked 12 times this season, among the league's most-sacked quarterbacks, trailing only Baker Mayfield and Aaron Rodgers at 13, despite an offensive line featuring Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt at tackle. In Sunday's 30-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Herbert was sacked four times and faced a 55 per cent pressure rate on his dropbacks — the second-highest he has faced all season.
Matters may get tougher: Slater is believed to have suffered a high-ankle sprain, and the Chargers' schedule runs through the Broncos, Chiefs, Rams, Texans and Ravens in the coming weeks.
Sources:
New York Post: Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh gets defensive with media after Justin Herbert 'insult'
With the Chargers sitting at 0-4, the reporter asked why Herbert, who was brought in as the franchise cornerstone, continues to carry the offence despite the team's efforts to build around him. Harbaugh paused, then said the framing "just sounds more like an insult than it does a question," adding, "I don't know if it's the group in front of him, his protection, what is going on... I'm saying he's the kind of competitor that I have never seen flinch, I have never seen rattled."
The reporter clarified that no insult was intended, restating the question: why does Herbert remain among the NFL's most pressured quarterbacks in his third season under this staff? Harbaugh answered that the whole team feeds off Herbert's resilience. "You ask me what gives me optimism? What gives me hope with this football team? I see that throughout the entire team. We attack, we improve."
The numbers underline the concern. Herbert has been sacked 12 times this season, among the league's most-sacked quarterbacks, trailing only Baker Mayfield and Aaron Rodgers at 13, despite an offensive line featuring Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt at tackle. In Sunday's 30-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Herbert was sacked four times and faced a 55 per cent pressure rate on his dropbacks — the second-highest he has faced all season.
Matters may get tougher: Slater is believed to have suffered a high-ankle sprain, and the Chargers' schedule runs through the Broncos, Chiefs, Rams, Texans and Ravens in the coming weeks.
Sources:
New York Post: Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh gets defensive with media after Justin Herbert 'insult'
