Justin Herbert has had four busy weeks since the Los Angeles Chargers closed their season, but he has already set his sights on what will be another temporary outdoor season for him.
For the fourth time as a college or NFL quarterback, Herbert will learn a new playbook and system off-season. The Chargers hired Brandon Staley as coach on January 17 after firing Anthony Lynn the day after the season finale.
Staley made it a point during his introductory press conference to say that he had spoken to Herbert twice since his appointment as coach. Herbert said the calls had a positive impact.
“To be as busy as he was with everything that was going on, he contacted me, and that meant a lot to me,” said Herbert, who was named Pepsi Zero Sugar NFL Rookie of the Year on Thursday. based on fan votes. We just talked about what he saw in the future. I know talking about the offense and all that stuff will come up soon. ”
Herbert has started watching tape of previous seasons’ New Orleans attack to get a better idea of what new offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi might install. Herbert also thinks the transition might be easier because John Beck – whom Herbert trains with in Huntington Beach, California – has worked with Drew Brees in the past.
As for the ongoing changes, Herbert hopes this will be the last for a while.
“I’ve been through this before. It would be great to have one playbook throughout your career, but it won’t always happen like that,” he said. “I think it’s a great opportunity to learn. You always learn from every playbook. I think you have a good understanding of the game of football as you go through it. I’ve had the chance to learn from so many different guys and philosophies. , and I think that helped my game. Hopefully this is the last change I’ll make because I really believe in those two guys. “
Herbert, who was the third quarterback and sixth player overall in last April’s draft, could only become the second player in franchise history to win AP Offensive Rookie of the Year when announced Saturday at the NFL Honors show. A Charger has won it three times on the defensive side. Herbert set rookie passing records for touchdowns (31) and had the second most passing yards at 4,336.
Since the Chargers played both Tampa Bay and Kansas City this season, Herbert has a unique view of Sunday’s Super Bowl game.
“Those are two teams that arguably have the two best defenses in the league, and I don’t think they get enough credit as they deserve,” he said. “Whether it is [Kansas City safety] Tyrann Mathieu or [Tampa Bay safety] Antoine Winfield, you’ve got a bunch of guys on either side of the ball to watch out for and two pretty incredible quarterbacks too. So no matter what, I know it’s going to be an incredible game. “