Justin Herbert won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after the Los Angeles Chargers drafted him sixth overall in 2020. He has since been selected to the Pro Bowl twice.
The 27-year-old has a cannon for his arm and is known as the cerebral quarterback.
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But the pressure has been building, both figuratively and metaphorically: He still hasn’t won a playoff game, and according to Next Gen Stats, no quarterback has received more pressure than him this season.
Mike McDaniel’s job as the Chargers’ new offensive coordinator is to relieve that pressure and pave the way for Herbert to maximize his potential.
During his introductory press conference on Tuesday, the former Miami Dolphins head coach said he and Herbert are “looking forward to the future.”
“I think you’ve got a competitive player who’s trying to improve his skills every year. I don’t think he’s anywhere near the top of what he’s capable of yet,” McDaniel said.
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To help the Oregon State product achieve that goal, McDaniel is looking to make things easier for the injured dual-threat quarterback and his role as Houdini in his young career.
“Justin made a lot of unbelievable games,” McDaniel said. “He has a lot of quality and sometimes as a coach you can be a little bit too reliant on him.
“There are some schematic ways that you can do it with all three quarterbacks on your roster. Easier to accomplish, kind of without putting too much into it… Over time, that can be taxing for a player if it’s constantly having to make incredible plays to score points and win football games.”
Justin Herbert has been selected to the Pro Bowl twice but is still looking for his first playoff win. (Photo by Sarah Steele/Getty Images)
(Sarah Steele via Getty Images)
McDaniel’s goal is to implement a low-cost, high-return strategy that protects Herbert and allows him to take off his lightning cape from time to time. He even said that he would make a concerted effort to stay away from “unplanned things” from the beginning because, in his words, Herbert could always fall back into that comfort zone.
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According to Pro Football Focus, Herbert had 27 completions of 20 yards or more during the regular season, ranking ninth among all quarterbacks. He can throw it, and McDaniel is mindful of the explosiveness they use downfield. He also knows you can have a higher “ball out” frequency and still get a fair shot.
In McDaniel’s first two seasons with the Dolphins, they ranked 11th in the NFL in points per game and then ranked 2nd. He’s great at getting his playmakers into space and letting them go to work.
“Most defenses in the NFL run after the snap,” McDaniel explained. “They want to hide the picture before the quarterback snaps. To do that, they provide space before the snap. You can exploit that space by throwing quickly and getting the ball in and out.”
McDaniel says Harbaugh wasn’t trying to sell him job
McDaniel compiled a 35-33 record in four seasons coaching the Dolphins. He led the team to the playoffs twice and sparked Miami, at least initially, with Kyle Shanahan’s innovative offense.
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Tua Tagovailoa’s series of concussions made things difficult, his turnovers made things difficult, but more generally, an offense built on speed ground to a halt.
Still, McDaniel’s ability to pull the Dolphins back from a 1-6 hole this season is a testament to his ability to inspire a team. He’s well-respected around the league and a candidate for head coaching vacancies and offensive coordinator positions this cycle.
He remains interested in becoming a head coach again one day. Now, he feels like he belongs with the Los Angeles Chargers.
“When I was evaluating this opportunity versus some of the potential head coaching opportunities, I think it speaks to what this opportunity really offers me because once I met the core of the organization and put all the pieces together, it wasn’t that difficult,” he said Tuesday.
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McDaniel talked about his chemistry with Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, even joking that they were the same guy, just Harbaugh was taller. Both are quirky and, as such, both are unapologetic.
McDaniel explained that he shares Harbaugh’s belief in running the football, citing his own experience as running game coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers.
“I think what’s cool is that Jim isn’t trying to sell me anything, and I feel that,” McDaniel said. “I think he recognized that, yes, he was excited about the prospect if and only if this was a consensual marriage and not a hostage situation.
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“So I feel like us organically talking about what we’re looking for and what’s coming, I think that’s the biggest selling point.”
“The opportunity to work with Coach Harbaugh was too good for me to pass up,” McDaniel noted.