Justin Herbert won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after the Los Angeles Chargers drafted him No. 6 overall in 2020. He’s made the Pro Bowl twice since.
The 27-year-old’s equipped with a cannon for an arm, and he’s touted as a cerebral quarterback.
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But the pressure’s been mounting, both figuratively and metaphorically: He still hasn’t won a playoff game, and, according to Next Gen Stats, no quarterback was under duress at a higher clip than him this season.
Mike McDaniel’s job as the Chargers’ new offensive coordinator is to alleviate that pressure and pave the way for Herbert to maximize his potential.
During his introductory news conference on Tuesday, the former Miami Dolphins head coach said he and Herbert are “geeked for the future.”
“I think you have a competitive player that each and every year is trying to get better at his craft. I think he hasn’t neared the ceiling to what he’s capable of,” McDaniel said.
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In order to help the Oregon product get there, McDaniel wants to make life easier for a dual-threat quarterback who’s played hurt and the role of Houdini in his young career.
“There’s a lot of incredible plays that Justin has made,” McDaniel said. “He’s firmly capable, and sometimes as a coach you can rely upon that a little too much.
“There’s schematic ways to get completions that maybe all three quarterbacks on your roster would be capable of doing. Easier completions, kind of not putting so much … it can be taxing over time for a player to necessitate an incredible play too often to be able to score points and win football games.”
Justin Herbert has made two Pro Bowls but is still searching for his first playoff win. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
(Sarah Stier via Getty Images)
McDaniel’s goal is to install low-cost, high-reward plays that will protect Herbert and allow him to ditch his lightning bolt cape every once in a while. He even said he’s going to make a concerted effort to coach away from the “off-schedule stuff” at the beginning, since, in his words, Herbert can always return to that comfort zone.
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Herbert ranked ninth among all quarterbacks during the regular season with 27 completions of 20-plus air yards, per Pro Football Focus. He can sling it, and McDaniel is mindful of the explosives at their disposal downfield. He also knows that you can have a higher frequency of “ball-out passes” while still taking your fair share of shots.
In McDaniel’s first two seasons leading the Dolphins, they ranked 11th and then second in the NFL in points per game. He excelled at getting his playmakers in space and letting them go to work.
“So much of the National Football League defense is post-snap,” McDaniel explained. “They want to hide the picture from the quarterback pre-snap. To do that, they give pre-snap space. You can take advantage of that space with quick throws and getting the ball in and out.”
McDaniel says Harbaugh didn’t try to sell him the job
McDaniel went 35-33 in four seasons at the helm of the Dolphins. He guided them to the playoffs twice and sparked Miami with his innovative slice of the Kyle Shanahan offense, at least initially.
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Tua Tagovailoa’s string of concussions made things difficult, and so did his turnovers, but, more generally, an offense built on speed came to a halt.
Still, McDaniel’s ability to dig the Dolphins out of a 1-6 hole this season was a testament of his ability to galvanize a group. He commands significant respect in the league, and he was a candidate for head-coaching openings and offensive coordinator jobs this cycle.
He remains interested in being a head coach again someday. For now, he feels like he belongs in L.A. with the Chargers.
“When I was assessing this opportunity versus some potential head-coaching opportunities, I think it spoke to what this opportunity really provided me because it wasn’t that difficult once I got to meet the nucleus of the organization and put all the pieces together,” he said Tuesday.
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McDaniel talked about how he’s in sync with Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, even joking that they’re the same person, only Harbaugh’s taller. Both are quirky, and, in that way, both are unapologetically themselves.
McDaniel explained that he shares Harbaugh’s belief in running the football, citing his own history as a run-game coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers.
“I think what was cool, Jim wasn’t trying to sell me anything, and I felt that,” McDaniel said. “I think he recognized that, yeah, he was excited about the prospect if and only if it was a marriage that was consensual and not a hostage situation.
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“So I feel like just us organically talking about what we’re looking for and what was on the horizon, I think that was the biggest selling point.”
McDaniel noted: “For me, the opportunity to work with Coach Harbaugh, that was too good to pass up.”