Justin Herbert has had a busy four weeks since the Los Angeles Chargers ended their season, but he has already focused on what will be another transition period for him.
For the fourth time as a college or NFL quarterback, Herbert will spend the off-season learning a new manual and system. The Chargers hired Brandon Staley as a coach on January 17, after firing Anthony Lynn the day after the season ended.
Staley made a point of saying, during his introductory press conference, that he had spoken to Herbert twice since he was appointed coach. Herbert said the calls left a positive impact.
“To be as busy as he was with everything that was going on, he came to me, and that meant a lot to me,” said Herbert, who on Thursday was named Pepsi Zero Sugar Newbie of the Year in the NFL, an award based on in fan vote. “We kind of talked about what he saw in the future. I know that talking about crime and all that stuff is coming soon.”
Herbert started watching the New Orleans attack tape in previous seasons to get a better idea of which new offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi could install. Herbert also thinks the transition may be easier because John Beck – with whom Herbert trains in Huntington Beach, California – has worked with Drew Brees in the past.
As for the constant changes, Herbert hopes that this will be the last one for a while.
“I’ve been through this before. It would be great to have a manual throughout your career, but it won’t always happen that way,” he said. “I think it’s a great opportunity to learn. You always learn from each manual. I think the more you understand the football game, the more you understand. I had the opportunity to learn from so many different guys and philosophies, and I think it helped my game. I hope this is the last change I’m going to go through, because I really believe in these two guys. “
Herbert, who was the third quarterback chosen and the sixth overall player in last April’s draft, could become only the second player in franchise history to win the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, when it is announced on Saturday during the NFL Honors show . A Charger won on defense three times. Herbert set debutant pass records for touchdowns (31) and had the second largest passing yard with 4,336.
As the Chargers faced Tampa Bay and Kansas City this season, Herbert has a unique view of Sunday’s Super Bowl fight.
“These are two teams that have arguably the two best defenses in the league and I don’t think they have the credit they deserve,” he said. “Either [Kansas City safety] Tyrann Mathieu or [Tampa Bay safety] Antoine Winfield, you have a lot of guys on both sides of the ball that you need to take care of and two incredible quarterbacks too. So, whatever happens, I know it will be an incredible game. “