It just took about two questions for Justin Herbert to shut down all the doubts surrounding Jim Harbaugh’s leadership when he stepped behind the podium on Wednesday.
The locker room could already feel the walls closing in after dropping last weekend’s game to the Raiders to fall to 0-2, instantly turning up the heat on both Harbaugh and Mike McDaniel while inviting fresh whispers about whether Herbert is actually the guy to lead this franchise.
But Herbert wasn’t having any of it—especially doubts surrounding his coach.
“I don’t think there’s a lack of vocal leadership at all. So, I’m going to stop you right there and say that it’s very present,” Herbert said when pressed the second time if he would blame the losses on the leadership, according to ESPN’s Kris Rhim. “I don’t think anyone is panicked or worried because that’s not going to be the sentiment. It’s moving on to the next play, and understand that we’re close. We’ve made mistakes. How do we fix it?”
Justin Herbert Backs HC Jim Harbaugh
That was the second time someone pushed him on vocal leadership, and his initial response made it clear he wasn’t entertaining the premise.
“I think that would imply that there’s no need for vocal leadership before this week,” he said. “I think every week is a super important week for us, and it’s a great opportunity for us to go play football again and correct the things that we made mistakes on last week and keep pushing forward.”
The people in the locker room might not be, but everyone outside it is either in full panic mode or has lost hope for the Chargers to come out of their slump altogether.
But all that is outside the building. Inside, Harbaugh and all the coaches are still going hard after making it work.
“I’m not deterred,” Harbaugh said the day after the Raiders loss, per ESPN’s Kris Rhim. “No one in that locker room is deterred.” It showed in Herbert’s answers on Wednesday.
“We’ll look at the tape. We’ll go back to work. That’s all I know how to do,” Harbaugh added, and that has been their motto since. Even OC McDaniel, who has been under just as much heat as Harbaugh, if not more, for his disheveled-looking offense, echoed the same strategy for Week 3.
Teamwork: Mike McDaniel Backs Justin Herbert
According to Chargers writer Eric Smith, “McDaniel said Thursday that he and Herbert watch back the film from each game together, a key component in analyzing where the offense is at and how it can be better.”
“A lot of tape and conversation … I’m much closer to him than I was two weeks ago. One of my greatest coaching privileges I’ve had is to coach him,” McDaniel said, per Smith. “All you want is the focus on solutions from coaches and players. Anything else, I don’t have time for.”
The pressure is just as high on Herbert as it is on Harbaugh and McDaniel. The team has taken 6 sacks in two games, which resulted in three interceptions and three fumbles, two of which were recovered by the team.
But ball security is on the entire offense. Herbert alone managed to complete just 32 of the 54 passes he made in the Chargers’ first two games, putting him at about a 59.3% completion rate.
Since Herbert didn’t have an equally fiery response in his defense, McDaniel gave the answer for him.
“There’s no rest in Justin Herbert,” McDaniel added. “He’s constantly working on his game. That’s just the way he lives and breathes.”
Chargers’ Justin Herbert Goes Off on Media for Questioning Jim Harbaugh’s Leadership