Expectations are set high for Chargers rookie quarterback Justin Herbert as he looks to become the long-term answer at the position after the team had the luxury of Philip Rivers under center the past 14 seasons.
As Herbert makes the leap from the collegiate to the professional level, he sought out advice to help make the most of his career from someone who has played in the NFL.
That person is former Oregon and Chargers QB, Kellen Clemens.
“One of the guys that I actually ended up talking with was Kellen Clemens who played here a couple years ago,” Herbert said. “He’s one of those Oregon guys that has been so helpful and is a mentor of mine and I’ve really looked up to him. He had some great things to offer, a bunch of advice to give, so it was really good to speak with him.”
Clemens played backup to Rivers for four seasons. So what did Clemens tell Herbert?
“He told me your career is never going to be always uphill,” Herbert reflected. “There are going to be ups and downs and at the end of the day, you need to get better. You’re going to make mistakes along the way. It’s not about how high it gets or how low it gets. It’s always about climbing back up and doing better the next day, and never letting your past mistakes affect your future. So he really helped me with that.”
Through two weeks of training camp, Herbert has had some highlight moments, while also experiencing some growing pains.
When it’s the 22-year old’s turn to take the reins, he will have a specific mentality.
“Being a good quarterback does not come down to every single little play,” Herbert said. “It’s much bigger than that. It’s always about putting your team in a position to win. You might throw an incompletion, you might throw an interception, but it’s always about coming back on the next one and putting your team back in a position and making up for it and never getting down on a bad play or negative play. But it’s always about limiting those and refocusing.”