The Chargers are hopeful that Justin Herbert to lead the team to success for years to come. While he has plenty of talent and experience under his belt, there are certain areas of his game that need refinement.
To mentor the former Oregon product is Pep Hamilton, who was hired to become Los Angeles’ quarterback coach earlier this month.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the two have been unable to do on-field work. Instead, everything has been viral. But Herbert and Hamilton have still been able to develop a connection in the early stages via Zoom.
“We often find ourselves watching ball and talking ball into the wee hours,” Hamilton said Wednesday during a video conference. “I’m excited to see that he’s a student of the game.”
Hamilton is intrigued by Herbert’s skillset. He knows that he may not be ready to take the field Week 1 of the regular season, but he believes once he gets there, Herbert should be in a good position to shine.
“The combination of size, athletic ability and arm talent (is intriguing), but more importantly, he’s had a ton of experience playing in games,” Hamilton said.
“It really helped him staying an extra year at Oregon. He has over 1,200 pass attempts in college and you can’t teach experience. When it’s time for him to play once he’s acclimated to the speed of the NFL game and has a good understanding of what NFL defenses are trying to do, I think the sky’s the limit.”
While Herbert becomes a student of the game for the time being, Tyrod Taylor will be the one under center. Taylor has plenty of experience in the starting role, and especially in Anthony Lynn’s system since the two played together years back with the Bills.
“It’s helpful, especially under the circumstances,” Hamilton said of Taylor. “In a non-traditional offseason, familiarity with all the above is going to be important. We’re going to lose a large portion of time that we would have on the grass because we’re not able to have a traditional offseason.
It’s going to be very important that Tyrod’s understanding and familiarity with coach Lynn and our system, that carries over to the rest of the guys in the huddle. His poise impresses me. I’ve been watching him from afar for quite some time, and I’ve always been impressed with his ability to go out and make plays and more importantly, help his team win games.”
It’s Taylor’s job to lose. The 30-year old will likely stay under center as long as he’s leading the team to wins. If the Chargers start to fall off the wagon, then Herbert will take the reins. The longer Taylor starts, the more Herbert will be able to develop.