Editorial Director
‘Football Justin’ made his first public appearance of the season moments before kickoff in Week 1.
With the entire Chargers team huddled around Justin Herbert, the Bolts franchise quarterback delivered a fiery and passionate pregame speech as the 2024 season opener lingered just minutes away.
“That’s part about being the quarterback,” Herbert said. “It’s stepping up and leading and doing everything you can.”
But it was also almost unlike anything we had seen before, with an animated Herbert even using a few, errr, choice words to get the Bolts ready for an eventual win over the Raiders.
“I probably said, ‘Dang’ or ‘Shoot,'” Herbert said with a smile. “‘Football Justin’ is different.”
Oh?
‘Football Justin’?
Bolts backup quarterback Easton Stick knows exactly who Herbert is referring to.
“Alter ego seems like an aggressive [analogy], like a little bit of a caricature maybe,” Stick told Chargers.com with a laugh. “But there’s certainly just a competitiveness that he doesn’t get to express other than on Sunday, you know?
“That’s like the one day where you put so much work in and stuff and it’s so emotional,” Stick added. “It means so much to guys that, yeah, his personality definitely looks a lot different on Sunday. It’s just the competitive nature.”
that’s our quarterback pic.twitter.com/GgrnNh3Qa7
Herbert, as he usually does, downplayed the persona that he has showed more of this season, his fifth in the NFL.
“He’s just a competitor,” Herbert said. “Whenever you go play football, you want to be at your best.
“That’s the goal of every single person in that locker room,” Herbert added. “At the end of the day, you just want what is best for your team. You go out there and motivate however you can.”
For Herbert, ‘Football Justin’ has showed up more and more this season.
And that identity was on full display in Week 8 against the Saints.
With the Bolts off to a sluggish first-quarter start, ‘Football Justin’ decided to make an appearance.
Herbert dropped back to pass but decided to take off, eluding three Saints defenders along the way.
And when he met three-time All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu just past midfield, it was ‘Football Justin’ who delivered the bigger blow.
TURBO HERBO
📺 | @nflonfox pic.twitter.com/tj3VialxrU
Chargers quarterbacks coach Shane Day called Herbert’s 38-yard run his favorite play of the season to date.
“There’s 100 other passes, but that run really exemplified who he is as a person and who he is as a football player,” Day said.
He later added: “Just a signature play. Anyone who knows him or has been around him knows he’s extremely tough and that he’s never going to turn it down. He freaking took it right to that guy.”
If you watch the replay of the run, notice how nearly everyone on the Chargers sideline either leapt off the bench or ran over to celebrate with ‘Football Justin.’
“Inspirational play,” Chargers Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman said.
Safety Derwin James, Jr. added: “I was hyped. When he did it, it definitely energized the whole team. I like that type of stuff, man.”
As the Chargers get ready for a second-half stretch run, there’s no denying that ‘Football Justin’ has popped up more often in the public eye in 2024.
Day could only laugh when asked if he’s noticed more of Herbert’s ultra-intense personality of late.
“Absolutely, I feel like people have seen more of ‘Football Justin’ this year,” Day said. “Sometimes the camera doesn’t always catch ‘Football Justin’. But that’s definitely how he’s always been.
“When he gets to games or anything involving football, there’s him off the field and then there’s him on the field,” Day continued. “He’s the ultimate competitor on the field.”
Day later added: “He’s had that the whole time. People just didn’t always catch it.”
Those closest to Herbert — a group that includes Day, Stick and left tackle Rashawn Slater — said ‘Football Justin’ always seems to be ready and lurking in the shadows for just when the Bolts need him most.
“He recognizes what it means to be a franchise quarterback,” Stick said. “A lot of people are counting on him, and I think he embraces that.
“He loves that opportunity to go out there and lead,” Stick added. “His competitive, his toughness … it’s second to none.”
Slater said: “I see it all the time. You see it in basically everything he does. I play chess against him a lot and I see it there. In the offseason, whatever we’re doing, maybe it’s card games, he’s just a competitor. That’s who he is. I don’t know if that’s ‘Football Justin’ or it’s just Justin being Justin. Either way, we appreciate it and love him.”
Day noted that he hopes a more public facing version of ‘Football Justin’ can perhaps give outsiders a small peek into who Herbert is and what he means to the Chargers.
“He’s not at all like what people think,” Day said. “Whenever I hear people say, ‘Well, we need to see more emotion…’ There’s tons of emotion when he’s going down and talking to players on the sideline.
“We see it all the time,” Day added. “It’s been fun for the audience to get to see it. We get to see it, but they haven’t had as many opportunities.”
Of course, it’s fair to wonder how much of a role Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh has played in the evolution of ‘Football Justin’ becoming more comfortable in his skin.
Harbaugh and Herbert have glowingly sung each other’s praises from the minute Harbaugh was hired.
Herbert has lauded Harbaugh’s leadership and his ability to let players be themselves while also bringing a high standard of culture and accountability to the organization.
And, as Herbert opened up about this week, Harbaugh has brought the quarterback out of his shell a bit more than in previous years.
That was evident when Harbaugh spontaneously asked Herbert to give a postgame victory speech Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
“He’s definitely put me in more situations like that,” Herbert said. “The more you’re in those situations, the more normal they feel. There was probably a time growing up in high school or college where you’d feel awkward or you’d feel like everyone was watching you.
“At this point, it is what it is. I’m the quarterback … I didn’t have great wise words to offer, but he calls on me a lot so I always have to have something prepared and I didn’t have something prepared,” Herbert continued. “That’s something I have to be better with.”
He later added: “You kind of realize throughout the process that this is why he’s doing it. Everything is for a reason and for the betterment of the team.”
stay til the end for the justin speech pic.twitter.com/8LlIDamuU1
Harbaugh, meanwhile, seemingly gushes about No. 10 every time he steps to the podium.
“I love guys that love football,” Harbaugh told reporters. “Guys that love football, they love you back. And there’s no doubt Justin loves football… he loves competing. He’s such a fierce competitor.”
Hmm, that sounds like ‘Football Justin,’ no?
“There’s not a gene in his body I wouldn’t immediately trade for,” Harbaugh also said earlier this season.
And if you’re looking for a recent compliment, here’s what Harbaugh said about Herbert after the Chargers Week 10 win over the Titans.
“It feels like you’re around greatness every single day with Justin Herbert,” Harbaugh said. “And there’s still a long way to go. His fifth year is far from complete.
“He’s incredible. You run out of adjectives,” Harbaugh added. “Just a guardian of victory for our football team. Just in awe, really, most of the time. All of the time.”
With Week 11 on the horizon, ‘Football Justin’ will soon get a chance to shine on the national stage as the Bolts host the Bengals on Sunday Night Football.
And while Herbert has long been lauded as one of the most talented players at his position across the league, it’s clear that something special is brewing in Southern California.
Herbert gritted through a high ankle sprain earlier this season, an injury so severe that Harbaugh and Roman separately said Herbert was playing at “20 percent.”
“He’s a really tough cat,” quarterback Taylor Heinicke said. “The thing about it, too, is he wanted to practice those weeks. He wants to take every rep, he loves the game of football.
“I’ve been around long enough to know where you kind of see guys that kind of look for excuses,” Heinicke added. “He wants to be out there, he wants to be with his guys. He wants to compete.”
On the field, Herbert has returned to full health, morphing into one of the game’s best quarterbacks once again.
He’s thrown for 1,889 yards with 11 touchdowns to just one interception. That 11-1 TD:INT mark currently ranks as the sixth-best ratio in NFL history for a single season.
It’s just another example of how impressive Herbert has been, especially with how much the Bolts put on his plate on a weekly basis.
After a recent practice, Day rattled off a lengthy checklist that Herbert is responsible for that included being able to hit any throw on the field, making checks in the run game and ensuring the protection is aligned up front.
“We ask Justin to do everything. Make plays, win games,” Day said. “He’s the best quarterback I’ve ever been around.”
Slater also chimed in: “He elevates those around him with his natural leadership and just by being himself. He’s a relentless worker and he’s always going to challenge you. We just have so much respect for him.”
As the Chargers get ready for a primetime showdown with Cincinnati, Herbert has his sights set on getting the Bolts to 7-3.
If that happens, it might be time to start talking about when and not if the Bolts will make the playoffs in Year 1 under Harbaugh.
And, of course, what ‘Football Justin’ has in store for the postseason.
“If it wakes up the team, I’ll do anything,” Herbert said.
“[Harbaugh is] always seeking perfection. He’s definitely a perfectionist when it comes to catching passes.”
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