When the Los Angeles Chargers got on the field for the first time with new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, quarterback Justin Herbert was instructed to get the ball out of his hands as quickly as possible on every throw.
McDaniel then told the wide receivers to be ready for those incoming passes or risk being plunked in the head.
“No one got hit in the face, and they did a great job of adapting, so I thought that was a cool way of really pushing us to get the ball out,” Herbert said.
McDaniel’s emphasis on quick throws is shaping up to be one of the biggest difference in the Chargers’ new offensive scheme, which is intended to limit the pass rush Herbert faces and better make the most of the array of skill players around him.
Herbert took the most sacks and hits of his six-year career last season, culminating by being sacked six times in the Chargers’ 16-3 AFC wild-card game loss to the New England Patriots. That defeat prompted head coach Jim Harbaugh to overhaul his offensive staff, including firing Greg Roman before hiring McDaniel in January.
McDaniel’s four seasons as head coach of the Miami Dolphins saw him oversee an offensive approach with a heavy emphasis on using timing passes to accumulate yards after catch. When he first brought it to Los Angeles, McDaniel put together video cutups showing Herbert what it could mean for him.
“We turned on the tape of Miami the past two years and how many plays they had of ‘YAC’ and guys catching the ball and breaking for a touchdown, so the better I can do it, getting the ball quicker into their hands into a position where they can run with it, the better our offense will be,” he said.
The more effective Herbert can be with those throws, it should correlate into a reduction in the amount of wear and tear the 28-year-old absorbs. Herbert played through a broken bone in his non-throwing hand while taking the Chargers to the playoffs for the second straight season under Harbaugh, but he looked physically diminished at the end of the campaign as the heavy volume of contact accumulated.
If the ball comes out immediately, edge rushers will have less time to collapse the pocket and get to Herbert, especially with standout offensive tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt returning from season-ending injuries.
“I think he’s just got a great feel for the game,” Herbert said of McDaniel. ”He understands how defenses are ever-changing, and it’s his goal to be able to take away the pass rush. If you’re getting the ball out quickly, there’s really nothing they can do about it.”
It requires a change in mindset for Herbert, who spent much of his initial NFL tenure being asked to stay in the pocket as long as possible looking for vertical throws to maximize his precision passing and mobility.
“The emphasis of getting the ball before the receivers are even looking for it, that’s kind of the new part. In years past, where you relied on your arm strength to put the ball exactly where you need to instead of trusting it and throwing it to a spot and letting them go and get it, so I think that part’s different,” said Herbert, who has also tweaked his mechanics and footwork to match McDaniel’s demands.
The downside of that initial aggression came in the constant abuse subjected to Herbert’s body, which will be addressed with McDaniel scheming up game plans every week.
“It’s a difficult conversation because I feel responsible for a lot of those hits of holding onto the ball and trying to make something happen down the field,” Herbert said. “But, yeah, to have an offense where we’re able to do everything, the quick game, play action, keepers, it holds the defense accountable, so I think it’s definitely good for us.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Dan Greenspan, The Associated Press
