The Chargers are sticking with Mike McDaniel as their playcaller, even with the team still searching for its first win of the season. Jim Harbaugh made that clear when asked about any possible changes, and he wasn’t interested in entertaining the idea.
“Yes,” Harbaugh replied, via ESPN. “Not going to address anything.
I’m focused on this game, and that’s my focus. I believe in our guys.
I believe in our players, our coaches, and, yeah, it’s us who are the ones that the challenge is with, and we’re the only ones that can fix it.”
Justin Herbert took his share of the blame as well, saying the offense needs more from him.
“Yeah, I mean, that’s part of the game, and it’s the unfortunate part of where we’re at,” Herbert said. “And I’d love to have played better and made better decisions, but, you know, I haven’t, and that’s something I have to work on and continue to get better at.”
In Kansas City, Andy Reid is backing Chris Jones and making the case that the veteran defensive tackle is still doing plenty of damage, even when the attention is tilted his way. Reid pointed to the way opposing offenses are forcing the rest of the Chiefs’ front to capitalize.
“When you rush four, you want to get somebody home, obviously. That’s what Joe strives for, and the guys strive for, and we’ve been doing a good job with getting pressure on,” Reid said, via NBC Sports.
“You’ve just got to get to the quarterback. We had a lot of blocked balls, which was great, you’ve got to be relatively close to get those.
Especially if they’re intermediate throws, the trajectory of the ball is one that you’ve got to be relatively close [to] get a hand up to be able to block.”
Reid then circled back to Jones, saying the double teams are part of the package and that the Chiefs need to use that to their advantage.
“But going back to Chris, I mean, Chris is giving his all. He’s doing everything he can do.
He gets doubled from various angles. He’s going to draw a lot of attention, and so that’s an advantage to the other guys to have a chance to get themselves home,” Reid continued.
“So, as much emphasis as put on Chris, let’s take advantage of that and get ourselves on the quarterback. So, not just to the quarterback, but on the quarterback.”
Over in Las Vegas, Mark Davis says there’s no pressure from him to rush Fernando Mendoza onto the field and push Kirk Cousins aside during the rookie’s first season. The Raiders owner said the setup is exactly what the team wanted.
“From me, there’s absolutely no pressure whatsoever,” Davis said, via NBC Sports. “Today, there’s a lot of pressure put on teams when they draft a guy No. 1 that you have to play him right away.
That’s why I think we were so fortunate to get Kirk Cousins as someone who could bridge the gap and let this young man learn a lot about what football is in the pros, the speed of the game, and the things that have to be done. … And he’s picking it up great, but I think we’re fortunate he doesn’t have to go out and play.”
Davis added that he believes quarterbacks can be rushed too early and miss out on important development along the way.
“I’ve seen quarterbacks get fast-tracked onto the field and they may do well, but they don’t learn all the intricacies of footwork and everything else it takes,” Davis continued. “So they’re limited in their development, maybe throughout their career.
I’m really happy with the way it is with Fernando right now, and we’ll see what happens. I tell people jokingly that if he can play football, he’s going to be amazing.
Because he’s got every other intangible you could want in a person. He’s a hard worker.
He’s a sponge. [And] he’s working with Mr.
[Tom] Brady on a lot of things.”
In Other News...
Justin Herbert Faces A Bigger Chargers Problem Than Rival Trash Talk
A week after a loss, Justin Herbert found himself answering for more than the Chargers record. Rams safety Quentin Lake took aim at the quarterbacks recent play, and the comments quickly turned into another layer of scrutiny around a season that has already left Los Angeles searching for answers. Jim Harbaugh stepped in to defend Herbert, while Herbert said he had not even been aware of what was said, a reminder that the noise around the team is growing louder than the results on the field.
For Herbert, the larger issue is not a rivals criticism so much as the way the Chargers have looked while staying winless. The conversation has shifted from isolated mistakes to a broader concern about whether the offense is getting enough from its franchise quarterback, and whether the team can stabilize before the outside chatter starts to feel like the easy part of the problem. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Herbert And The Chargers Are Now Getting Mocked By Opponents
The Chargers latest loss only added to the frustration around a season that has gone off the rails, and it also produced an unflattering side note for Justin Herbert. After the Rams beat Los Angeles, Rams safety Quentin Lake had plenty to say about Herberts passing game, turning a routine rivalry result into another reminder of how rough things have become for the Chargers offense.
Herbert finished 24 of 32 for 257 yards, but the numbers came with two interceptions and no touchdowns, and the Chargers remain stuck at the bottom of the league in scoring. For a team already searching for answers at 0-7, getting mocked by an opponent after the fact is the kind of extra sting that tends to linger. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Herberts Mindset Is Suddenly Part Of The Chargers Debate
The Chargers early-season frustrations have put Justin Herbert back at the center of the conversation, and not just because of the offenses uneven start. With Los Angeles still looking for its first win, the focus has shifted to the quarterbacks role in sorting through the problems, especially as the unit tries to find something that looks sustainable before the schedule tightens up.
Former teammate Chase Daniel added another layer to the discussion by framing Herbert as the kind of player who stays locked in on football and handles adversity the hard way. For a team that needs its franchise quarterback to steady the operation, that reputation matters, and it comes at a time when the Chargers are preparing for Houston with plenty still unresolved about how this offense is going to turn the corner. [Read more 🡒]