Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert put together an outstanding first season, winning AP offensive rookie of the year after completing 67 percent of his passes for 4,336 yards with 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
The Oregon product then had the Chargers on the cusp of a postseason appearance when he threw for 5,014 yards with 38 TDs and 15 picks in his second season. He was also a Pro Bowler for the first time.
So how is Herbert handling the raised expectations for Year Three? Very well, according to his head coach.
“He’s just so steady,” Brandon Staley said in his Friday press conference, via Eric L. Smith of the team’s website. “He’s handling it like he did the first time I met him. He’s a fierce competitor. His intangibles are by far his best quality, the head that he has on his shoulders. There is nobody’s standards that will ever, ever meet his own.
“That’s what makes him such a good player and such a good teammate. He knows how important it is to be one of the guys. I think that’s why his teammates and his coaches appreciate him so much because it’s never about him. He wants it to be about our team, our unit on offense, our fans. When you have a humble superstar like him, it sure helps.”
Even with a high bar and elevated standards, it’s going to be difficult for any team to win the AFC West after the division’s offseason arms race. But if the Chargers are going to make it to the postseason for the first time in the Herbert era, the quarterback will surely be a significant reason why.