Fangio Lavishes Praise on Chargers QB Justin Herbert: 'I'm Very, Very Impressed'
On Wednesday, Denver Broncos QB Drew Lock stated his belief that he is still 'the guy' for the flagging franchise. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Chargers rookie Justin Herbert provides the competition on Sunday, as well as a contrast in what these two AFC West rivals have under center.
Herbert replaced Tyrod Taylor as the Chargers starter in Week 2, and the 22-year-old has since blazed a trail through the NFL, setting a new rookie passing touchdown record of 27, beating out the long-time record-holders Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson. Herbert has also passed for nearly 4,000 yards.
Standing at 6-foot-6 and 236 pounds, the former Oregon Duck has all the physical gifts that would have traditionally made Broncos GM John Elway extremely interested in his talents, had he not hitched his wagon to Lock prior.
Coming off a 29-point loss at the hands of similarly strong-armed Bills QB Josh Allen, the danger that Herbert presents to an undermanned Broncos defense is all too apparent to Vic Fangio, who took the opportunity to lavish praise on the Chargers QB.
“Herbert’s having a great season. [I’m] very, very impressed with him—big arm, big body, fast, strong in the pocket, hard to get down, has really run the offense with a great command,” Fangio raved on Wednesday.
While Herbert's natural talents are hard to deny, Fangio did take the ball away from him twice in Week 8, which gave Lock the opportunity to orchestrate a memorable comeback where the Broncos overcame a 21-point second-half deficit to beat the Chargers. Since then, the Broncos have run into an ever-growing crisis at the cornerback position which makes this Sunday’s challenge in defending Herbert even more problematic.
Veteran safety Kareem Jackson referenced the Broncos' previous success and the mindset required to slow Herbert up, and he believes that following the same strategy can deliver similar results.
“The challenges are still the same,” Jackson said. “Coming into the game we played them, he was having a great season. He’s extremely talented with great arm strength and can make every throw. He’s the leader of that offense, and he’s getting them in the calls that they need to be in and he’s going to the right places with the ball.”
It's lofty praise all round for Herbert, who may well end up winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors when it's all said and done. While Herbert receives plaudits and his fair share of hype, it’s up to Lock to double down on his own preparations as he attempts to go 2-0 against his L.A. nemesis.
However, one new wrinkle is the familiar face that confronts Lock this Sunday when ex-Bronco Chris Harris, Jr. faces the Orange and Blue wearing enemy colors. On Wednesday, Harris pointed critically to Lock's penchant for turning the ball over this season while also cautioning that it's never wise to "sleep" on the Broncos QB.
Broncos Country is used to hearing that kind of talk coming from Harris as his skill of getting under the skin of opposing QBs is well documented. For his part, Lock had only praise for his ex-teammate.
“Anytime you add Chris to the mix, your defense gets better,” Lock said. “They’ve been playing a little bit different, a couple of things here and there that we’ll have to adjust to, but it’s going to come down to me knowing what we’re going into this week—knowing my reads, where to get the balls if the first couple of reads aren’t open, me taking care of the ball, and establishing the run game.”
If the Broncos are going to get some positive energy moving into the offseason, they'll need to fix the common mistakes that keep happening but there are two games left to do so, starting with the Chargers. While this game presents an AFC West marquee QB head-to-head subplot for easy headlines, Lock knows it’s all about he-who-wins.
“I think the biggest thing in this league is winning games,” Lock confessed. “It’s going to be me going out there and letting my play represent winning play from a quarterback.”
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
