Chargers’ Jim Harbaugh Suddenly Calling Out Justin Herbert is Pretty Wild Optics

Few would argue that Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert needs to wake up and play better after his team’s 0-3 start.

But Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh choosing now to call out Herbert publicly is just odd.

Harbaugh hit the podium for the start of Week 4 prep and took the expected questions, including topics like Herbert’s decision-making on some of the critical mistakes from the team’s loss to the Buffalo Bills.

"Be better. Be better," Harbaugh told reporters. "And that drives Justin, that drives me, that drives his position coach, that drives Mike [McDaniel], the coordinator. I mean, drives us all."

Make no mistake, this is mild. But it’s coming from the guy who has openly suggested Herbert can be one of the greatest of all time. From the guy who has said he dreams about Herbert winning a Super Bowl. All the silly quotes.

Mild or not, it’s odd, too, considering just how much Harbaugh hasn’t criticized publicly over the last two years and change.

Why is Jim Harbaugh calling out Justin Herbert?

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh — Jim Harbaugh | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Harbaugh never criticizes Herbert. He blamed bad protection calls in Week 1 on others and wrong routes by wideouts on mistakes. In Week 2, wideouts got the blame again.

So, this is a pretty big shakeup for Harbaugh’s approach.

And as Chargers fans will note, it’s a little odd. Why now? Fans just watched two years of Harbaugh largely refusing to ever criticize a major pain point on the roster such as the obviously struggling Bradley Bozeman. They’ve watched for years as Harbaugh has tiptoed around the major problem that is Quentin Johnston, whose limited route tree and continued drop issues have harmed the offense.

So why now with Herbert?

Maybe it’s a new attempt at motivating the star quarterback. Probably not a good sign about Herbert, if so. Or maybe it’s a little quip just to show the media that he can, in fact, be critical of the quarterback. Call it a little message to the locker room, too, perhaps.

Regardless, the optics of finally saying something slightly negative about Herbert in a public setting aren’t good. It should've been the norm, when needed. And now it opens the door for outsiders to wonder just what the heck is going on in that locker room, and where the head of the star quarterback really is right now that things have gotten to this point.

Harbaugh’s seat should be really hot right about now, too, which makes the Herbert criticism just a little more meaningful. If things keep going this poorly, what does the public commentary and vibe around the Chargers look like just a few weeks from now?

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