Mike McDaniel Has Justin Herbert Working on Key Thing That Could Change Everything

Mike McDaniel has found one thing Justin Herbert needs to do for the Chargers in order to take his game to new heights.

Mike McDaniel | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It’s hard not to like the hype around the Los Angeles Chargers for Justin Herbert’s future under new arrival Mike McDaniel. 

McDaniel, an offensive savant in the NFL, has said the right things since joining on as the offensive coordinator in what felt like a too-good-to-be-true get for the Chargers. 

And now he’s doing the right things, too. 

Let McDaniel tell it, he’s excited to help Herbert reach closer than ever to his ceiling, which even the biggest of doubters has to admit is vast. 

And there’s one key area that McDaniel has already worked with Herbert on that is showing early signs of evolution for the quarterback’s game.

Mike McDaniel, Justin Herbert plan is a head-turner

Justin Herbert | David Butler II-Imagn Images

As workouts started over the weekend, McDaniel got in front of the mic and, without taking shots at anyone, pointed out that even star quarterbacks can only be challenged so much by the abilities of their coaches. 

"Players are at the mercy of what their coaches can offer to challenge him," McDaniel said, according to Eric Smith of Chargers.com. "By nature, I kind of look at my job, inherent to that, I'm supposed to make people better and you do that through challenge.”

So what’s the challenge? McDaniel says Herbert has fully embraced trying to things (no kidding, given the Madison Beer music video). 

It’s all about quicker throws. McDaniel wants Herbert to get the ball out in 2.4 seconds or less. 

On those types of plays, McDaniel has asked Herbert to “change his footwork” on these types of throws, among other things, to negate a pass-rusher. 

"Whether it's changing his feet and asking him to get the ball out in a quicker rhythm, or by and large, we're much more footwork-driven in terms of our feet, being able to tell us when to progress and how to continuously get the ball out on the frontend of the pass rushes work," McDaniel said, per Smith.

Eyes and different routes on quicker drops, too: "Realistically, whether it's been changing his feet of having his eyes in a different place and different focus and being able to throw with a quicker drop, two different routes at the same time in the same exact footwork, he's attacked those challenges.”

As Smith pointed out, Herbert’s aggregate time to throw last year was 2.9 seconds, last in the NFL at No. 32. Blame the offensive tackle injuries, coaching, and scheme, or something else; it exposed him to punishment. 

Granted, it was no secret that McDaniel wants to get the ball out quickly while working modern passing game concepts into the attack. They overhauled the offensive line’s interior with three new starters and will get both elite offensive tackles back. But in the modern NFL, the ball needs to come out fast. 

It’s only May, but hearing that McDaniel is working with Herbert on the nuances of shorter drops and the technique associated with much quicker throws is nothing short of a good sign that the too-good-to-be-true coaching hire could lead to similar results. 

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