Herbert-Harbaugh got off to a good start in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Chargers' Week 1 game with the Las Vegas Raiders marked a pivotal moment in the relationship between quarterback Justin Herbert and coach Jim Harbaugh.

After the national anthem ended, Harbaugh slammed his palms on Herbert's shoulder pads. Caught off guard, Herbert tried to hug him, but Harbaugh continued the barrage of slaps and hits on Herbert's paws.

Pad punching dates back to Harbaugh's 14-year playing career, a tip he learned from Bears teammate and Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton to calm his nerves. Harbaugh continued this ritual every game, and Herbert's willingness to participate surprised some players.

“Justin has always hated cameras and things where he's the center of attention,” said left tackle Rashawn Slater, “but I see him smile when (Harbaugh) does it, so I think that must be a sign that he really has respect.” Coach.”

One of the hallmarks of Harbaugh's coaching career was his relationships with the quarterbacks he coached. From Josh Johnson at the University of San Diego to Colin Kaepernick with the San Francisco 49ers, Harbaugh has helped improve his teams' quarterbacks. But his relationship with Herbert is different. Harbaugh has been in love with 26-year-old Herbert since he took office, fascinated by Herbert's height, intelligence and even his clothes.

Herbert, usually reserved and wary of public praise, appears to have stepped out of his comfort zone and embraced Harbaugh.

“He’s a guy that everyone wants to follow and play for,” Herbert said.

It's a relationship that will be crucial for a Chargers franchise that expects to compete for the organization's first Super Bowl on the backs of Harbaugh and Herbert. On-field results varied over six weeks, with Herbert posting career lows in nearly every passing category for the 3-2 Chargers before “Monday Night Football” against the Arizona Cardinals (8:45 p.m. ET, ESPN+).

“It’s kind of like a bromance,” tight end Hayden Hurst said. “I think Jim really wants to emulate Justin. He has all the physical attributes that Jim says he doesn't have, so it's kind of funny. I think they complement each other well.”

Like many players, Herbert often high-fives his teammates and pats them on their helmets as they leave the field after big plays. But Harbaugh told Herbert earlier this season that this ritual must end.

“He didn’t say with his right hand,” Herbert said. “I can do high-fives with my left hand.”

Harbaugh wants Herbert to protect the franchise's most valuable hand. A broken right index finger ended Herbert's season in Week 14 last year, and the Chargers went winless during that span, so Harbaugh's logic is sound. Still, the interaction admittedly made outside linebacker Joey Bosa jealous.

“What’s wrong with me? My fingers are already so destroyed. “It doesn’t matter,” Bosa joked. “But no, (Harbaugh) treats him the way he should treat him, and I think their relationship is fun to watch.”

This relationship can often seem like Harbaugh imitating Herbert, much as a younger brother would do to an older one. Harbaugh said he wanted to be best friends with Herbert and that “if you don't like Justin Herbert – you don't love him – there's something wrong with you.”

At the same press conference, Harbaugh said he had started wearing the same Nike sneakers as Herbert and asked the equipment staff to get him a pair of “those Justin Herbert” shoes. He stepped to the left of the podium to show reporters the white and black sneakers.

That admiration extends to other areas, such as at a team meeting earlier this season when Herbert began doing calf raises and Harbaugh followed suit. “Jim looks him up and down and has started doing calf raises too,” Hurst said, laughing hysterically.

Harbaugh played quarterback in the NFL for 14 years but never had Herbert's passing ability; That's one of the reasons he admires Herbert. Harbaugh told reporters that if he had a choice of which genes to trade with Herbert during his playing career, Herbert's arm talent would be at the top of the list. Harbaugh also once said he began coaching backup quarterbacks Easton Stick and Taylor Heinicke differently because Herbert was “unreproducible.”

On the field, the relationship didn't bring overwhelming success for Herbert. In fact, Herbert is off to the worst start of his career, statistically speaking. For all of Harbaugh's affection for Herbert, offensive coordinator Greg Roman has used Herbert's arm less than previous coaches.

“If we throw it 500 times or 50 times, we just have to run it as an offense,” Herbert said. “Selfishly, I love throwing the football, but I want this offense to be as good as it can be, and what that looks like changes from week to week.”

Through six games, Herbert posted career lows in passing yards (815), attempts (125) and completions (80). Part of his statistical decline could be due to Herbert having been dealing with a high right ankle sprain since Week 2 of this season, but the offense didn't lean on Herbert like coordinators have in years past. He entered this season averaging the most pass attempts per game in NFL history (39.1).

However, the offensive strategy changed with the Chargers' Week 6 win over the Denver Broncos.

Herbert looked like himself and finished the season with highs in passing yards (237), completions (21) and attempts (34) while throwing for a touchdown.

“Hopefully this reminds everyone that Justin Herbert is really good at playing quarterback,” Harbaugh said.

It was another moment in which Harbaugh used a press conference to compliment Herbert — a strategy he has used throughout his career to build confidence in his quarterbacks.

At the league meetings in March, there were many topics that Harbaugh had to address publicly for the first time since taking over as coach; Chief among them was the decision to trade long-time Charger Keenan Allen.

But on this day, Harbaugh caused a stir because he praised quarterback JJ McCarthy, who played under Harbaugh at the University of Michigan and was expected to be a first-round pick. Harbaugh called McCarthy the best quarterback in the draft and said McCarthy had the best throwing day he's ever seen.

Harbaugh's public enthusiasm for McCarthy raised questions about whether Harbaugh would be willing to trade Herbert, and several teams contacted the Chargers to inquire about a trade. Those calls were quickly dismissed by general manager Joe Hortiz, who already knew more than most how much Harbaugh admired Herbert.

Since Harbaugh started as head coach at the University of San Diego 20 years ago, his vocal admiration for the quarterbacks who have played for him has been instinctive. That became clear after Harbaugh briefly left the Chargers' Week 6 game against the Broncos with an irregular heartbeat. After the game, Harbaugh reflected on the last time he felt similar discomfort, during a game in 2012 when he was coaching the 49ers. He quickly mentioned Kaepernick. “Colin had a great night that night,” he said casually, before describing a medical procedure he had after that game.

In Harbaugh's second season at USD, he started quarterback Josh Johnson, a sophomore from Oakland, California, who was uncertain about his football future. Harbaugh changed that.

Johnson had one of the best careers in Toreros history. He still holds school records for career efficiency rating (176.7), completion percentage (.679) and touchdown passes in a season (43). Johnson has played in the NFL since 2008 and is now a Baltimore Raven who plays for Jim's brother, John Harbaugh. Johnson attributes his long NFL career to the influence of Jim Harbaugh.

“It changed my life playing for him,” Johnson said. “He instilled a lot of confidence in me. He was the first person to tell me with conviction, 'You're going to play in the NFL.' Even before I believed it, he believed it.

Harbaugh's continued public praise comes with a gentle and patient approach to coaching the position that players say is unusual. It was a unique experience for Heinicke, who has only been with the team for less than two months. He was surprised by Harbaugh's relatively calm approach to mistakes and compared it to his experience under Norv Turner, the offensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings and Carolina Panthers, when Heinicke played both positions.

Heinicke said Turner was one of his favorite coaches of all time, but he was “terribly afraid” of Turner because he disciplined him and other quarterbacks for their mistakes. “I still have a bit of nightmares about him,” said Heinicke.

“Harbaugh is definitely more encouraging than other people I’ve been around,” he said.

Stick, who has been with the Chargers since 2019 and supports Herbert through three different coaches, had a similar experience. Stick said Harbaugh's experience as a quarterback shapes his approach and makes him more patient than other coaches.

Still, both Heinicke and Stick said Harbaugh's trial and his relationship with Herbert were special.

“There’s definitely a love and respect that’s pretty unique,” ​​Stick said with a smile.

NFL reporter Jamison Hensley contributed to this story.