There is no more polarizing player in the NFL coming into this year than Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. On one hand, you have traditional white analysts who have chosen Herbert as an elite quarterback, or at least placed him on their top-ten lists, while Black pundits and non-mainstream media haven’t. Including yours truly.
The sticking point is Herbert fits the old stereotype: 6’4”, white, with a rocket arm, and given grace by the media for all his shortcomings and lack of success—grace that several more successful Black quarterbacks, who have achieved more, are not universally afforded.
Now, with the polarization and whitewashing of Black players on network television, many of us have begun to speak up about the biased coverage that has protected Herbert over his seven years in the NFL.
The pressure from non-traditional media has grown and even made its way into the mainstream when Tom Brady chastised Herbert while serving as the color analyst during the Chargers’ 24-16 loss to the Bills last Sunday. In the middle of Herbert’s latest awful outing, Brady hit him with this live during the game:
Once the dust cleared from his 20 completions in 34 attempts for 226 yards, one touchdown, and this ugly red-zone interception, the Chargers plummeted to 0-3 on the young season. Brady’s assessment of this interception was a microcosm of how inept Herbert has played through the start of the season. It served as the culmination of Brady’s frustration with Herbert’s inept performance all afternoon. The interception came in the fourth quarter as the Chargers were completing their collapse.
When compared with Black quarterbacks, those same pundits find all of their shortcomings while making excuses for Herbert. Dan Orlovsky of ESPN was one of the first to face major backlash for his commentary regarding Herbert while chastising Jalen Hurts’ and Lamar Jackson’s styles of play, stating: “I think why you’re a fan of Herbert is what it should look like.” He doubled down while on a panel discussing quarterback styles.
The internet flamed him for remarks that sounded like racial dog whistles not only to those of us who are Black, but to the ears of several white pundits as well.
“What it should look like?” Hasn’t Hurts played in two of the last four Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl LIX for the Eagles? And doesn’t he have a 6-4 playoff record compared with Herbert, who is 0-3 in the playoffs?
Lamar Jackson has two NFL MVPs and is 3-5 in the playoffs. Yet his name is constantly dragged through the mud because of his playoff shortcomings. Herbert has never won a playoff game, but somehow Orlovsky tells us Herbert is what the quarterback position “should look like.”
Ironically, those same pundits also have Lamar Jackson behind a knock-kneed Herbert, despite Jackson winning two NFL MVPs while Herbert has never even been in the discussion. Year after year, we keep hearing how Herbert is going to turn the corner and become the quarterback Josh Allen appears to be.
The excuse that Herbert hasn’t had the same talent around him as these quarterbacks doesn’t hold water either. Herbert has had Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Austin Ekeler, and now Ladd McConkey. He’s had offensive coaches like Kellen Moore and Greg Roman, and now has Jim Harbaugh as his head coach. At what point does the responsibility fall on Herbert?
“Oh he will perform better once he gets a coach who knows how to get the most out of his playing style”: They bring in Coach Jim Harbaugh in 2024. He threw four interceptions in 32-14 wildcard loss down in Houston equaling his regular season total to conclude their first season.
“Oh, he’ll be better once they bring in a young new mind to unleash Herbert’s potential.” Enter new OC Mike McDaniel. Herbert is 16th in yards per attempt (7.1), has completed 59.1% of his passes (52 of 88), and the team hasn’t scored 20 points yet in any of its three losses.
The Los Angeles Chargers are 20th in offense this year and face Seattle’s #1 ranked defense and the Chiefs’ #4 ranked defense in two of the next three weeks. Yikes!
Last year in “The Lie Behind Passer Rating & Several Useless Statistics“ , I showed you that a quarterback has to be in the 7.5 yards per attempt or higher to even be in playoff contention. Ironically, in the second installation of my Shameful Impatience with Black QB series I touted Jalen Hurts over Justin Herbert as they were coming out of the 2020 NFL Draft.
The impatience comes from coaches, GMs, some fans, and definitely the mainstream media. We’re finding that others are now sick of seeing the same racial dogma when it comes to Black quarterbacks while giving players like Justin Herbert a pass…
The Regulars Podcast brought this up a few weeks ago, and the narrative fits perfectly here:
Keep in mind, every pundit kept lauding Herbert despite the fact that he is 0-3 in playoff games. He also has the most fourth-quarter interceptions of any NFL quarterback over the last two years. His first playoff loss was a collapse from a 27-0 lead, only to fall 31-30 to Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars in the ’22 AFC Wild Card Game.
The jury is in, and Herbert is just a below-average quarterback whose peak we’ve already seen. The Chargers will be moving on from either him or Coach Harbaugh once this season concludes. They will be watching the playoffs.
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