Chargers Fans Won’t Like This Analyst’s Justin Herbert Take

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has not had the best luck as a pro. Even when he has put the team in a position to win games, they have been squandered almost instantly.

Three times during the 2023 season in starts Justin Herbert made, the defense blew a late comeback the offense put together. In his career, that has happened seven times already.

For reference, Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts, who have 154 combined starts, have had it happen to them a combined seven times. A poor supporting cast has plagued Justin Herbert throughout his career with the Chargers.

However, there is one analyst who has begun to question if the issues for Los Angeles are because of their quarterback. During a recent segment of The Carton Show, Craig Carton suggested the problem with Justin Herbert-led teams could be him.

“Between college and the pros, the dude’s had 6 head coaches, maybe he’s the problem,” Carton said earlier this week.

In college at Oregon, Justin Herbert started his career with Mark Helfrich. After his freshman season, Helfrich was fired and replaced by Willie Taggart.

Taggart lasted 12 games on the job before the team opted to move on from him. Mario Cristobal took over as the head coach for the team’s bowl game and remained in the position through 2021.

When the Chargers selected him sixth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, his head coach was Anthony Lynn. Lynn was fired after the 2020 season and replaced by Brandon Staley.

Staley was the coach for less than three seasons. After 14 games in 2023, he was fired and replaced by Giff Smith on an interim basis for the remainder of the season.

Now, it will be Harbaugh leading the way for the Chargers on the sidelines. He is a massive upgrade over Staley, who had a defensive background yet oversaw one of the least productive defensive units in the NFL during his tenure.

Carton does have a valid point that Justin Herbert has had a lot of head coaches. But, it would be hard to place blame on Justin Herbert, who by all accounts, has done everything possible to help his team win games.

Wins and losses are only counted against the quarterback, but other factors help determine outcomes. For example, Justin Herbert wasn’t playing defense when the Chargers blew a 27-0 lead during the playoffs in 2023.

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