She came over to hug him and punched him in the chest, over and over again.
A video of Coach Harbaugh punching and punching the starting quarterback during pregame greetings has gone viral, and even though the 6-foot-6 quarterback looked uncomfortable, it’s clear that Coach Herbaugh was genuinely shocked.
“I wish I’d seen the film on that,” the Chargers star said with a half-laugh, admitting he thought Harbaugh’s routine was over because he got a slap on the back after walking away.
There was a rare disconnect between the Chargers’ franchise quarterback and the head coach who built the team’s culture, and the relationship between the two will be the foundation for the team’s next era.The importance of the connection between a franchise head coach and quarterback can’t be overstated, Chargers quarterbacks coach Shane Day said, and the bond is as strong as Herbert’s sturdy shoulder pads.
“That enthusiasm and love of the game will help Justin develop,” Day said.
Herbert, the 2020 Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year, has set numerous individual passing records over his first four seasons. The Pro Bowl player has made passes that few other players in the NFL even attempt.
But Herbert, who led the Chargers to a win over the Raiders to open his fifth NFL season, is 31-32 as a starter. The former No. 6 overall pick is in his fifth season this season but has yet to win in the playoffs, losing his only game after squandering a 27-point lead in the 2021 AFC Wild Card Game.
Todd Mortensen said it takes perfect cosmic alignment between the organization, head coach and players to turn a good quarterback into a championship quarterback, but Mortensen added that if anyone can help Herbert take that final leap, it’s Harbaugh.
Mortensen was a backup at Brigham Young University before transferring to the University of San Diego in 2004. In his lone year under Coach Harbaugh, Mortensen set school single-season records for pass attempts (389) and completions (234) while throwing for 2,874 yards and 25 touchdowns.
In his final year of college football, a player looking for a starting quarterback spot before pursuing plans to attend law and business school after football, began attracting NFL interest.
He credits a lot of that to Harbaugh.
“He was able to build a team, design a game plan, design an offensive system around the team so that the quarterback and the whole team could do well,” said Mortensen, now a business lawyer in New York.
Harbaugh’s specialty, Mortensen said, is instilling confidence in his players, especially his quarterbacks, by pointing out both what they’re good at and what they could improve on, delivering both praise and criticism with equal enthusiasm and sincerity.
After 15 years as an NFL quarterback, Harbaugh still sees the game through a playmaker’s eyes, said Day, who frequently attends meetings with quarterbacks and said the two quickly hit it off over their shared passion for football.
“He asked great questions and gave us some feedback, so we’re really happy with the flow of this offense,” Herbert said. “We know our quarterback will be well prepared for the game.”
Herbert is the latest in a lineage of quarterbacks under Harbaugh that includes Andrew Luck, Colin Kaepernick and Alex Smith, and Harbaugh believes he can become one of the best.
After meeting the 26-year-old Herbert, Harbaugh listed off a list of things he likes about him: Herbert is “the best leader I’ve ever been around.” After coaching Herbert for the first time in a regular-season game on Sunday, Harbaugh added another item.
“Top of that list is how fierce a competitor he is,” Harbaugh said.
Herbert is a reserved man in public, but before Raiders games, he was at the center of a team huddle yelling at his teammates. As he yelled, he pointed his helmet at them. He implored his offensive line to “do your job up front, we’re all rooting for you.” He told his defenders to “jump around.” The rest of the keywords in his message to the defense were censored.
After the Chargers posted a video of the speech on social media, Herbert said he probably didn’t say anything too shocking — he probably just said “damn.” When told about the incriminating words that were cut, Herbert shrugged.
“Yeah,” Herbert said, “football Justin is different.”
Day emphasized that this down-to-earth individual from Eugene, Oregon, is a truly colorful character.
When the offense struggled to break through against an unexpected and unfamiliar Raiders defense in the first half, Herbert calmly organized solutions on the sideline, confidently telling his teammates what to do differently on the next drive. As he returned to the sideline after scoring the decisive touchdown in the fourth quarter, Herbert showed his fiery side in celebration.
“A good leader is sensitive, well-balanced and brings that out at the right time,” said Day, who guided Herbert to the Pro Bowl in 2021. “He always applies the right thing depending on the environment, the situation, the situation, and he’s authentic. He’s never fake. He’s a lot like Jim in that respect. We’re both comfortable with who we are and we’re not trying to be someone else.”
Between the eccentric head coach known for tucking his shirt into his khakis and the quarterback with the golden arms and flowing blond hair, wide receiver Derrius Davis doesn’t see many similarities. The second-year receiver thought their bond might be more a case of opposites attracting.
But Davis knows they share one of the most important qualities.
“It’s about winning and having fun,” Davis said.
The awkward exchange between Herbert and Harbaugh before the game led to some hilarious moments when teammates saw the video circulating on social media, including running back J.K. Dobbins, who was watching the video during an interview on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Harbaugh said the tradition started when he played in his first preseason game as a Bears rookie. As he stared into the locker room before the game, running back Walter Payton asked him if he was nervous. Trying to play the part of a confident first-round draft pick, Harbaugh stood tall and said, “I’m not nervous.” When the Hall of Fame running back said he gets nervous before every game, Harbaugh retracted his original statement.
To ease his nerves, Payton asked for a toss sweep early in the game and took a hit to calm him down. Coach Harbaugh didn’t want Payton to get hit on the field, so he had some teammates rough him up. Since then, he’s been responsible for giving the quarterback the first hit.
Before Harbaugh and Mortensen played together for the first time — the first game of Harbaugh’s head coaching career — the first punch Harbaugh gave Mortensen was so hard that Mortensen was shocked, but then regained his composure, looked his coach straight in the eye and yelled back, “Let’s go!”
Twenty years later, during his first regular-season game as the Chargers’ head coach, Harbaugh laughed and said he must have felt like a “mosquito” to Herbert.
“He could have hit harder,” Herbert said. “Next time I’m going to ask him to make me feel that punch.”
