Chargers were concerned about Herbert

its a legit question. if Herbert is so good, then why did he not beat Tyrod Taylor for the starting job? did the coaches miss something in training camp? well, now former LA (SD still in my mind) Chargers HC Anthony Lynn answered the question...

I did not want to expose him too soon. I’ve seen what that has done to some top picks — especially at the quarterback position. And how sometimes, those young men never recover because they’re living in a day and age where the media is just right there. I mean, social media, and things spread, and some of these kids are just not mentally strong enough to overcome a lot of the negative vibes that they get early in their careers. I think that’s pretty obvious when you look at the quarterback position.

But Justin had to go in and play. We didn’t have any choice. Tyrod [Taylor] got his lungs punctured.

https://sports.yahoo.com/former-chargers-coach-anthony-lynn-172554218.html

whoa, did he just say he was concerned about Herbert's mental toughness? and he did say something we all knew, but perhaps would've been better to keep to himself...that Herbert was put in only because he had no other choice. and to his credit, Herbert did play reasonably well for a rookie despite amassing a losing 6-9 record as a starter - and getting his HC fired. its not gonna be easy for Herbert as a 2nd year QB under a whole new staff, but time will tell.

Non-issue to me. Shula did the same thing with Marino holding him out for 6 games and eventually had to start him because the horrible pass offense was causing the season to go down the drain. Was Marino not mentally tough?

If anything this makes Lynn look bitter. Literally no reason for him to be accusing Herbert of being a snowflake now. What does it accomplish?

Also (to bump this back up to the top) coaches have refused to start highly drafted rookie QBs for decades because the prevailing notion is that they can't handle any sort of adversity right away (which completely defeats the purpose of drafting QBs high) so why is that even news?

DolFan 316 wrote:Non-issue to me. Shula did the same thing with Marino holding him out for 6 games and eventually had to start him because the horrible pass offense was causing the season to go down the drain. Was Marino not mentally tough?

If anything this makes Lynn look bitter. Literally no reason for him to be accusing Herbert of being a snowflake now. What does it accomplish?

That's nearly word-for-word my thinking as well. Coaches don't know. Also, it's not when you get in, it's what you do once you're in. Aaron Rodgers was held out for 29 years before he got out there.

DolFan 316 wrote:Also (to bump this back up to the top) coaches have refused to start highly drafted rookie QBs for decades because the prevailing notion is that they can't handle any sort of adversity right away (which completely defeats the purpose of drafting QBs high) so why is that even news?

It's the curse of George Allen.

I think every QB is different. Marino was an alpha male and mental toughness was never an issue. But Herbert? Looking at what he did in college, I can absolutely see why a coach would have questions about him. He usually came up short in pressure situations, particularly in the 4th quarter, and he had periods of being wildly inaccurate. And sure enough - all those things showed up as an NFL rookie as well. Sure, he put up great numbers as a rookie - just as he did in college - but he also showed that he chokes in the 4th quarter and doesn't have the win-at-all-costs mentality.

I've said from day one that IMHO Herbert is going to be nothing more than a compiler - a guy that puts up huge numbers year after year but never wins anything meaningful. Maybe he'll prove me and his other doubters wrong, but so far I think he is what he is. He's got "coach-killer" written all over him.

Coaches kill themselves, not the QBs. They're the pussies who can't get off the fence about shitheels like Jay Fiedler, so they rot, as they should, in coaching purgatory, because they lack the balls to get off their knees.

Fuck those coaches.

Degarmo wrote:Coaches kill themselves, not the QBs.  They're the pussies who can't get off the fence about shitheels like Jay Fiedler, so they rot, as they should, in coaching purgatory, because they lack the balls to get off their knees.

Fuck those coaches.

Sure, but it's a tough spot to be in when your QB puts up huge numbers year after year and yet never get you a ring. I'm not talking about mediocre QBs like Fiedler...but guys like Rivers and Stafford that have near-HOF stats but just can't win the big one. It's not that there's anything inherently wrong with those QBs, and yes, coaching and personnel decisions play a HUGE role, but situationally some QBs are big-game hunters and some aren't. You live and die with QBs like that...they're just good enough that you would never dream of replacing them, but you're probably never going to win a Super Bowl with them. And as a result, the QB stays and you get fired...and so does the next guy, and the next guy, etc.

I'm purposely not throwing Marino's name out there...if anything, he prolonged Shula's career - he sure didn't kill it.