The Los Angeles Chargers moved on from offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, replacing him with Kellen Moore. With that has come a new system that star quarterback Justin Herbert is going to need to learn before the season starts.
During an appearance on NFL Network, Herbert explained that they’re putting a lot of pressure on the team’s defense.
“It’s a lot of fun to be a part of,” Justin Herbert said. “Those guys are so athletic, so tall and they’ve done such a great job of picking up the offense.”
As Herbert explained, part of what makes the Chargers’ offense so challenging to defend is the size of their offensive players. Still, Los Angeles’ defense is responding well.
“Even (Quentin Johnston), for as new as he is, he’s got a great feel for the offense. So when you get that going and you get 6’8, 6’3, 6’4, 6’3, it’s going to be tough out there. We’re kind of putting pressure on our defense and they’re doing a great job of making us better. There’s a lot to look forward to.”
Kellen Moore was the Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator prior to coming to Los Angeles. With the Chargers, he’s hoping to get a fresh start. Meanwhile, the Chargers are hoping that Moore can get the most out of Justin Herbert, who the team just gave a massive 5-year extension worth $262.5 million.
“First off, thank you, you know huge thank you to the Chargers organization, the Spanos family, (Chargers GM) Tom Telesco, all the people that went into this decision, and I’m so thankful to be a part of it. Kind of like you mentioned, I think the most important thing for me is to have fun. To enjoy football, and realize that we get to play a game for a living,” Herbert said.
“You know, our teammates, our coaching staff, all those training members, they’re incredible people, and just being around them is the time of my life, so I’m enjoying every bit of it. It is huge — you just can relax and play football now. You get to play free, you have to play fearless and you get to go play the sport that you’ve grown up playing.”
Justin Herbert on working with Kellen Moore
Justin Herbert recently explained what it’s like to work with new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
“I think a lot of the protections are similar. You know, we’ve done a pretty good job of getting a protection plan with our offensive line going in, our running backs and making sure that everyone’s dialed in together because that’s a huge part of the offense,” Herbert said.
“If we have the same or similar verbiage and lingo and we’re able to kind of carry that over from year to year, you know, (it’s a good thing). I think this is a really veteran offensive line group, and they’ve done a great job picking up stuff so far. So we’re communicating well, and as long as we’re doing that, I think we’ll be able to play some pretty good football.”
More must-reads: