Former Charger Questions Justin Herbert's Leadership Approach

Herbert has long been perceived as a quieter individual, particularly by NFL standards. While this wouldn’t usually be considered a serious issue, according to Van Noy, this reserved personality affected Herbert’s ability to perform as a teammate during their time together.

"I do think he’s doing some things," Van Noy said. "He would go to team dinners, but I think he could also do more. And that’s just me from my year of being with him. He’s still young. And I’m sure he’s way better now than since I was there. But that was just something he could do even more."

According to Williams, Van Noy shared a locker next to Herbert during his one-year stint with the Chargers in 2022, giving him an exceptionally high level of insight into Herbert’s behavior.

This closeness to Herbert also prompted Van Noy to express additional concerns about him, specifically his preparation.

“You’ve already accomplished so much. I know he wants to accomplish even more, but I do feel like he takes the game very seriously. The one thing I will say about Justin is he works really hard, and I appreciate that as a teammate. But sometimes you don’t have to work as hard. Let’s take a step back for just a second and diagnose - am I doing other parts of the game like the film study enough?” Van Noy explained.

It's clear from this statement that Van Noy respects Herbert’s work ethic, but thinks he's dedicating too much of his time to the physical side of the game rather than the mental. 

To be fair to Herbert, he was only 24 when he played with Van Noy, and it’s likely that he has since become a more team-focused player and developed a greater focus on watching film.

Additionally, it's clear Van Noy didn’t share any of this with malicious intent, based on the following quote.

“Part of me says [Herbert] needs to relax a bit, because he cares so much,” Van Noy told Williams. “He’s a perfectionist. Just go out there and play ball.”

Ultimately, Van Noy’s tenure with the Chargers ended over two years ago, and it’s likely that the concerns he raised about the current Los Angeles star have since been addressed. 

This is especially likely given the recent regime change in Los Angeles, with head coach Jim Harbaugh seemingly bringing a fun, team-focused atmosphere to a Chargers team that desperately needed it.

If that’s the case, Van Noy’s concerns are probably a thing of the past. Still, it offers interesting insight into what Herbert was like early in his career and gives hope for how much he has changed.