Here's what Justin Herbert had to say heading into Week 10 of 2021.
Justin Herbert on the progress he's made the last two seasons
"That's something that we've talked about in the quarterback room. It is always about getting better and improving, but at the same time you need to look back and see how far you've come. In two short years, I feel like I've gotten much better as a quarterback, but there's still so much room to improve. That's one of those things that [Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach] Shane Day and I talk about all the time. We actually get to talk about it quite a bit."
On what to expect from the MIN defense with Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer
"He's got those guys dialed in. He coaches them incredibly well. When you have talented guys like that on that side of the ball, especially with a head coach like that — when all of that goes together, you have an incredible defense. They're about as tough as it gets. Just watching them on film, immediately, you see how talented they are. They're definitely a very tough defense."
On the Vikings' third down defense
"They have some really talented guys on that side of the ball and they make plays. They have a really good front seven. What they're able to do with disguises, they make everything look the same. Like you said, they've been historically good over the past decade or so. They've been able to pick that up. It's a very tough third down team. You have to do a good job of having a preparation and having a protection plan all week so that, when you go in there on Sunday, you have any chance to beat them."
On if he can apply lessons from the Ravens game to the Vikings game
"I think, having gone through that Ravens game and seeing the looks that they gave, you have to learn from it. Obviously, it was a tough game for us, but we had a lot of good film to watch. You have to improve from that. Whatever the defense brings, you have to be ready for. You have to do a good job of preparing for it, seeing it and scouting it. Going through all of that process. I feel like as long as you have a good protection plan, you give yourself a shot. This Vikings defense, they're very tough so you need everything you've got for them."
On head coach Brandon Staley
"The best thing about him is that he's the same in every situation. He's confident. He's a relationship type of guy that cares so much about our football team. He's so smart. He was the exact same in fall camp as the spring ball. He's one of those leaders that everyone wants to work for. Everyone wants to fight for him and go to battle for him. He has the respect of this team and everyone really likes to play for him."
On making throws deep down the field
"I think very highly of the guys we have on the outside. I think [WR] Mike Williams, [WR] Keenan [Allen], [WR] Jalen Guyton and all of those tight ends that we have, they're able to make plays on the outside. Whenever we can get the ball downfield to them, I think something good is going to happen. I'm not necessarily adamant about pushing those, but whenever I get the chance, I love to take those shots with those guys. I think that's a huge part of our offense, to get the ball downfield. I do think that's something that, moving forward, we need to take more advantage of."
On finishing games with the offense on the field
"As soon as you kind of learn to put away games like that, I think you feel more confident going into the next one. Having been through that with the Washington game and now the Eagles game, we've gone through it and we know what to do. We know how to execute. Whenever you go into the next one, you hopefully can look back and remember the experience that you gained from that game."
On his assessment of the Chargers offense against the Eagles
"I think it was a big step up for us. I think that we could be better on fourth down. We had a couple of those situations that we need to execute better. I feel like we have the right guys out there. We have the right calls. We were just inches away from executing. That's one of those things that — I thought, overall, we did a lot of good things, but a lot of good things that we need to fix, too. We addressed those on Monday. I'm thankful we had another week of preparation and another week of practice to prepare for this week's game."
Check out the best photos from the Chargers Friday practice at Hoag Performance Center.
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