Here's what Justin Herbert had to say heading into Week 13 of 2021.
Justin Herbert on Joe Burrow and meeting him at the 2020 Senior Bowl
"Joe was a great guy to meet. I'm always rooting for him. The success that he's had over the past couple of years has been awesome. I'm always cheering for the best for him ... I think every opportunity that you get to play against a great quarterback like that is special. But, it's about us and their defense. We have to go out and move the ball. We have to convert on third down. We have to do all these things so that we are able to put up points on Sunday."
Herbert on how much more football knowledge he's gained in year two of his career
"I think the more you learn, the more you realize that you don't know as much as you think you do. I think this past year, you kind of find out that there's so much more that goes into football than what I expected; defenses, the way the linebackers lineup, where the safeties rotate and how they disguise things. Those are things that we didn't really get the time to spend on last year, it was more of learning the offense and just getting ready to play football. The more you kind of dive into it, the more there is. That's one of the things that we've looked at this year, just kind of diving into it and having fun — especially with [Passing Game Coordinator/QBs Coach] Shane Day and [Offensive Coordinator] Joe Lombardi, having those guys there, they've exceeded it all. I've been able to learn a bunch from them."
On the Bengals defense
"They're really good. We've seen a lot of the film. They're able to do a lot of things on defense. They're really well-coached. They have some really athletic guys in the secondary that are able to make plays all over the field. They have a really good front seven. It's going take a lot from us."
On guard Matt Feiler returning to the lineup
"He's been one of those guys that we've relied on all year. He's done an incredible job filling in. I know that he's hurting, but he's a tough guy. If he could have been out there last week, I know that he would have been in. He's been incredible all year long. It would mean a lot for us to have him back."
On working with quarterback Chase Daniel
"Chase is awesome. He has had so much experience and he's been able to see so many different offenses, so many different defenses. He's a great kind of buffer between the coaches and me. If there's ever a problem or anything, if I'm murky on a read or anything like that, I go to Chase and Chase is like, 'This is how I think about it. This is how I see it.' We all come together and we talk about it. Chase is one of those guys that has just been around for so long and he knows the game so well. He's had a lot of success over the years."
On supporting Los Angeles' 74th Street Elementary for this year's My Cause, My Cleats initiative:
"It was actually a school that we found close to SoFi Stadium up in Los Angeles. I got to spend a day with them. We donated some equipment for them to go back to school safely. Just got to spend the day with them playing catch, playing tag out at recess. Just got to spend time with them, having lunch. I think it was a great opportunity for us to go back to them and continue to help them out because I remember when I was that age and having that type of role model or influence in my life helped me a ton."
Check out the best photos from the Chargers Friday practice at Hoag Performance Center.
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