LA Chargers: 3 lessons Justin Herbert must learn from Tyrod Taylor

There is a reason why Justin Herbert is backing up Tyrod Taylor on the LA Chargers.

The self-fulfilling prophecy from the offseason is coming true as LA Chargers training camp develops as Tyrod Taylor is obviously the starting quarterback for the team and Justin Herbert has slotted into QB2 and is more concerned with being a sponge.

This is what we expected and this is important for Herbert. Playing behind a veteran quarterback for a season and learning the ropes for a year is nothing but beneficial, especially in this unique, COVID-19 season.

Taylor is going to be teaching Herbert some things that will make him a better starting quarterback. While Herbert already has a better arm than Tyrod and knows how to let it rip, there are some unmistakably important lessons that Herbert will learn from Taylor in year one.

1. Being more vocal, being a leader

This is something that got its own short segment on the latest episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks”. Justin Herbert is a fantastic athlete with a rocket arm that seemingly has a fantastic mind for football. What he has not been thus far is a vocal leader, and can you really blame him? He is no Philip Rivers and he is a rookie, after all.

There was a shot of Herbert making pre-snap adjustments, with head coach Anthony Lynn commenting that he could tell what Herbert was calling just on the inflection of his voice. These are the little things that fans do not think about.

That is something that is going to come with time, it is not something that is irreversible. Herbert just has to get used to being under center more and making adjustments out of the huddle. He is not at Oregon anymore.

Taylor definitely has his own way of operating in this space and he too is no Philip Rivers, barking out orders at the O-line and being so audible that we can hear him clearly from our living rooms. However, he is a professional that knows what it takes to be a leader and being a starting NFL quarterback.