This happened Thursday, at the conclusion of the Chargers-Cowboys join practice. The quarterbacks had a throwing-into-the-net contest ([**Ben DiNucci**](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/60276/ben-dinucci) for the Dallas win!), and then Chargers QB [**Justin Herbert**](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/49430/justin-herbert) went to the far end of the far field to practice a specific route. I went down and took a few photos, and a couple videos, when a ball boy approached me.
“Could you please stop filming,” he said.
It was not a question.
“Sure,” I said.
Herbert went at this specific route for 12, 15, 18 minutes, throwing to a couple of camp receivers, time after time. By my watch, he stopped 37 minutes after practice ended. Don’t know how many throws he made … maybe 60.
Then he came off the field, did a scheduled session with the news media, and walked over to me. “Hey, I’m sorry for that,” he said. “I could have handled it better. Should have.”
“You definitely don’t need to apologize,” I said. “I wasn’t aware that was off-limits.”
I asked him about the time he spent—after both the Wednesday and Thursday practices—with the extra throwing. It wasn’t just working extra after practice. I wondered about all the extra throws, and the wear on his arm. It’s one thing for a receiver to catch a bunch of balls off the JUGS machine (see: [**Ja’Marr** ](https://sports.nbcsports.com/2022/08/08/fmia-bengals-jamarr-chase/)
[**Chase**](https://sports.nbcsports.com/2022/08/08/fmia-bengals-jamarr-chase/)[ ](https://sports.nbcsports.com/2022/08/08/fmia-bengals-jamarr-chase/), in this space two weeks ago), and another thing for a quarterback to air out his arm in practice two days in a row, with extra sessions after each.
“During practice,”
Herbert said, “there are times where maybe I miss a throw or maybe I don’t feel like I did my best on that play. I think practice is a time to let it go and go onto the next one. You never want your last play to affect your next one. After practice is where if I need to focus on something, I need to work through something, that’s where I’m gonna make that throw again and again. I just feel like it’s something I have to do. I just have to. I place the ball where I want to, and work on that throw a few times.”
“And your arm’s okay with all that extra throwing?” I asked.
“I take great care of my arm. Plenty of strength training, ice, all the stuff that I need to so I’m able to throw the ball like that … every week. I think now is the time to do it because I’m not playing in the preseason games. We’re off for the next three days. I’ll have plenty of time to rest it. My arm can take it. I’ll take three days off. I’ll rest and I’ll get back at it. I would hate going into this weekend knowing maybe I didn’t throw as well as I would’ve liked. The way I am—I have to go out there and get it right. Throw, feel good about it, and then head off the field. That’s sort of my routine.”
Driving away that day, I thought: There’s a reason this guy’s thrown for 9,300-some yards and 69 touchdowns in his first two NFL seasons, and I think I just saw it.
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**Chargers**
**When I saw them:** Aug. 16 and 17, training camp, Jack Hammett Sports Complex, Costa Mesa, Calif.
**Five things:** I was in camp on Thursday, the day the [**Derwin** ](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/9045/derwin-james)[**James**](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/9045/derwin-james)[ ](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/9045/derwin-james)deal got done. Everyone understands the weirdness of rewarding a player who has missed 29 games due to injury in his first four years, but seeing James hugging 12 Chargers’ employees (not coaches, not players, but staff members) post-practice told me something about his value to a young and growing organization. When GM Tom Telesco couldn’t make the dedication of a high school weight room funded by the Chargers, and with most of the team and coaches on summer break, James went instead. He’ll play all over the back seven of a better defense … The Chargers allowed a ghoulish 4.7 yards per rush last year. So, it is fitting that the last play from scrimmage in the last game of the year was Vegas back [**Josh Jacobs**](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/51376/josh-jacobs) busting up the gut for 10 yards, enabling the Raiders to kick the winning field goal. Thus the off-season importing of defensive tackles [**Sebastian** **Joseph-Day** ](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/9257/sebastian-joseph-day)and [**Austin Johnson**](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/12312/austin-johnson) . “They fit our style up front,” Telesco said. “Size, power, inside anchors. That’s what we needed.” … [**J.**](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/9940/jc-jackson)[**C. Jackson**](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/9940/jc-jackson) and [**Asante** **Samuel** ](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/63766/asante-samuel)Jr., the starting corners, played the Dallas receivers feisty and aggressive in 11-on-11 work … Seeing [**Mike Williams**](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/9037/mike-williams) lay out in a practice, fully parallel to the ground, for a Herbert deep ball that went just off his fingertips, says a lot about his ethos. He was a vital re-sign last March … Just a gut feeling after being around the Chargers for two days: The Deshaun Watson fully guaranteed $230-million contract won’t be the way this team goes when it comes time to negotiate a new deal for Herbert next offseason. I think they’ll make that clear at the start of the process, and the chips will fall where they fall.
**Player to watch:** *Edge-rusher* [***Khalil*** ](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/10967/khalil-mack)[***Mack***](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/10967/khalil-mack)[ ](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/10967/khalil-mack)*.* He’s 31, coming off missing 10 games with a foot injury his last season in Chicago. It’s natural to wonder if this is the start of a decline for Mack . “I really hope people believe that,” Mack said to me, “so I can go out there and show what I’m capable of.” If Mack hadn’t missed those 10 games, my bet is the Chargers never would have gotten him for the 48 th pick in the draft this year (and a sixth- next year). It might have required the 17th pick, which the Chargers used on guard [**Zion** **Johnson** ](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/67715/zion-johnson), who they hope will be a crucial piece of the protection package for Justin Herbert for the next eight years. GM Tom Telesco understands the risk. “It’s impossible to really know \[about Mack ’s long-term health\] but having a head coach who coached him mitigates that risk.” Brandon Staley broke into the NFL on Vic Fangio’s defensive staff in Chicago in 2017 and coached Mack . The plan here is for Mack to rush from the right and [**Joey Bosa**](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/9044/joey-bosa) from the left side. Many days in training camp, Bosa and Mack have gone off to the side and worked on pass-rush moves together. “You talk about two guys still learning the game and wanting to play it at a high level,” Mack told me. “It’s been so much fun studying film with this guy. It’s a good mix of finesse and power. We kinda go back and forth all day … what moves to use on later downs versus earlier downs. We’re gonna try to break records.”
**He said it:**
Mack on his aims for the season: “I’m trying to be better than classic Khalil Mack.”
**What I’ll remember:** Something you’ll see next week in this space. (Spoiler alert: Move on if you don’t want to know a chunk of the column next week.) Meeting coach Brandon Staley at his home San Juan Capistrano for a ride to work. John Carroll University is involved.
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[Full article link](https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/08/22/fmia-nfl-cleveland-browns-deshaun-watson-los-angeles-rams/?cid=fmiatw)
3 comments
In the Thursday presser, Herbert was asked a lot of questions about overusing his arm. I believe Stafford’s tendinitis was brought up, too.
I love the way Peter King writes. He’s a dying breed.
Why would simply being at camp for a couple days give him a “gut feeling” that the Chargers aren’t going to (be able to) offer up a fully guaranteed contract to Herbert?
The point he made in his video about not having 230+ million to put into escrow makes sense, but how would he know that? (Guaranteed money has to go into escrow right at signing, IIRC.)
I get the sense this is either purely him speculating, or someone leaked a little intel as a sort of way to give Herbert’s people a heads up. But why would they need to do that through Peter King when they could just chat with Herb’s agent directly?