Jim Harbaugh & Justin Herbert Postgame Press Conference vs. Rams — LA Chargers

[0:00] Takeaways are we lost the game. [0:06] We weren't able to finish drives with touchdowns. [0:09] Also lost in the middle eight, touchdown before the half, [0:17] and the opening drive touchdown by the Rams, [0:20] and turning the ball over. [0:24] Those were key once again. [0:28] It's been nine quarters since your offense scored a touchdown. [0:30] What do you kind of attest to that problem in the last few games? [0:35] Yeah, aware of that, and keep working, keep studying. [0:41] And it's not a familiar position for any of the guys in our locker room. [0:48] So we're the only ones who can change it, [0:50] and we are highly motivated and dedicated to do that. [0:55] Is it worrisome that your quarterback now has 10 interceptions on the year [0:59] and has never had this high amount of turnovers [1:03] eight games or seven games into the season? [1:06] Yeah, we're aware of what the issues are, [1:16] and we're the only ones who can fix them. [1:20] What the issues are. [1:24] You guys come in every week trying to fix these things. [1:27] Yeah, I mean, I felt like our offense was getting into a rhythm [1:34] and had those three drives that didn't end in scores, [1:40] and then we gave up the two touchdowns during the middle eight. [1:49] Our defense was playing extremely well. [1:52] When you turn the ball over and put it on their side of the drive short, [2:01] those are the issues. [2:05] You did have some change that could be coming offensively during the bye week. [2:10] Ultimately, Mike was kept in his role. [2:15] What is it that you need to see from him that would change things? [2:20] What gives you confidence that he is the right guy [2:24] to help this team win games offensively? [2:29] First of all, it's a team effort, [2:31] and we're going to look at the film. [2:36] We're going to address our issues, where we can get better, [2:42] and just keep working. [2:43] That's highly motivated and dedicated to getting this right. [2:47] We're the only ones that have the opportunity to change it, to fix it, [2:55] and that's what we're going to do, go back to work. [2:58] And I've not been in this position that many times either here as a coach, [3:06] but I know we've got to be dedicated ourselves to getting this turned. [3:14] That's where we're at. [3:17] You said you haven't been here as a coach in a position like this. [3:21] So nobody has, nobody in the locker room has. [3:24] None of the players, none of the, I don't know of anybody in there that has. [3:29] But I do know we're the only ones who can get it turned. [3:36] You had a rookie as a player with the Chargers on. [3:44] What is that experience? [3:50] Yeah, there's no quit, there's no surrender. [3:55] You know, it's going to be an opportunity next week and get ourselves ready for that. [4:03] And that's a, there's a, it's that motivation, it's that dedication that, you know, [4:15] we're going to, there's next week, there's an opportunity. [4:19] And we're the only ones. [4:21] There's no place to, there's no place to, there's no Appomattox. [4:24] So you got to, you got to keep working and you got to keep, keep moving forward and, [4:30] and just give it your very best and get better. [4:35] But there's, there's never any quit. [4:37] Any thought process to let Justin walk the way that he's been? [4:45] No. [4:46] I'm going to continue to call plays, Jim. [4:50] Yes. [4:52] Not going to address any, anything. [4:54] I'm, I'm focused on this game and that's my focus. [5:00] What from the past seven games tells you that this can be fixed? [5:04] I mean, you keep, you keep him, the team's 0-7, the offense has played an outsized role [5:11] in the struggles. [5:12] Like, why, why are you keeping him? [5:14] What is the rationale? [5:17] Yeah. [5:17] Our motivation is, uh, dedication to, to getting it, to getting it changed, to getting it fixed. [5:25] You don't want to answer the question. [5:29] I said, I'm focused on this game. [5:32] I will go watch this tape and, uh, and I believe in our guys. [5:37] I believe in our, our players, our coaches, and, uh, yeah, it's, it's us who are the ones [5:44] that, uh, you know, the, the challenge is, uh, is with, and we're the ones that, we're [5:51] the only ones that can fix it. [5:52] What's your evaluation of the way Justin played today? [5:56] Uh, again, before I talk about any, anybody, I'm going to, I'm going to look at the film [6:01] and, uh, and evaluate that. [6:04] Jim, at 0-7, some could start pointing fingers, teammates and stuff. [6:10] How do you get that from not happening, especially when you guys haven't won a game this season? [6:16] It's, it's, it's the people, it's the people on the team. [6:20] It's, uh, like I said, we're the ones, we know we're the ones that, uh, we're the ones. [6:28] It, it's in our power. [6:30] It's in our power. [6:31] Uh, and it's the only, the only people that have the, the power to do it is, is us. [6:36] Jim, do you understand why I'm asking you about Mike and his role in all of this? [6:42] And why, like, you feel that you should stay as offensive coordinator? [6:48] Does, does that make sense why I'm asking this? [6:53] You've asked, and I think I've answered the question, so. [6:56] If I've asked you about him and you haven't talked about him, you've just said vague. [7:00] Talked about us. [7:01] It's team. [7:02] It's the team, the team, the team. [7:04] It's us. [7:08] Confidence where, or get it to where it needs to be to compete. [7:13] And it's such a difficult, when, when they're going through, when you're going through. [7:19] Faith, faith in ourselves, faith in each other. [7:29] What's going through your mind, Justin, after another loss and another game in which the offense just struggled? [7:37] Yeah, it's really tough. [7:38] Uh, you know, I feel, I feel for the defense. [7:40] I feel for the team and, um, nobody feels worse. [7:42] What is the process like at this stage in the season at 0-7 to wrapping your guys' mind around how to, how to fix this? [7:56] Uh, gotta find a way. [7:58] Whatever we're doing, uh, it hasn't been good enough and, um, you know, it's up to us. [8:02] Only, only we in that locker room can change it and work toward it. [8:06] Um, and, uh, we gotta find a way. [8:10] First interception, it was a, looked like a pick play, uh, just bringing Charlie on the out route. [8:16] Did you, in hindsight, did you think you should have got it more outside? [8:21] It was a little behind him. [8:22] What did you see on that one? [8:23] Yeah, I think that would have been helpful. [8:26] The second one, could you see the underneath defender? [8:29] Was, was Matlock in your line of view there? [8:33] Uh, no, I, I, I didn't see him. [8:34] And, uh, you know, gotta be smarter with the ball. [8:36] In that situation, is it, do you feel like it's something you should know, like, where [8:42] that defender is just based on the pre-snap coverage and what the shell is, like, after, [8:48] after the snap, like, even though you can't see him, like, actually, like, know that he's [8:53] there? [8:55] Uh, if I, if I couldn't see him, then I, I couldn't see him. [8:58] I, I made a play and, um, yeah, I'd love to have it back and do something differently, [9:02] but didn't see him. [9:05] What would, what would you have been able to do differently in hindsight? [9:08] Uh, throw it to someone else or check down or, uh, scramble or do something. [9:14] Those types of plays where the pick goes to an underneath defender has been something [9:19] that's repeatedly happened this season. [9:22] It's not every pick, but a number of them. [9:25] What is the disconnect there in this particular offense for you? [9:28] I think it's just bad decisions, poor mistakes by me and something that I have to clean up. [9:34] It's about us, too. [9:35] Um, what, what does that mean to you? [9:37] I think it's just the guys in that locker room that, uh, you know, we gotta, gotta stick [9:41] together. [9:41] Obviously, it's a tough situation, but, uh, you know, we're all we have in that locker room [9:45] and those are the guys that can fix it and do everything we can to make it work. [9:50] Gene? [9:50] I'm guessing you haven't been on many 117s. [9:54] Mm-hmm. [9:54] How much of a, sort of like, like, what does it feel like? [9:59] It's tough. [9:59] Obviously, um, you know, you'd love to be in a different position and nobody feels worse, [10:03] but, uh, it's the unfortunate truth and we have to deal with it and find a way to get [10:07] out of it. [10:09] Drew Brees was on the color commentary for today's game. [10:13] One of the observations he made was that there are certain instances in which you're not trusting [10:19] yourself in this offense. [10:21] I think one of the plays was Vlad ran the curl route, open the field. [10:26] The field is kind of open, it's cover two, and you skip to the check down. [10:31] Like, in this offense, do you feel like you've been able to trust yourself in this or is this [10:36] still something you're getting used to? [10:38] Yeah. [10:38] Yeah, I trust myself and, um, you know, could have made a better play, could have done [10:42] something else and didn't do it, and that's when you have to watch it and say, you know, [10:45] you should have done this or that and have a better feel for it. [10:48] Given the pressure that you've dealt with consistently hits, sacks, does that naturally [10:54] speed up your internal clock on some of these plays? [10:57] It shouldn't. [10:58] It, uh, should be part of the game of just going through your reads and making sure that [11:01] you're getting the ball out quick and, um, you know, it's part of the game. [11:04] They got a defense, they got good pass rushers, and you have to be smart about it. [11:07] It shouldn't, but does it? [11:10] No, I think it's just one of those things that, uh, you're aware of and understanding [11:13] that they have a pass rush, and if you see, um, you know, a guy breaking through the line, [11:17] then you have to do something about it and throw it away or, or get the ball out quicker. [11:20] What gives you confidence in Mike? [11:24] You guys have had countless conversations. [11:28] You said you guys watch four hours of film during the bye week. [11:31] Um, how do you find buy-in into a system like this when the results just haven't been there [11:39] week after week? [11:40] Uh, because I, I believe in him. [11:42] I, we, we believe in him. [11:44] He's, he's, he's a great coach. [11:45] He's very smart. [11:46] And, um, you know, it's on us as an offense to, to make those plays. [11:49] And, um, you know, guys are open and just got to find them and make plays and score points [11:53] that score touchdowns, and we haven't done that for him. [11:56] Mike really made his name as a run game expert. [12:00] The lack of being able to get that going consistently, how much is that hindering what the offense [12:05] is capable of? [12:06] Um, I, I think we're, we're running the ball pretty well. [12:08] I think, uh, turnovers are what's stopping us, and that's something that we have to clean [12:11] up. [12:11] And, um, you know, I think it's tough when, you know, we're not converting on third down, [12:15] not scoring points in the red zone. [12:16] So, uh, it's tough, um, in that regard. [12:19] So you think it would be beneficial to sit at this point with the way that you're playing and [12:24] the way the team's playing? [12:25] How do you look at that? [12:26] Uh, I don't make that decision. [12:28] I, I do my best to, to play quarterback and be the best quarterback and leader that I can [12:31] be for this team. [12:32] And, um, that's all I'm focused on. [12:34] Does it kind of confuse you how much you've struggled with turnovers this season? [12:38] You've never dealt with this kind of adversity, and, and specifically that part of your game [12:45] has, has never been, like, this bad this season. [12:52] Um, yeah, I mean, that's part of the game. [12:54] And, um, it's the unfortunate part of where we're at, and I, I'd love to have played better [12:58] and made better, uh, decisions. [12:59] But, uh, you know, I haven't, and, and that's something I have to work on and continue to [13:02] get better at. [13:03] Justin, how do you continue to, to keep a positive mindset with where you guys are at in terms [13:09] of your record and how you're playing? [13:11] And still, you know, a lot of games left. [13:13] How do you continue to kind of focus on the positive aspects of, of where you guys are at? [13:17] Yeah, it's, it's, uh, there's a lot of football left. [13:19] And, um, you know, it's what I would ask of everyone else in that locker room to, to have a great [13:23] enthusiasm, positive energy, and showing up to work and giving their best effort because [13:27] that's what everyone else is doing. [13:28] And, um, for us to be able to fix this, turn it around, that's what we're going to have [13:31] to do. [13:32] I just mean, Justin, when, when you haven't dealt with turnover issues before, like this, [13:36] how much more difficult does it make it for you at this point in your career to actually [13:40] figure out what's, what's wrong? [13:43] Uh, yeah, I just got to watch film and, um, you know, do my best to understand why they're [13:47] happening and, uh, not do that and move forward and keep getting better.