LOS ANGELES -- For six seasons, Justin Herbert has positioned himself as one of the league's best quarterbacks -- yet he remains without a playoff win.
Instead, Herbert's three playoff appearances have included one of the most embarrassing losses in NFL history (the Los Angeles Chargers blowing a 27-0 to the Jaguars in the 2022 wild card round) and one of the worst performances of his career (a four-interception loss to the Texans in 2024).
The losses have been for a multitude of reasons, but much of their postseason struggles, particularly of late, have been because of an offense that shrinks when it matters most. The Chargers fired former offensive coordinator Greg Roman after the team's loss to Houston. They had scored ten points over two playoff games under Roman, both games in which the defense played well enough to win.
Out went Roman and in came Mike McDaniel, the quirky former Dolphins coach who has engineered some of the most explosive and unique offenses in NFL history. With McDaniel, the Chargers are hopeful that he helps this offense deliver during the postseason.
That process has begun in earnest with McDaniel challenging Herbert in ways he hasn't been in his pro career, starting with Herbert's footwork and anticipatory throwing. McDaniel wants Herbert to get the ball out quicker and rely less on his strong arm. So he had Herbert switch his shotgun stance, placing his non-throwing foot forward. Previously, Herbert aligned with his right foot forward in the shotgun. Under McDaniel, he has shifted to a stance with his left foot slightly ahead.
It's a shift McDaniel has coached at other stops in the NFL, and he hopes it propels Herbert to a new level.
"I think the biggest thing is it wasn't like I was trying to fix something that was like, 'Well, this is broke,'" McDaniel said. "You're looking at a player that is very, very talented ... and trying to take him to the next level."
Herbert has experience operating from a different shotgun stance. In college, Oregon operated from a balanced stance. And Herbert somewhat downplayed the new stance last week: "I don't think it's too much of a difference."
Most quarterbacks operate with their foot forward that's on the same side as their throwing hand, but McDaniel began learning the benefits of a different stance in 2007. Back then, he was an assistant on the Texans for quarterback coach Kyle Shanahan, who is now the 49ers head coach. McDaniel said he conducted a lengthy study examining stances, and at that time, the only quarterbacks to deviate from the dominant-hand, foot-first shotgun stance were Tom Brady and Brett Favre.
The switch gives quarterbacks a "millisecond competitive advantage," as McDaniel put it, to execute run-pass option plays, and complete passes quickly with receivers in space, an emphasis of McDaniel.
"You're throwing a five-yard out route, how can we get 12 on that? Well, our timing, based on our footwork and when we're able to throw, has a big portion in the overall maximization of that five-yard out route," McDaniel said.
McDaniel most recently coached this switch with former Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who, when McDaniel arrived, had failed to live up to his fifth overall selection in the 2020 draft.
In his first season, the offense finished sixth in total yards, the first time Miami ranked in the top 10 in the category since 1995. The Dolphins led the NFL in total offense in 2023 as Tagovailoa finished with a league-leading 4,624 passing yards and received the only Pro Bowl selection of his career.
McDaniel was also part of the staff that switched former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan's footwork this way. Ryan was named a first-team All-Pro, won the lone MVP of his career, and led the Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance.
The Chargers believe the changes can unlock another level of Herbert, helping him "own the position," McDaniel said.
"He's picked it up and had no real doubt that he would, and it's been great," Harbaugh said. "... We are in a great place right now with Justin and Mike really on the same page."
To aid the shift, McDaniel has limited Herbert's throwing. Once a week, Herbert uses a green water ball to focus on his footwork and throwing motions. There is also hope that less throwing will keep Herbert's arm fresh later in the season.
"I've thrown a lot of footballs, and it's May and June, and I didn't think it was as necessary to throw as much now," Herbert said. "And do everything I can to get the footwork ready and get the offense down and the throws, they'll be there. We've got plenty of time in camp."
When Herbert did throw during minicamp, the results were uneven. Herbert and his receivers were frequently just out of sync on timing, an expected part of implementing a new offense but something that will need to improve during training camp.
"You want to get the ball into a position where the receivers can run with it and get the ball out earlier and in timing and rhythm allows them to do that," Herbert said. "I think we've got the guys that are explosive and able to make guys miss. So I think the better that I can do that, the more successful we'll be."