Jon Gruden is known for his wild antics and takes. On Monday, he became the Monday morning quarterback, sharing his belief that the Los Angeles Chargers’ brutal 0-2 start is owed to a lack of connection between quarterback Justin Herbert and his coaching staff.
The former Las Vegas Raiders head coach appeared on “Wake Up Barstool” and told Dave Portnoy, “Well I’ve been 0-2 before, and when you’re 0-2 and lose in the way they’re losing, you’ve got to point the finger at the coach and the quarterback. That’s always where it starts.
“But I’ll say this: the opening pass, [Herbert] throws a bullet to the rookie from Mississippi State. He drops it, it hits him right in the throat. Then they throw a pass to a wide open David Njoku — I mean, he’s wide open — he drops the ball, and then it’s intercepted,” Gruden added.
“The Chargers look bad. And they look bad on defense, they look bad as a team. They’ve lost to two teams that were in last place last year, at home. And if you look at their schedule now, Dave, it’s ugly.
“But to answer your question, Herbert is completely out of rhythm. He doesn’t even look normal sitting on the sidelines; he and [Chargers offensive coordinator Mike] McDaniel look like who people that met in France,” Gruden continued.
“The wires are crossed! It doesn’t look like there’s any communication.
Gruden then went rogue on his explanation for why Herbert is struggling so much.
“I see [Chargers head coach Jim] Harbaugh banging on Herbert before the game. Maybe that’s the problem, maybe the guy is just beat into the ground,” the former head coach quipped.
Herbert already being “beat into the ground” two games into the season does not bode well for the Chargers’ outlook.
Their next seven opponents are all among the league’s best. Beginning a season 0-2 already puts the Chargers in hole. Only 15% of teams that drop the first two games go on to make the playoffs.
But any worse, it’s near impossible.
