Justin Herbert wasn't ready for Jim Harbaugh's pregame ritual

Chris Breiler | Sep 12, 2024

Sep 8, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh catches the ball for quarterback Justin Herbert (10) as he warms up prior to the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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Michigan Wolverines

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh has a pregame ritual that he likes to go through with his starting quarterback each week. The ritual involves a handful of punches, some slaps to the shoulder pads, a few taps to the helmet (if the QB is wearing it), and some additional punches to the back. Michigan fans became familiar with this routine during Harbaugh's tenure in Ann Arbor, but it's something that actually dates back to to at least the 2012 season during his time with the San Francisco 49ers.

For Harbaugh, the idea is to put a few hits on the quarterback before the game starts so that it can knock some of the butterflies out. The Chargers head coach actually credits Hall-of-Fame running back Walter Payton for giving him the idea, as Payton once told Harbaugh during his rookie season that he's always nervous until he takes his first hit.

On Sunday for the season opener against the Raiders, Harbaugh attempted to continue that tradition with Justin Herbert... and it clearly caught the Chargers QB off guard.

guys will see this and go hell yeah pic.twitter.com/zvYrTdGWld
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) September 8, 2024

Herbert, unaware that he was taking part in a well-known Harbaugh pregame tradition, leaned in and gave his head coach a hug. That didn't stop his Harbaugh from hammering away at Herbert's shoulder pads.

Meeting with the media on Wednesday, Herbert was asked specifically about that pregame ritual and whether or not it had the desired effect.

lol justin on coach harbaugh's pregame ritual pic.twitter.com/BsuNoi9QiX
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) September 11, 2024

"No, I think he kind of took it light on me," Herbert said. "He could have hit me harder. And, you know, I'll ask him next time like, 'hey, you gotta make sure I feel those punches.'"

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