Chargers' Justin Herbert Breaks Down Odd Pregame Ritual Jim Harbaugh Did During Week 1

Valentina Martinez | 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

Ahead of the Los Angeles Chargers win in the season opener, a unique pre-game interaction transpired between head coach Jim Harbaugh and quarterback Justin Herbert.

As the pair stood on the sideline after the national anthem, Harbaugh began to ramp up his quarterback by hitting his shoulder pads. Herbert mistakenly went in to hug Harbaugh, not realizing he wasn't finished with the duo's new pre-game routine. Harbaugh then began to hit Herbert's chest and back. It was evident the quarterback wasn't prepared for the new pre-game ritual.

guys will see this and go hell yeah pic.twitter.com/zvYrTdGWld

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) September 8, 2024

"I just wasn't ready for it," Herbert told reporters with a smile. "I thought it was a moment like 'Hey let's go get this.' Dap up. But he hit me a couple times and I thought that was it, but then he kept going back for more. I'll be much better the next time."

Harbaugh's unique pre-game hype-up Herbert isn't new. It's something the coach has done with pretty much all of his quarterbacks.

Harbaugh's inspiration for the pre-game ritual came from a conversation he had with Walter Payton when he was a rookie in the NFL.

"Before I played my first preseason game as a player, my rookie year, I was sitting by my locker and Walter Payton came up to me and asked me if I was nervous," Harbaugh said. "I said, 'No, I'm not nervous. It's just preseason, you know?' But I really was nervous, very nervous, and almost like to the point where I thought I was going to throw up in my helmet just sitting there. Walter said, 'I get nervous before every game. Every game I get nervous. And then I take my first hit and then I'm fine.' And then he got up and walked away. That was very profound to me, 'Wow. Walter Payton gets nervous and that's OK."

The legendary Hall of Famer's advice inspired Harbaugh to create an abnormal pre-game ritual for his quarterbacks ahead of each game.

Though Herbert wasn't prepared for the interaction in the season opener, rest assured the quarterback will be ready in Week 2.

"I guess I should have been more ready for it," Herbert said. "I watched Easton Stick go through it in the preseason so I could have been more aware. I could have watched the film on that and had a better beat.

The Chargers take on the Carolina Panthers as their next challenge in the Harbaugh era.