- The Washington Times - Thursday, August 18, 2022

Two years into his NFL career, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has yet to make the playoffs. 

But that hasn’t deterred one former NFL head coach from his belief that Herbert’s ceiling is higher than any other young quarterback in the league. Former St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz recently compared Herbert to Tom Brady — yes, that Tom Brady — in an interview with The 33rd Team. 

“There’s something different about him that only comes along every 50 years, like a [Tom] Brady,” said Martz, who led the Rams from 2000 to 2005. “Justin is in early in the morning with the coaches. He stays as late as they’ll let him. He just wants to be the best quarterback in the National Football League. That’s just who he is.”

Herbert, a first-round pick in 2020, had a good rookie season, but he took his game to the next level last season with 5,014 yards and 38 touchdowns. The 6-foot-6 signal caller is considered one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL at just 24 years old. 

But his talent has yet to translate into wins for the Chargers, who have a 15-17 record when Herbert is under center. The Chargers went 9-8 last year and missed the postseason after losing an epic Week 18 contest versus the Raiders in overtime. 

Brady, meanwhile, has only missed the postseason in two of his 19 seasons and has won seven Super Bowl titles. 

But Martz has no doubt that Herbert has the talent to lead the Chargers to the promised land one day. 

“There’s no flaws to him,” Martz said. “He’s a fiery competitor that has that great skill. … There’s really nothing that he can’t do.”

• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.

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