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NFL teams obviously have a ton of incentive to make sure their quarterback stays healthy, and Jim Harbaugh has apparently gone to great lengths to protect Justin Herbert since taking over as the coach of the Chargers.
Jim Harbaugh routinely cemented his reputation as one of the quirkiest coaches in college football during his time at Michigan—we’re talking about a man who once climbed a tree to try to impress a recruit and lost out on the chance to secure the talents of another by wearing cleats into his house during a visit—and he’s picked up where he left off after taking the helm for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Harbaugh’s first season with the team is the fifth year Justin Herbert has served as its starting quarterback, and they’ve gotten off to a promising 2-0 start with victories over the Raiders and Panthers.
Herbert had started in 61 consecutive games for the Chargers before suffering a setback toward the end of the 2023 campaign when he suffered a broken index finger that forced him to undergo a season-ending surgery, and Harbaugh apparently isn’t taking any chances when it comes to making sure his QB doesn’t have to deal with another hand issue.
Earlier this week, Joey Bosa spoke with the media and shed some light on a couple of rules Harbaugh told Herbert he’s expected to abide by under the new regime, saying the QB has been barred from high-fiving his teammates while coming off of the field and is also not allowed to tap helmets out of an abundance of caution.
You could argue Harbaugh is being overly paranoid by banning gestures that have a very low chance of actually resulting in an injury, but I can’t say I blame him for erring on the side of caution to protect a guy who signed a five-year extension worth over $262 million last year.