What is the obsession with the Chargers?

[Dave Gray]

The Chargers are a very mid-tier team.  They almost make the playoffs most years.  Sometimes they squeak in but don't go anywhere.  Their QB is flashy, but ultimately pretty ineffective in terms of winning games and gets lots of excuses.

They have 6 Primetime games this year.

And I just see a ton of Facebook content praising Herbert in this list of elite QBs.  It's like they're trying to create this narrative that isn't there in reality.

[EDGECRUSHER]

People like to watch "stars", whether they be legitimate or manufactured. Herbert also plays for a big market LA team. The league just sees it as a way to make a huge new star to help ratings and jersey sales.

They would love it if Tua stayed healthy and played like he did last year, then they could push the "QB Class of 2020" narrative for another 15 years. Every game between those 4 QB's (Jalen Hurts in the 2nd round) would be a prime time affair.

[Spider-Dan]

The "golden-haired surfer god" is Teflon.
Anyone else who lost a playoff game after leading 27-0 would be getting slaughtered in the media.  (Look how they massacred my boy Matt Ryan after 28-3.)  The Chargers had 6 Pro Bowlers in 2021 and didn't even make the playoffs.

The idea that Herbert should even be discussed in the same sentence as Joe Burrow is ridiculous.  Trevor Lawrence should be taking all of this Herbert worship by the media extremely personally.

[CF DolFan]

Trevor Lawrence should be taking all of this Herbert worship by the media extremely personally.

Trevor is the real deal. I didn't realize how big he was until this past season. It sucks he's going to be playing in London soon because he is going to be great. As well ... anyone who celebrates a playoff victory with his wife and friends at Waffle House gets bonus points from me! hahaha

[Brian Fein]

The league wants Herbert to be a Mahomes-level star in the worst way.  Only thing is, he is the most overrated player in the league.  Constantly chokes in big games and the aforementioned 27-0 lead, threw like 3 picks with the season on the line against the Raiders the year before... 

I don't get the obsession.

[EDGECRUSHER]

The league wants Herbert to be a Mahomes-level star in the worst way.  Only thing is, he is the most overrated player in the league.  Constantly chokes in big games and the aforementioned 27-0 lead, threw like 3 picks with the season on the line against the Raiders the year before... 

I don't get the obsession.

He's young, puts up big yardage numbers and plays for Los Angeles. It's all about marketing but the league may not push so hard if he has another 27-0 collapse.

[Spider-Dan]

The wokester in me thinks Herbert is being pushed over Tua and Hurts for Obvious Reasons, but Burrow is objectively more marketable than Herbert (in addition to being a better player) and it seems like they are pushing Herbert much harder than Burrow, to say nothing of Lawrence.  So I don't get it.

[EDGECRUSHER]

The wokester in me thinks Herbert is being pushed over Tua and Hurts for Obvious Reasons, but Burrow is objectively more marketable than Herbert (in addition to being a better player) and it seems like they are pushing Herbert much harder than Burrow, to say nothing of Lawrence.  So I don't get it.

I think Burrow markets himself and doesn't need a marketing team behind him. Herbert seems kinda bland so he will need the push of undeserved primetime games. Bet he does some commercials next.

No one can pronounce Tua's last name and he is a constant reminder of the brutality of football, so the NFL will pretend he doesn't exist even if he wins the Superbowl while saving puppies from a burning building.

[Downunder Dolphan]

Short answer (and the obvious one): We drafted Tua one pick before Herbert. The comparison will always be there because of that (who we should have picked).

[Dave Gray]

Short answer (and the obvious one): We drafted Tua one pick before Herbert. The comparison will always be there because of that (who we should have picked).

I understand the comparison to Tua, but why the national media obsession with that team?  They've never been anything other than barely passable.

[EDGECRUSHER]

I understand the comparison to Tua, but why the national media obsession with that team?  They've never been anything other than barely passable.

Big market bias is the main thing that comes to mind. Burrow is Cincinnati, Lawrence is Jacksonville and Mahomes has the audacity to play in Kansas City. Almost all sports leagues love it when their big market teams are the best or have the best players.

[Spider-Dan]

Yeah, but you never saw Deshaun Watson in Houston or Justin Fields in Chicago get the kind of push that Herbert is getting.  It's gotta be more than just the media market.

[Dave Gray]

I think Herbert has a look that these outlets like.  They want him to be the California surfer pretty boy all-american cornfed midwesterner all rolled into one.

[EDGECRUSHER]

Yeah, but you never saw Deshaun Watson in Houston or Justin Fields in Chicago get the kind of push that Herbert is getting.  It's gotta be more than just the media market.

That's a very good point, although I feel that Fields is getting more play than he deserves for just one good year of rushing.

It has to be a combo of big market bias with a potentially good Los Angeles team and he looks like a dopey surfer boy. The NFL is trying to make fetch happen.

[Fau Teixeira]

I understand that Houston and Chicago are "big" market teams .. with "big" very much in air quotes.

They are dwarfed by LA, it's the difference between boston and NYC .. sure boston is "big" .. but it's tiny compared to NYC.

LA is the single largest untapped media market in the US for the NFL .. chicago has the bears, people will watch, NYC has 2 teams people will watch even if they suck. (and with A-A-ron that won't be an issue)

LA has the rebuilding rams and the chargers .. the NFL is desperate to push Herbert to pull in as much money as they can from that market.