Some of what Brandon Staley’s doing to build a bond with his quarterback is pretty informal, stuff no one would think twice about. The new Chargers coach might send Justin Herbert a clip from practice late at night. He might text, asking for a shot of his scorecard, if he hears the 23-year-old phenom’s playing golf with the guys after practice. Other times, it’s been Staley sending a picture of his son Colin’s wearing a No. 10 jersey to school.
And of course, they’ve done the requisite dinners, one-on-ones at the facility and all that.
You get these stories every spring, when a new coach gets hired and tied to a young, ascending quarterback, and Staley’s not the only one on the staff making this kind of effort.