Chargers’ Tom Telesco on Justin Herbert’s 2022 campaign: ‘Adversity is a great teacher’

The gut-wrenching end to the Chargers’ 2022 campaign left a sour taste in the mouths of many fans who thought the team was headed for Super Bowl glory when they clinched a spot in the AFC playoffs. But, alas, their utter collapse against the Jaguars in the Wild Card round proved that the team isn’t quite ready for the biggest spotlight.

Despite Los Angeles’ early playoff exit, general manager Tom Telecso is choosing to see the silver lining in the team’s situation. In comments during his end-of-season press conference, he gave his thoughts on how the Chargers’ current situation might make quarterback Justin Herbert even more effective next season.

“Adversity is a great teacher for anybody, especially at that position,” Telesco explained. “His mentality, when talking about mental toughness and how he handled situations — if you’re a player in the huddle and you’re looking at Justin Herbert, there’s no fear in his eyes, there’s no flinch.

“That’s what great leaders have. Sometimes, it does take some development to get there, to kind of go through those different battles and those different wars and see the success that you can have. That’s the type of guy you want in your huddle when you’re moving the ball down the field.”

Despite dealing with fractured rib cartilage for most of the season, missing multiple starters throughout the year and being hamstrung by an offensive scheme that did not tailor to his strengths, Herbert still put the team in a position to win weekly.

Nevertheless, Herbert did take a massive leap as a leader of the team and solidified himself as the face of the franchise. And now it’s time for him to get paid like one.

Telesco’s positivity is encouraging, though, for a team that hasn’t found postseason success for the better part of a decade, most fans are likely to think that his talk is cheap.

It will take sustained success to have the local or national media buy what Telesco is selling in his comments about the future. Still, if his team can improve in 2023, he may be able to win back some of the faith that was lost when the Chargers blew their massive lead against the Jaguars.