Los Angeles Rams safety Quentin Lake apologized to Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert on Friday after criticizing Herbert's performance on a podcast following the Rams' victory over the Chargers last week. Lake had described Herbert's passes as "throwing deli meat out there" during a two-interception outing that contributed to the Chargers' seventh consecutive loss to start the season.
Lake's remarks and apology
Lake made the comments on Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown's podcast, also saying Herbert "was seeing ghosts out there" and that the Rams' defense expected mistakes. After the remarks went viral, Lake sent a text message to Herbert. "I don't know if he read it," Lake said Friday, via the Los Angeles Times. "He probably says, 'I don't care about it anymore. I'm not trying to see this. It doesn't matter. You said what you said.' But at the same time I ... felt like it was right for me to at least say, 'Hey, man, I didn't mean it in any disrespectful way.'"
Herbert's response
Herbert downplayed the incident this week. "I haven't looked into it, haven't heard anything about it, so I can't really make a comment about it," he told reporters. "We're really just focused on what's going on in the building, playing football and doing what we can and doing our best to, you know, go put our best effort out on Sunday. And that's all that really matters. Anything outside of that is out of our control."
Coaches defend Herbert
Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh refused to blame his quarterback after reviewing the game film. "I thought he played — did his job exceptionally well," Harbaugh said. "You know, two throws he would have liked to have back." Offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, in his first season, dismissed Lake's opinion. "People are saying whatever they want with whatever facts they have when we're not living up to expectations," McDaniel said. "Keep it moving."
Herbert's struggles and trade speculation
Herbert has thrown an interception in every start this season, leading the NFL with 10 interceptions and posting the lowest QBR among starting quarterbacks at 32.5. Despite the career-worst start, the Chargers are not expected to trade their franchise player before the deadline. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported last month that Los Angeles would not move off Herbert, quoting a team source: "Let me be very clear about this: we have never even discussed that idea. Should we trade Justin Herbert has never been uttered in our organization, nor will it be." The report came amid interest from the Minnesota Vikings.
Upcoming matchup
The Chargers, who have not scored a touchdown in their last nine quarters of play, host the Houston Texans on Sunday. The Texans are 2-5 this season, with both wins coming over their last three games.
