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We're learning a lesson about how tone can change depending on timing.
Take Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. He is part of a Houston team that will face Justin Herbert and the Chargers in Week 9 and is giving standard respect to his upcoming opponent -- even if it's, well, a bit inaccurate.
"He's still a really great quarterback in this league," Anderson said of Herbert on Wednesday. "You talk about a big guy that has a big arm that can run around, that can throw the ball deep, makes a lot of plays with his legs. He's still a very respectable player in this league and we have a ton of respect for them."
Pretty standard fare so far. But Anderson didn't stop there, and that's when things exited reality and ventured elsewhere.
"We know what to expect a little bit, but Herbert, he's playing out of his mind," he continued. "They have a really great, solid offensive line as well and some really good running backs that can get downhill, that can hit the perimeter, it's going to be a good challenge for us."
Anderson could have stopped at "we have a ton of respect for them," but continued into a fictional realm as a means of avoiding providing bulletin board material. Those who have watched Herbert and the Chargers -- the NFL's only winless team -- know the quarterback hasn't played well, and neither have his teammates.
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One might wonder whether "out of his mind" meant Herbert was playing without the full scope of his faculties. His touchdown-to-interception ratio (5-10) would match such a description.
Perhaps we should just let last week's opponent, the Los Angeles Rams' Quentin Lake, summarize what has actually occurred.
"He was throwing deli meat out there," Lake said during an appearance on the "St. Brown Podcast." "He's seeing ghosts. ... I don't know what's going on, but we knew we were going to get a couple (of interceptions) -- at least one."
The Rams ended up snagging two, with Lake grabbing the first midway through the first quarter by sliding underneath Herbert's intended target for one of the easier takeaways he'll log in his professional career. Fellow Rams defensive back Trent McDuffie hauled in the other in a 24-9 win over the Chargers.
Look, Herbert is deeply mired in the roughest stretch of his pro career while playing in an offense that clearly doesn't fit the Chargers' strengths. Offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel remains employed in Los Angeles, but for how long remains to be seen. If coach Jim Harbaugh is looking for a fall guy amid this disastrous season, McDaniel makes for an easy mark.
That's what makes Anderson's comments baffling. Los Angeles owns the NFL's 28th-ranked offense in yards per game, 26th in passing yards per game and 31st in interception rate. The operation is a mess, and Herbert can't stop making things worse.
At least Anderson achieved one goal: He didn't give the Chargers additional motivational material. Judging by what's happened up to this point in the season, though, it's unlikely he'll match the edge rusher's description Sunday.
It might just be part of Anderson's grand plan to soften up his next target.