Justin Herbert: Anyone should aspire to be like Tom Brady

[Pat Patriot]

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Tom Brady has played almost as long as Justin Herbert has been alive.

Herbert, 22, hopes for at least some of the success Brady has had.

“I think anyone should aspire to be like Tom Brady, to have as much success as he’s had for as long as he’s been able to do it,” the Chargers quarterback said Thursday on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I don’t think there’s anyone that’s ever done anything like that before. To win, that’s the ultimate goal of the quarterback position is to put your team in a position to win. He’s been able to do that. He’s a competitor, and he finds a way to win, and I think that’s the best part about it.”

Herbert had a better rookie season than Brady did. Brady played only one game, with no starts, and threw only three passes.

Herbert won offensive rookie of the year honors in 2020, throwing for 4,336 yards with 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Brady didn’t throw for more yards or more touchdowns than that until his eighth season when he passed for 4,806 yards and 50 touchdowns.

But Brady, of course, won his first of seven Super Bowls in his second season.

Herbert went 6-9 as the starter in 2020, but the Chargers, one could argue, were better than their record. They have a new head coach and high hopes for 2021.

While the Chargers easily could be better in 2021, Herbert expects to be.

“I think I can keep learning about the game,” he said. “I think if I know more about defenses, coverages, pressures, all of that, I think that better helps our team, and I think if I can master the playbook and know exactly what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, so that when I get up to the line of scrimmage and I see a certain front, see a certain pressure, I’m able to get us into a great play.”