The art of drawing flags: Which QBs get the most, and does Justin Herbert need to argue more?

"LOS ANGELES -- Perhaps for the first time in their two seasons together, Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh and quarterback Justin Herbert were both enraged. In the second quarter of their Week 11 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, outside linebacker Alex Highsmith made contact below Herbert's knees shortly after the ball left the quarterback's throwing hand. Herbert spun around, arms outstretched and barked at the nearest official. Not far away on the sideline, Harbaugh was doing the same."

"The Steelers pressured Herbert 12 times and sacked him five times in the Chargers' 25-10 win. Throughout the game, Herbert was more animated than he had been all season, at times yelling toward officials after hits that he believed were illegal. The game reflected a season of hits for Herbert, who has been contacted 149 times and pressured 196 times, both league highs, according to ESPN Research and NFL Next Gen Stats."

"But Herbert's eruption was surprising because it broke character. Even before he entered the NFL in 2020, Herbert was known for his stoicism, but Harbaugh has implied that calmness has come with a cost. As other quarterbacks argue for calls, Herbert's politeness, combined with a 6-foot-6, 240-pound frame that absorbs hits differently from those of other quarterbacks, has made him easy to overlook, Harbaugh has argued."

Justin Herbert and coach Jim Harbaugh showed rare visible anger during Week 11 after Pittsburgh outside linebacker Alex Highsmith made contact below Herbert's knees shortly after a throw. Herbert spun around, arms outstretched, and barked at an official while Harbaugh mirrored the reaction on the sideline. The Steelers pressured Herbert 12 times and sacked him five times in the Chargers' 25-10 win. Herbert was more animated than earlier in the season, at times yelling after hits he believed were illegal; he has been contacted 149 times and pressured 196 times, both league highs. Harbaugh has suggested Herbert's politeness and large frame lead to being overlooked, though Herbert has two accepted roughing-the-passer penalties this season.

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