Sez Me …

Justin Herbert, who works for the NFL Team That Used To Be Here — you know, the Judases/L.A.Lodgers — is not an elite quarterback.

So what? Herbert hasn’t done enough to earn it. In truth, only Patrick Mahomes has done enough to earn  it.

Herbert is good. Really good. But he hasn’t won anything. How many active QBs have rings? What has Lamar Jackson won? Josh Allen? Joe Burrow, probably the best pure quarterback of his generation? There are days when Matthew Stafford, who has won, is better than anyone.

Hell, Brock Purdy came within a few seconds of beating Mahomes in a Super Bowl, and he sure isn’t elite. But who won that game? The elite guy.

But since Herbert’s bad performance vs. Houston in the Wild Card game, he’s been hammered, especially on the Unsocial Media.

Some brain called him “the Nate Kaeding of quarterbacks.”

Unsocial Media is hell without portfolio, a cold, dark, putrid, hurtful place without vision or in need of fact. Quick to blame, completely unapologetic when nearly always wrong, without retaliation.

Quarterbacking a team favored to win, Herbert threw four interceptions in Houston. But two of those INTs went through hands — one into a pick-6 — and the last was a desperation heave downfield in garbage time.

Herbert’s offensive line stunk. He was pressured on 52% of his dropbacks, hit nine times and sacked four times. There were eight drops by his receivers, who this season ranked 31st in The League for most flubs. It’s hard to find more than a few people in all three phases who played well.

So Herbert gets the blame, and that’s how it is. QBs make the money and gain the fame. He can take it, all right, but there were a whole lot of things that went wrong in Texas, and coach Jim Harbaugh can’t be excused.

It was not Harbaugh-like. His team wasn’t ready.

“We did him a disservice,” Harbaugh said. “We didn’t put him in the position to be successful.”

And, as we know, supine is in no way the best position for a quarterback to be in — unless he’s sleeping. Herbert ran the ball extremely well following his ankle injury. Yet there was not one designed QB run in Texas. Not much running by anyone.

This was an organizational defeat. Harbaugh did great work, squeezing 11 wins out of a tube that produced five wins in 2023. These Judases were much better, but they were a warship notably lacking the overall firepower and displacement tonnage to hang for long with the lead ships in a playoff convoy.

The offensive line is set for years at right and left tackle, but it needs a lot of help in the middle. And skill. Ladd McConkey was a revelation as a second-round rookie wideout, but, while Quentin Johnston, last year’s No. 1, is capable of great games, he’s drop-happy, a bust in waiting. The tight ends aren’t good. Herbert has just enough to get by because he’s so damn good.

Defensively they are on the rise. It needs parts and we don’t know which ones it’s going to lose through free agency.

Harbaugh and GM Joe Hortiz’s first draft was a success. It needs at least one more. And some luck.

It has Justin Herbert. And that’s luck. …

Back in October, I wrote that baseball should do something about the Dodgers, but MLB is Muggsy Bogues and the Bums are Kareem. L.A.’s signing of Japanese ace Roki Sasaki over the Padres and Toronto only lengthens its height differential from everyone else.

This wasn’t even one of those huge money deals. But the emperor, always walking a red carpet in new clothes, has the name, bling and the tinsel, with the crown in constant need of jewels.

The way it’s set up, nothing is going to change things. The salary cap never is disappearing, as long as the world’s strongest union remains what it has become (how and why would it weaken?)

The Dodgers are king, there are a few teams in their court with enough to grab the throne every so often (the Dodgers are not postseason locks, any year), but it’s not going to be often enough, and all the rest are serfs. MLB has 29 teams, one oligarchy. …

Pads GM A.J. Preller has much better luck in the Caribbean than he does in the Sea of Japan. Saturday, he signed top Dominican left-hander Carlos Alvarez. Do we know Sasaki will be better than him? Pitchers are an incredible gamble.

Sasaki never has pitched batting practice in the majors and he’s Sandy Koufax? Maybe he’ll be terrific. No one’s going to tell me they’re certain a pitcher will come to a big-league team and be an immediate success. I remember Todd Van Poppel. Oh, and the omnipotent Tommy John. …

I understand that NFL head coaching candidates are asked during interviews about clock management. Might as well be asking them the math NASA uses to launch rockets into space. They either lie or don’t know. Some may never know. …

Eagles receiver A.J. Brown was reading the book “Inner Excellence” on the bench during the Wild Card game with the Packers. The book immediately went from 552,709th to No. 1 on Amazon. Hearing this, the president-elect sent A.J. a copy of “Trump: The Art of the Deal.” …

The book’s sales were up over 53 million percent by Wednesday. We have people who read?  …

Saquon Barkley has gained 1,440 yards from scrimmage this season before being touched. That is, well, remarkable. …

It’s January. Run the ball. Or lose. …

Mike Tomlin, after the Steelers’ playoff defeat to the Ravens: “You get what you deserve. And so, we are here for really tangible reasons.” …

The Houston Texans donated $1 million to L.A. fire relief. Japan? $2 million. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer? $15 million. Fredo Spanos? $200,000. Shohei Ohtani? $500,000. Ohtani’s interpreter? $12 million in Shohei money. …

The Dolphins will host a 2025 game in Madrid. What do I think? Apesta. That’s Spanish for “it stinks.” …

Stat O’ The Week: During nine playoff series with the Reds, 15 runners tried to steal on Johnny Bench. Thirteen didn’t make it. …

RIP, Bob Uecker. The funniest athlete who ever lived. He was a sit-down comedian. One of the all-time talk show guests. …

Tom Cushman, my late boss and columnist, covered Uecker when he played rarely-seen catcher for the 60’s Phillies. “It didn’t matter if Bob played,” Tom said, “when the game ended, the first thing the writers did was crowd around his locker.” …

How in hell can LeBron James, an active player, be allowed to do TV ads for DraftKings? Can’t wait to see NBA commish Adam Silver do one with Roger Goodell. Pete Rozelle is spinning like a wheel of fortune. …

I like Notre Dame as a team, but can the Irish match Ohio State’s skill, speed and muscle? I would not be surprised. Ryan Day can be outcoached. …

All the bitching. All the finger-pointing and name-calling. The politicizing and weaponizing of a natural disaster. There’s but one person to blame for the L.A. fires. Mother Nature. Perfect firestorm. …

Looking to talk to anyone who will listen, Gavin Newsom is interviewing with the Bears.