With the Chargers season formally over, the group lastly eliminated the tumor that was its coach and basic supervisor, firing coach Brandon Staley and GM Tom Telesco. After one other dismal displaying, amid a miserable season that caps a now discontinued and pitiful tenure, the Chargers’ fortunes are absolutely to vary, proper?
Sadly, the group won’t ever be most cancers free till it’s rid of proprietor Dean Spanos.
It’s laborious to say what number of followers have been devastated when Justin Herbert introduced season-ending hand surgical procedure this week, but when I needed to rank the teams disheartened by the information, I’d guess No. 1 is fantasy soccer gamers (regardless of Herbert’s down season by his requirements). Coming in second could be Oregon Duck supporters, then informal soccer followers, and lastly, in a path place to date behind that they’re barely seen, are Charger fans.
The group who needs to be probably the most upset that one of many league’s few bona fide franchise QBs is languishing away on a corporation that nobody cares about, in a metropolis that may’t be bothered, is the NFL. There are no less than 15 groups, some in playoff rivalry, who would swap quarterbacks with the Chargers proper now, injured Herbert and all.
You knew the Bolts have been headed for a foul place when Austin Ekeler called out coaching and teammates following the team’s Week 1 loss to the Dolphins. The 36-34 defeat was certainly one of 5 that got here by one rating this season. Whereas watching Staley juggle chainsaws is all the time entertaining as a result of extra usually then not it finally ends up with a dismemberment, this sort of franchise mismanagement would’ve elicited a commerce request in most different skilled sports activities leagues.
Thursday evening’s 63-21 shellacking by the hands of the lowly Raiders was additional proof that this group is Herbert, just a little Ekeler (who did request a commerce within the offseason earlier than prying a contract out of Spanos) and never a lot else. The Chargers’ finest receiver is 31-year-old Keenan Allen, Mike Williams has a set reserved on the IR and rookie Quentin Johnston has been fortunate to interrupt 50 yards in a sport.
I like Derwin James and Khalil Mack as a lot as they reportedly liked their head coach, however Staley’s defenses hemorrhaged yards throughout his tenure, and that was supposedly his space of experience. The rationale he didn’t get the hook after the group’s epic playoff collapse against the Jaguars in January is as a result of Spanos didn’t wish to pay the cash it takes to interchange a poor teaching rent.
So the group went into this season with solely the requisite coordinator adjustments one makes after they’re making an attempt to salvage a head coach’s job. Kellen Moore was introduced over after being fired from the identical place in Dallas, and LA elevated Derrick Ansley from defensive backs coach to defensive coordinator. Spoiler: That failed miserably.
Each items are middling to dangerous, with no steadiness to both. They will’t run the ball or cease the go, and Herbert wasn’t even that vivid of a spot earlier than he went down. In case you take away the Denver begin that he left early on account of harm, the fourth-year QB nonetheless averaged the fewest passing yards per sport of his profession this season (about 250, good for center of the pack).
Clearly, if a group is having a down 12 months it’s doubtless as a result of the QB is as nicely, and among the shedding is on Herbert, however for christ sake, that is malpractice. I do know I sound like each different analyst and am defending a man and not using a playoff win, but my respect degree for that group is perhaps the bottom of any membership within the NFL. Contemplating what number of woeful franchises are within the NFL, that’s actually, actually dangerous firm.
The Chargers needs to be enjoyable to look at, however not in a “What’s Marmaduke going to do now?” sort of means.
Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow and different younger star quarterbacks have proven that playoff runs could be made in the event that they’re given expertise and training on par with their skills. I wouldn’t go so far as to say Spanos views contending rosters with contempt. Truly, you understand what, I might say that.
He has a disdain for doing greater than the minimal, which needs to be the antithesis of his technique when different contenders go all in with their franchise QBs. Even notable cheapskate Michael Brown couldn’t speak his entrance workplace out of spending just a little cash to help Burrow.
The Giants, Steelers and Vikings have been making an attempt to prop up mannequin decoys of quarterbacks for years now, and ultimately Justin Herbert goes to note, and ask, “Why can’t I have nice things, too?” To which Dean Spanos will reply, “Shut up, or I’ll take away your left tackle.”
