Anthony Lynn had two losing seasons as Chargers head coach and got canned.
He went 9-7, 12-4, 5-11 and 7-9 with a rookie quarterback before replaced by the wiz kid, 38- year old defensive master mind Brandon Staley.
That rookie quarterback that Staley inherited is the face of the organization, an absolute superstar whose emergence has elevated the expectations of the Chargers and ignited intrigue from that morbid fanbase.
It is way too early in Staley’s rookie campaign as head coach the evaluate his future, but it will be measured against Lynn’s documented shortcomings that led to his ouster.
I am sure Charger fans don’t need to be reminded of the so many close but no cigar games of yester year. Mounting leads, only to squander them because of a leaky defense.
Staley’s job is to fix the defense and nurture the golden child Justin Herbert who ultimately is the replacement for fringe Hall of Fame candidate Philip Rivers.
Two games in and here are the facts.
After an opening season road win against a Washington team that no one has going back to the post season and then failing at home to a Cowboys squad that was down so many players it would have equated to a unit, it might be time to be a bit concerned.
Make no bones about it, this is a talented football team with the only real question mark being the rushing attack.
So far so good for Staley on the defensive side, only allowing 16 points against hapless Washington and then containing the explosive Dak Prescott and the Cowboys to just 20 points are indeed very good signs.
However, I am worried about Joe Lombardi, the offensive coordinator.
Scoring a measly 37 points in two and, especially against a Cowboys defense that every opponent will want on the field as long as possible is not acceptable. This team was 9th in the league averaging 24 points per game in 2020. So far they are down to 18.5.
Receiver Keenan Allen recorded yet another 100 yard catching game and Mike Williams is playing like a man who wants a big contract next season.
“You got a young stallion at quarterback that I absolutely love to death,” said Lynn. “Great, great, young man. I think his intangibles are even better than his talent.”
Lynn is the offensive coordinator the Detroit Lions which is averaging 25 points per game so far.
The Chargers go to Arrowhead Stadium this week for a division match-up with the Chiefs and then come back home to host their rival Las Vegas Raiders.
“We have 15 more weeks. We’ve got 15 more opportunities to play football and we got another game on Sunday against a really good opponent. So, we’ve got to watch the film. We can be salty about it for a couple of hours, but it’s time to be back to work,” said Herbert
“Mike Williams has really stepped up, and he’s one of those guys that you really trust out there. He knows what he’s doing. You know, he’s just so athletic and able to make so many great plays. One of those guys that you really trust when he’s out there.”
