NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
Is it still time to turn things around for the Los Angeles Chargers? However, what’s the point? This team seems destined for failure no matter how you spin it.
Justin Herbert is the question mark out of the newly signed QBs-making bank. Yes, you can look at Daniel Jones but the truth is, the New York Giants were downright crazy to give him that kind of money. We can take him off this list. But see, with Herbert, things are a bit different.
Herbert has the arm that deserves the contract but what he doesn’t have is the resume. Joe Borrow, Jalen Hurts, and Patrick Mahomes have all been to a Super Bowl. Lamar Jackson has an MVP next to his name. Herbert can’t even lead his team to a division title.
In some cases, you can make an argument that he has been held back by either not having the necessary pieces to support him or bad coaching. In the case of the Chargers, it’s always going to come down to bad coaching. Everyone blames Brandon Staley, except his players.
Keenan Allen is one of the best in the NFL. Mike Williams, when healthy is also a stud, then you throw in the dual threat of Austin Ekeler and it’s no wonder the Charges stay in the top half of the NFL in total offense.
In his defense, Herbert for his career has passed for 17,127 yards, 114 TDs, and a completion percentage of 66.7. But the issue is, his record as a starting QB is just 30-31. That’s not good at all.
Maybe it’s the defense? Hmmmm, this is the same unit with Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa, right? How can that defense be labeled a failure with two high-paid guys? And yet, they still rank in the bottom half of team defense.
Should The Los Angeles Chargers Start Over
Then there is the real problem if you ask any fan of the Los Angeles Chargers, it’s the coach. Staley gets all the blame here. He’s gutsy and makes the wrong call at the wrong time. He has poor clock management skills. What they’re saying pretty much is that Staley can’t coach.
Maybe he is the problem. Did he lose the locker room? But if you let the players tell it, they have his back. So the issue must be bigger than him. Here’s the skinny on all this. Staley, OC Kellen Moore, or DC Derrick Ansley can call whatever they want but if the players don’t or can’t execute, then that’s on them.
As much potential as the Los Angeles Chargers have, they remind me of the Phillip Rivers-led Chargers with Antonio Gates and LaDainian Tomlinson that couldn’t get over that hump. We remember how explosive they were on the offensive side. But they were just as good on the defensive side of the ball as well.
Their problem was not so much the coaching as it was the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts that were the true hindrance. Staley and this group are not lumped into the same category as the top teams in the AFC. They just flat-out can’t get the job done as a unit. That’s why it’s time to blow this all up. There has to be a point where the front office admits, this is not the core.
And maybe you do have to start with the coach. The fire Staley chants are getting louder and louder with each passing season. Trading Herbert is a no-no. Moving Ekeler should be on the table. Keeping Allen is a must but everyone else becomes expendable.
Moving on is a part of sports. When something isn’t working for an extended period, it’s time to cut bait. The previous Chargers did it. The Peyton Manning-led Colts did it. The Tom Brady era in Boston ended. The same goes for the Joe Montana and Emmitt Smith-led championship teams. This Los Angeles Chargers team is no different, except, they haven’t won anything. So what’s the point in keeping them together?
