Despite the ongoing worldwide outbreak that the coronavirus has caused, all signs are pointing to there being football this fall with the news that training camp will begin as originally planned.
With Chargers football near, there is plenty of excitement surrounding the team. But there is some concern as well, as Los Angeles is set to embark on a new era without the heart and soul of the team, Philip Rivers.
With that being said, I take a look at three reasons why fans should remain optimistic for L.A. in 2020.
New offensive identity
“It’s going to be different,” coach Anthony Lynn said when asked about the offense. With Rivers gone, the offense will be led by a quarterback with a completely skillset – whether it’s Tyrod Taylor, rookie Justin Herbert or Easton Stick.
Pistol option, oh so beautiful. pic.twitter.com/CfdAnwvJ7f
— Gavino Borquez (@GavinoBorquez) December 9, 2019
With the new system in place, there will be more pistol formation, more play-action and more run-pass option. The offense is going to look a lot more like the Ravens offense last season. Coach Anthony Lynn and Baltimore offensive coordinator Greg Roman coached together in Buffalo in 2015 and 2016.
Taylor and Herbert have the skill sets to run the concepts the Ravens do, like zone read and other quarterback option runs, which was hardly ever the case when Rivers was under center for Los Angeles.
We can expect to see more plays occur on the ground than in the past with Austin Ekeler, Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley. But it will open things up to still involve Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Hunter Henry, Andre Patton, Joe Reed and K.J. Hill in the passing game.
The bottom line is that the offense will hardly be recognized from what it looked like over the past decade. But with the creative signal-callers and vigorous skill players on the field, it could be a threat for opposing defenses.