Tag: chargers news

Chargers officially announce 3 coaching moves

The Chargers have a new offensive, defensive and special teams coordinator.

The Chargers hired Brandon Staley as new head coach last weekend, and Monday the club officially announced the newest additions on his staff.

Los Angeles named Joe Lombardi offensive coordinator, Renaldo Hill defensive coordinator and Derius Swinton II special teams coordinator.

Grandson of Hall of Fame coach, Vince Lombardi, Joe was with the Saints for a combined 10 seasons, both as an offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach. He served as an offensive coordinator for the Lions for two stints.

“I’m just so excited about Joe coming here. The wealth of knowledge and experience he possesses, having operated within one of the premier offensive systems in the NFL for over a decade,” Staley said about Lombardi.

Hill, a former NFL safety of 10 seasons, has been coaching in league for three seasons, one with the Dolphins (assistant defensive backs coach) and two with the Broncos (defensive backs coach).

“He’s a guy that I have a great personal relationship with and a guy that just has a tremendous background to help our team be successful,” Staley said about Hill.

Swinton has an extensive background as a special teams coach. He previously served as the Cardinals’ assistant special teams coach. Swinton has worked as the 49ers’ special teams coordinator in addition to coaching with the Bears, Broncos, Chiefs and Rams.

“Derius has tremendous command, is a great teacher and has the ability to see the game on offense, defense and through the kicking game. I can’t emphasize enough what a great teacher he is, fundamentally, from both offensive and defensive perspectives,” Staley said on Swinton.

Report: Chargers request to interview Joe Lombardi for offensive coordinator position

The Los Angeles Chargers are looking to bring in the New Orleans Saints’ quarterbacks coach.

The Chargers are hard at work to fill out the coaching staff behind head coach Brandon Staley.

A candidate for the offensive coordinator position is Saints quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi.

According to The Athletic’s Jeff Duncan, Los Angeles has requested to interview Lombardi for the vacancy.

Lombardi finished his fifth consecutive season with New Orleans. Before that, he spent two stints returned as the offensive coordinator for the Lions.

There’s some familarity between Staley and Lombardi, as Staley played quarterback for Mercyhurst College while Lombardi was the offensive coordinator there back in 2005.

Chargers WR Tyron Johnson primed for breakout season in 2021

The former undrafted free agent could be in for a larger role next season.

Coming into the 2020 season, there was the question of who would be the receivers that would establish themselves as reliable pass-catching options behind Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.

One of those players was Tyron Johnson.

Johnson flashed in spurts throughout the season, but showed his true potential when injuries to Allen and Williams led to extended playing time.

In 12 games, Johnson amassed 20 receptions for 398 yards (19.9 yards per reception) and three touchdowns.

Looking ahead to the 2021 season, Johnson is primed for a breakout season. It just so happens that Pro Football Focus tabbed him as Los Angeles’ breakout candidate when jotting down one from each team.

Almost as strange as Justin Herbert continuing to drop bombs in the face of the blitz or under pressure every week as a rookie was how many of them were landing in the hands of Tyron Johnson, an undrafted rookie from 2019 out of Oklahoma State. Johnson didn’t play in his first season but saw 265 snaps of action this year on which he caught 20 passes for 398 yards. Throwing the ball Johnson’s way yielded a 156.7 passer rating, just a hair shy of a perfect mark. He graded well in every facet of play, and he needs to see the field significantly more in 2021.

The offensive scheme remains to been since the coaching staff is not set in stone.

But regardless, Johnson has the opportunity to become one of quarterback Justin Herbert’s top target because of how well he does in the intermediate and deep parts of the field, where Herbert is rock-solid throwing to.

Jalen Guyton is another player who could break out. Despite dealing with some drops, Guyton has established himself as a deep threat due to his blazing speed. This past season, he had 28 catches for 511 yards and three scores.

Watch live: Chargers HC Brandon Staley’s introductory press conference

The Chargers will stream Brandon Staley’s presser at 12 p.m. PT on Thursday.

The Chargers hired Brandon Staley to be the team’s next head coach.

From a Division III coach to an NFL outside linebackers coach to a defensive coordinator in a matter of five years, Staley has proven that he’s worthy of this position based on the results and the praise from those across the league.

What is Staley bringing to the table? What’s he going to do about the offensive coaching staff? What does he have planned for quarterback Justin Herbert? What can we expect from the new defensive scheme? How will he get Los Angeles back to their winning ways?

There’s a great chance that we will get the answers to some of those questions today at 12:00 p.m. PT as Staley is officially introduced as head coach.

Staley’s presser will be streamed live only on the Chargers app.

Download for iOS

Download for Android

CB Chris Harris Jr. ‘excited’ to see what HC Brandon Staley can do with Chargers

Cornerback Chris Harris Jr. will be a key piece for Brandon Staley.

This won’t be the first time that cornerback Chris Harris Jr. has been on the same team as Chargers new head coach Brandon Staley.

Harris spent nine seasons with the Broncos, which included one with Staley (2019), who was then Denver’s outside linebackers coach.

Harris knew the potential was there with Staley to rise up the coaching rankings. After his lone stint with the Broncos, Harris saw him become the Rams’ defensive coordinator the year after.

“I knew that he could be a D-coordinator,” Harris said. “I knew that he should be a D-coordinator. But just to see how fast he’s skyrocketed, I mean, that’s pretty amazing.”

Harris praised Staley’s knowledge of the game and how well he does with building buy-in with his players, calling him a “great fit.”

“I’m so happy, so excited for him,” Harris said. “He’s a guy who’s very smart, knows the game of football. He took it to another level this year with the Rams. I’m excited to see what he can do with us.”

Harris and Staley have already started discussing the details of their new defense. For the past few years, the Chargers have ran a 4-3, but Staley is known for running a 3-4 scheme.

Staley not only guided the Rams to being the NFL’s No. 1 defense, he was able to get the most out of players that weren’t household names.

“They have a lot of talent over there,” Harris said. “You know what you’re going to get out of [Jalen] Ramsey and [Aaron] Donald. But you have a lot of no-name players, guys that you’ve never even heard of, who made a lot of plays on that team too.”

Staley is slated to talk to the media on Thursday, marking the first time he’s done so since accepting the head coaching job.

Former Chargers QB Philip Rivers retires from NFL after 17 seasons

Philip Rivers leaves the NFL with 421 career TD passes and 63,440 passing yards.

Former Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is calling it a career. Rivers announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday, telling Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune that “it’s just time.”

Rivers spent 16 years with the Chargers, 14 as the team’s starting quarterback. He amassed 59,271 passing yards and 397 touchdown passes during his time with the Chargers, ranking first in franchise history in both categories. He had a record of 123-101 with the Chargers, making the playoffs six times and going 5-6 in 11 postseason games.

In his final NFL season, Rivers led the Colts to an 11-5 record with 24 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions. He threw for 4,169 yards, the eighth straight season he topped 4,000 yards through the air.

Rivers will embark on a new journey in his post-playing days. He’ll take over as the head coach of the St. Michael Catholic High School football team in Fairhope, Ala., a move that was announced last May.

“What has helped me come to this (decision) is the growing desire to coach high school football,” he told Acee. “That’s what I’ve always wanted to do. It’s been growing. I can’t wait.”

Rivers made the Pro Bowl eight times, won Offensive Player of the Month four times, has the fifth-most passing yards in NFL history (63,440) and ranks fifth in career touchdown passes (421). Despite never winning a Super Bowl, he boasts a Hall of Fame resume after being the fourth overall pick in the 2004 draft and getting traded from the Giants to the Chargers.

4 players who may follow Chargers HC Brandon Staley in free agency

The Chargers could garner the attention from these soon-to-be free agents.

The Chargers hired Brandon Staley to be the new man in charge.

In just one season as the Rams’ defensive coordinator, he was the engineer of the top defense in the NFL. He was respected by the handful that he coached, and some of those players may want to follow him.

With that being said, here are four soon-to-be free agents that Staley could potentially bring with him.

OLB Leonard Floyd

A former No. 9 overall pick of the Bears, Floyd was close to being labeled as a “bust” but Staley was the one who rejuvenated his career. Floyd is coming off his best year as a pro after totaling career-highs in sacks (12.5), tackles (55) and quarterback hits (19). He had a career-best 52 total pressures. Floyd also had 31 defensive stops and has been a consistently solid run defender over his career. With Melvin Ingram slated to be a free agent, he would give the Chargers another much-needed pass-rush presence alongside Joey Bosa.

CB Troy Hill

When you’re in the same secondary as Jalen Ramsey, you will likely have your work cut out for you, as opposing quarterbacks will look your way plenty. Hill did a fine job in that role, coming up in a big way. He finished tied for second on the team with three interceptions and scored three of the Rams’ defensive touchdowns on the year. Hill also had 10 passes defensed. Based on how Staley runs his system, he will likely load up on defensive backs and Hill is one that he would love to reunite with.

S John Johnson

After suffering an injury in 2019 that limited him to just six games, Johnson bounced back this past season, being the only player to play every defensive snap. Johnson logged 105 combined tackles and an interception. In addition, he only allowed a 4.9 yards per target. Versatility is everything and Johnson is a smart, adept in pass coverage and run defense, who’s capable of playing both safety positions, cornerback and linebacker.

DL Morgan Fox

The addition of Staley led to Fox’s breakout season in 2020. Fox came into the season with only 4.5 sacks and six tackles for loss in a three-season span. But he topped those this past season, finishing with six sacks and eight tackles for loss. The Chargers have promising defensive linemen in Linval Joseph, Justin Jones and Jerry Tillery, but Fox could be a huge depth piece up front.

POLL: Grade the Chargers’ hire of Brandon Staley as head coach

What do you think of the Los Angeles Chargers’ hiring of Brandon Staley as head coach?

The Los Angeles Chargers’ coaching search is over, with the hiring of former Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley as the replacement for Anthony Lynn.

Viewed as a top candidate to very few, including myself, it was a surprising development to the majority of the general population after Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll appeared to be the favorite.

What grade would you give this hire by Los Angeles?

Click on the link, vote in the poll below and stay tuned as we continue to give you all the news and analysis on the Bolts’ hiring of Staley as head coach.

https://fast-poll.com/poll/90cfa8ee

Chargers head coaching candidates prove their worth in Saturday’s wild-card wins

Brian Daboll and Brandon Staley helped themselves on Saturday.

Saturday’s wild-card games brought victories to the Bills and Rams, both of which are the teams to coordinators that the Chargers are expected to interview for their head coaching vacancy.

In the morning, Buffalo’s offensive coordinator Brian Daboll put together an offense that was able to overcome another candidate for Los Angeles’ job, Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.

Eberflus’ led defense limited the Bills by keeping them off the field with long drives that ate up the clock and unfavorable field position right before the half, as they were up 10-7.

But it was then when Daboll made some adjustments to put Buffalo with a 14-10 lead going into halftime.

After running the ball a copious amount of times in the first half, Daboll resorted to the Bills’ top offensive threat, quarterback Josh Allen and his arm. Indianapolis had no answer for the passes to intermediate and deep parts of the field.

Daboll is one of the best play-callers in the NFL because he is quick to make adjustments and has a variety of options built in for different coverages.

Daboll is the current favorite because he has helped develop Buffalo QB Josh Allen into one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL and an MVP candidate in only Year 3 of his professional career.

Allen tallied 46 touchdowns this season and nearly 5,000 all purpose yards, setting franchise records for passing yards and touchdowns by a Bills quarterback in a single season.

The game right after featured Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, who was the successor to legendary defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. Staley turned Los Angeles into one of the league’s best defenses and it carried over into the postseason.

Staley orchestrated a suffocating defense that forced the Seahawks to average only -0.31 expected points added (EPA) per play on the afternoon and hindered them from moving the ball until a late score in garbage time.

The Rams sacked Seattle QB Russell Wilson five times, limited him to only 11 competitions and picked him off once, and this was a defense that was without All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald for the majority of the second half.

Staley shows multiple looks and has various adjustments that cause problems on opposing offenses.

At only 38 years of age, Staley has quickly risen up the ranks. He should be high on the Chargers’ list, especially with the amount of talent that’s on defense and he is familiar with the offensive side on the ball having played quarterback in college.

Daboll and Staley are expected to interview with the Bolts later today.

Chargers complete interview with Joe Brady for head coach position

The Chargers have three interviews set up in the coming days.

The Chargers have completed an interview with Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

After serving as LSU’s passing game coordinator in 2019, Brady made the leap to the NFL, where he was the Panthers offensive coordinator this past season.

Here’s a glance at the offensive production under Brady:

LSU (2019)

  • Yards per game: 568.4 (1st)
  • Points per game: 48.4 (1st)
  • Passing yards per game: 401.6 (2nd)
  • First downs per game: 27.9 (2nd)

Panthers (2020)

  • Yards per game: 349.5 (21st)
  • Points per game: 21.9 (24th)
  • Passing yards per game: 243 (18th)
  • First downs per game: 20.9 (21st)

Before joining the Tigers’ staff, the 31-year spent two seasons working as an offensive assistant under Saints head coach Sean Payton.

Los Angeles has already completed an interview with Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. On Friday, the team is slated to interview Giants OC Jason Garrett. The day after, they interview 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. On Monday, L.A. will speak with Colts DC Matt Eberflus.