Tag: NFL head coach

Where Chargers’ Jim Harbaugh ranks among head coaches in 2024

Touchdown Wire released their rankings of all 32 head coaches heading into the 2024 season. 

Touchdown Wire’s Jarrett Bailey released his rankings of all 32 head coaches heading into the 2024 season.

Jim Harbaugh checked in at No. 14 overall.

Harbaugh’s probably a little too low for most people, but he hasn’t coached in the NFL since 2014 and I’m still rolling my eyes at the Greg Roman hire at offensive coordinator. Will the Chargers be a complete disaster like they were with Brandon Staley? I don’t think so, but I don’t expect them to be a powerhouse all of a sudden, either.

Harbaugh has been a winner everywhere he’s coached, including at the NFL level when he took the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2012.

Harbaugh fell short in the big game, so he returned to the league to get another shot to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

Harbaugh is bringing his old-school mindset of playing fast, physical and gritty on both sides of the ball. It has worked at all of his coaching stops, so why wouldn’t it work in Los Angeles?

With those principles paired with a talented quarterback in Justin Herbert and top-end talent on the roster, the hope is that he can achieve his goal of a Super Bowl and bring the first to the franchise.

Where Chargers’ Brandon Staley ranks among head coaches in 2023

The 33rd Team released their rankings of all 32 head coaches heading into the 2023 season. 

The 33rd Team released their rankings of all 32 head coaches heading into the 2023 season.

Brandon Staley checked in at No. 20 overall.

I’m not quite sure what to make of Staley at this point. He has two winning seasons, but it feels like the Los Angeles Chargers lose a bunch of close games they shouldn’t. Case in point, their Wild Card playoff debacle in Jacksonville.

Staley is entering his third year as the Chargers’ head coach with a 19-15 record with one trip to the playoffs under his belt, which came last season, resulting in a collapse to the Jaguars after being up 27-0.

There had been some speculations that after the implosion against Jacksonville, Staley would be fired.

Despite blowing the third-largest lead in NFL postseason history, Staley improved from 9-8 in his first season to 10-7 and took Los Angeles to the playoffs for the first time since 2018, all while dealing with a handful of injuries to key players.

Staley made coaching staff changes this offseason, adding a new offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore and a quarterbacks coach in Doug Nussmeier. He is banking on those additions to elevate the skills of quarterback Justin Herbert and for the team to stay healthy.

Time will tell if the Chargers can make a deeper run. But with all the talent on the roster, if they fail to do so, Staley could be on the hot seat.

Albert Breer weighs in on possible front-runners for Chargers’ head coach position

An offensive and defensive-minded coordinator was mentioned.

The Chargers are nearly finished with their first round of interviews of their head coaching vacancy.

It’s been quiet on who might be some front-runners for the job, but Sport Illustrated’s Albert Breer, who’s plugged in, laid out who he believes could be at the top of Los Angeles’ list in his latest mailbag.

Those two are Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley.

Breer mentioned the familiarity between Daboll and general manager Tom Telesco, as well as the success that he has had with Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen.

Daboll remains the current favorite for the position. How well he’s done with quarterbacks since his time at Alabama would mold well with maximizing Justin Herbert’s potential in this league.

The next coordinator mentioned was Staley. Staley has done a great job against some of the league’s top offenses, including this past weekend against the Seahawks.

If Staley is hired, he has a plan for the offense, which could include bringing one of San Francisco assistants Mike LaFleur and Mike McDaniel as his offensive coordinator.

LaFleur is the passing game coordinator and McDaniel is the running game coordinator.

Report: Falcons interviewing Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett

According to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett will hold a virtual interview with Atlanta.

The Atlanta Falcons continue to knock out interviews for their general manager and head-coaching vacancies. After confirming that the team interviewed Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady on Wednesday, the Falcons will talk to another NFC offensive coordinator on Thursday.

According to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Atlanta will a virtual interview Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett today.

Hackett, 41, coached as an offensive assistant at Stanford and Syracuse, before eventually landing with the Jacksonville Jaguars as the quarterbacks coach in 2015. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2016 and held  that position for three seasons before joining Green Bay’s staff in 2019.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers recently praised Hackett for helping get the franchise back on track. “Hack has been a really important part of our culture change and a part of our success on offense,” said Rodgers. “I love him — hope he doesn’t go anywhere.”

Stay tuned for more Falcons coaching updates as the week unfolds.

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Former Chargers coach Anthony Lynn releases statement

Anthony Lynn made his first public comments since being let go of by the Chargers.

Former Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn made his first public comments since being fired on Monday after four years at the helm.

Lynn released a statement, which was released via the team’s official Twitter account. He expressed gratitude to the players and staff, writing that “I’m grateful to our staff, coaches, players and everyone in the community who has been so supportive throughout my time with the organization.”

Below is the full statement:

In addition, the team released a heartfelt video montage to pay homage to Lynn.

Lynn finished with a 33-31 regular-season record during his time with the Chargers, winning 12 games in 2018. Los Angeles went 1-1 in postseason play.

L.A. has been steadily requesting interviews with candidates, as they are on the hunt to find his replacement.

Why Chargers should interview Matt Campbell for head coach job

If the Chargers want to step outside of the NFL, the Iowa State head coach is worthy of an interview.

The Chargers are approaching the double-digit mark of requested interviews for the head coaching vacancy.

For the most part, all of the candidates are coordinators in the NFL. However, there’s a proven college coach who is worthy of receiving a phone call for an interview with Los Angeles, with that being Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell.

Campbell was successful at Toledo, going 35-15 in five seasons. He took over Iowa State in 2016 and built the Cyclones into a threat over a five-year span. He guided the team to an 8-2 regular-season record in 2020 (most in the program), including a win over Oklahoma and a ranking as high as No. 6 before beating the No. 5 Oregon Ducks in the Fiesta Bowl just days ago.

How a college coach will adjust to the NFL always makes some pause. There’s no question that Campbell knows how to build a program and a winning culture, which already makes him a good candidate. Matt Rhule left Baylor for the Panthers, where he brought reason to be optimistic in his first season.

Schematically for L.A., Campbell would be able to tailor-make an offense around quarterback Justin Herbert. Defensively, the Cyclones’ current defensive coordinator Jon Heacock would also make a ton of sense for the position with the Bolts, according to Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield.

Assuming that Heacock doesn’t take over as head coach, should Campbell make the leap, his “forward-thinking defensive schemes could be just what the NFL needs in 2021 and beyond,” Schofield notes.

Overall, I believe Campbell has all the tools as a leader and play-caller to excel at the next level and he should be in serious consideration for the Chargers’ head coaching job.

Report: Chargers interested in Urban Meyer for head coaching job

The Chargers are interested in the former Ohio State head coach.

The Chargers appear to like the idea of Urban Meyer as a head coach candidate.

According to the Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, Los Angeles has “some interest in Urban Meyer for their head coaching vacancy,” joining the Jaguars as the other team that’s interested in him.

Meyer stepped down as Ohio State’s head coach in 2018. In his seven seasons for the Buckeyes, he led the program to a national championship and three Big Ten titles, finishing with an 82–9 record.

Before being hired at Ohio State, Meyer led Florida to two national championships. Since his retirement, Meyer has served as a college football analyst for FOX.

Meyer has a list of health concerns, which could draw some concern. However, the positives that might outweigh those include his track record of developing quarterbacks and establishing a culture of excellence.

There has not been an official report of the Chargers planning to interview Meyer. But given their reported interest, an announcement should be coming soon.

Building the perfect Chargers coaching staff

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lays out how Los Angeles should construct the coaching staff.

Atop of the priority list for the Chargers is finding their new head coach after parting ways with Anthony Lynn on Monday.

While the head coach is the most pressing matter, filling in the coordinator positions comes next.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Lynn’s staff hasn’t been fired yet. But when a new head coach comes in, the chances of that guy wanting to build his staff from scratch are high.

With that being said, I wanted to construct a coaching staff that I believe can get Los Angeles back in tiptop shape and is capable of dethroning Andy Reid’s Chiefs.

Head Coach — Brian Daboll

The Chargers have a gem in quarterback Justin Herbert, and one of the requirements to become the next head coach is being capable of implementing a system that will maximize his potential.

Daboll has spent the last three years helping to develop Bills quarterback Josh Allen and that work has gone well enough to make him into one of the top quarterbacks in the league and an MVP candidate.

Daboll has had so much success because of how good of a play-caller he is. Teams across the league struggle to defend Buffalo because he seems to have his own adjustments and options built in for different coverages at the ready.

General manager Tom Telesco will be aiding in the search for the team’s next coach and familiarity is a key component. He’s a St. Francis High School graduate from western New York, as is Daboll.

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Requirements of Chargers’ next head coach described

Change is coming for the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chargers won’t be so quick to hire someone to fill the head coaching vacancy.

According to NFL Media’s Jim Trotter, Los Angeles is expected to interview 10-12 candidates for their head coach job.

Trotter notes that owner Dean Spanos will be more involved in the hiring process. When Lynn was hired in 2017, he allowed his son, John and general manager Tom Telesco to oversee it while he was dealing with stadium situation.

The composition of the staff will be a vital factor with whoever they are set to hire. When Lynn was onboard, an issue was loyalty to his staff. He saw problems but was slow to make needed changes.

For example, the special teams unit was an ongoing problem dating back to the beginning of the 2020 season and Lynn didn’t make the personnel change of demoting coordinator George Stewart until the end of November.

L.A. will be looking for someone to continue to develop rookie sensation Justin Herbert. Along with that, the initial focus will be on someone who can oversee the team, not just one side of the ball or the other.

Twitter reacts to firing of Anthony Lynn

Here’s how Chargers fans and the rest of the general population reacted to the news of Anthony Lynn being fired.

The Chargers fired coach Anthony Lynn on Monday.

Lynn ends his four-year stint with the Bolts with a 33-31 regular-season record and 1-1 in the playoffs. He led Los Angeles to a 12-4 record and a playoff victory in 2018, but he was unable to carry that success, going 5-11 in 2019 and under .500 in 2020.

Here is how Twitter reacted on Lynn’s firing: