We’re not going to agree about everything in sports. You can love the Brandon Staley hire, but I hate what the Los Angeles Chargers did when they decided to hire former Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator. They had the perfect chance to capitalize on the immense improvement that Justin Herbert had, and they royally screwed it up.
Brain Daboll Would Be Infinitely Times Better Than Brandon Staley
Do I need to say anything other than Josh Allen developed into an absolute stud with Brian Daboll? No matter where you look, Josh Allen dramatically improved with Daboll. Do you want to use PFF Grades? Alright, Josh Allen had an overall grade of 65.3 in 2018, 64.2 in 2019, and then 90.9 in 2020! Do you like ESPN’s QBR? Okay, in 2018 Josh Allen’s QBR was 49.8, in 2019 it was 49.4, and in 2020 it jumped to 81.6! Do you like looking at only stats? Just the raw numbers? Well, my friend, look below and see the progression:
Justin Herbert has the tools that Allen does, they’re both big strong guys, they both have canons for arms, they’re both athletic. Both have all the parts of an amazing quarterback, they just need to be put together. We saw what Herbert did with Anthony Lynn running the show, just imagine what Herbert could become with Brian Daboll calling the shots.
Goodbye Offensive Continuity
This is going to be a conversation that will happen with Justin Herbert and either management, Brandon Staley himself, or just internal thoughts after any given giver:
Hey Justin, you had a heck of a year man!
Thanks, the scheme was great, loved the coaches and can’t wait to run it back next year!
Oh yeah, about that. Well, your offensive coordinator is getting about five to six head coaching interviews, so he’s probably leaving.
Oh, that’s alright I’m happy for him! My quarterback coach is going to take over right?
Oh umm, about that too. There are four to five teams looking at him to be their offensive coordinator, so I can’t tell you that he’ll absolutely be back next year.
And scene! This is a hypothetical conversation that could (and probably will) be had between anyone and Justin Herbert after any given season. Fun right?
Herbert is going to get a lot of offensive coordinators head coaching jobs, and his reward is going to be having to change schemes every two or three years until he gets an offensive-minded head coach. For a young quarterback, that’s not something you want to put him through. The constant discontinuity is a self-inflicted wound, and a mistake that the Los Angeles Chargers could’ve easily avoided.
Brandon Staley Was A Safe Hire
Brandon Staley was a safe hire in the sense that he’ll keep this team competitive and most likely a fairly consistent playoff team (As consistent as that can be with the Chiefs in your division). But, the Chargers were gun shy. They didn’t aim to be great, they didn’t go for a coach that would propel them into becoming a real contender that could go toe-to-toe with the Chiefs. I just don’t think a defensive guy is able to do that, not in the NFL today. He’ll keep the Chargers relevant, but I doubt he’ll be able to make them GREAT.
Staley was a safe hire, but let’s be serious here. Is this the man who’s going to lead the Chargers to a Super Bowl? Justin Herbert will have to deal with a rotating cast of offensive coordinators and quarterback coaches this early into his career, that’s not working to maximize your young stud. Hire an offensive guy, take a shot on a guy like Daboll who proved he can develop a toolsy quarterback. Aim to be GREAT, not solid.
