Chargers Hire Next Wunderkind - Brandon Staley is our Head Coach... Who?

Brandon Staley has been hired as the next Head Ball Coach in Los Angeles. He takes over the Chargers after 4 years of the Anthony Lynn saga.

Brandon Staley has been hired as the next Head Ball Coach in Los Angeles. He takes over the Chargers after 4 years of the Anthony Lynn saga.

Lynn, who seems like one of the all time great guys, was clearly in over his head. Time management mistakes and special teams issues became a running joke for national media. Even still, Lynn is an incredible leader. I think a Pete Carroll type turnaround is possible with the intangibles he brings to the table. Hopefully he gets another chance to prove himself.

With that said, we can finally turn the page on the Philip Rivers/Marty Schottenheimer/Norv Turner/Mike McCoy/Anthony Lynn era. It's a new day for Bolts fans. Justin Herbert is the face of the franchise and management gave him his guy, Brandon Staley.

Who is Staley? Good question. A cancer survivor, he's been in the NFL as long as the Chargers have been in LA (since 2017). He started as Outside Linebackers coach in Chicago for 2 seasons, taking the same role with the Broncos for a year, before taking the Defensive Coordinator position for the Rams last season. Prior to that, he spend 11 seasons in the college ranks.

These same questions of his credentials were brought up before taking the Rams DC gig. He largely left the defensive staff in place and responded by leading that unit to the #1 defense in the league. Top Cornerbacks, Jalen Ramsey, had high praise for Staley, calling him "the best D-Coordinator I've had in the NFL". This says a lot considering Ramsey has worked with Wade Phillips.

Ultimately, Staley won't be bringing All-Pro players like Ramsey or Aaron Donald with him. However, he was able to get career performances out of other guys on that unit. The hope is he can replicate that formula, elevating the D as a whole and letting stars like Joey Bosa and Derwin James reach their elite levels.

As for the offense, Staley was a former college quarterback so he's more than familiar with that side of the ball. Staley says he wants QB Justin Herbert to get “a dual education” which means he will get coached up on the offense and the defensive side. He wants to show the young Herbert what he can expect to face week to week. Early rumors have many of the offensive coaches from last year remaining in place. Continuity for Herbert can be a good thing, but philosophy needs to change. We cannot keep trying to "establish the run" in an air-raid league, especially with the talent we have under center and on the perimeter.

As for my personal feelings, Staley is supposedly the next in line of wunderkinds in the NFL. Following in the mold of Sean McVay (LAR) and Matt LaFleur (GB). Wunderkinds, by definition, are supposed to be rare. I hope we're not seeing an over correction by general managers, looking for "a type" of coach, rather than taking the best resume. I would have loved to see Eric Bieniemy from KC get a shot, or Brian Daboll from Buffallo after what he's been able to do with Josh Allen.

Staley impressed enough during the interview, where Chargers management felt they couldn't let him leave the room without a contract. After the Justin Herbert selection, I have no choice but to trust their judgement. Staley's personal triumphs as well as his professional accomplishments thus far do point in the right direction. But it's a big jump going from one of the guys, to the guy.