The Chargers spent their bye week with a clear problem in front of them and no real fix in sight. Their offense has dragged down the season, and the extra time created a natural opening to make a change at offensive coordinator. Instead, they stayed put with Mike McDaniel, and the same issues showed up again in Week 8.
Justin Herbert’s latest outing only deepened the concern. He threw two more interceptions, pushing his league-leading total to 10, and the fit between quarterback and coordinator still looks off.
One offensive coach from another team told The Athletic’s Mike Sando, “The quarterback looks incredibly uncomfortable with everything they’re doing,” and added, “Herbert is a big, long, long-release classic pocket passer who can scramble. He is not one of these quick-feet, quick-release guys.
He’s the opposite of Tua.”
That leaves the Chargers in a tough spot, with little reason to expect a sudden offensive rescue. Jim Harbaugh’s reputation also came under the microscope through old comments from a former assistant, who described him this way: “Jim’s involvement in football is the equivalent of the absent-minded professor walking into the room and drawing up a trick play, taking a dip and walking out the door,” this assistant said. “He is not a football scheming person.”
The same assistant said Harbaugh’s strength is more about the environment he creates than the X’s and O’s. “He is worried about capturing an edge with the way you travel, having players over to his house, throwing and catching with his quarterbacks, all those things,” the assistant added.
“He is as good as his staff is, and guess what? He believes in them.
He is counting on you. He has empowered you.
He is intense. He is going into battle with you.
He is leading the way. That is why he goes after Vic Fangio to be his defensive coordinator.”
Meanwhile, Khalil Mack is trying to tune out the noise around his future after the Chargers’ 0-7 start. “You’ve got to be where your feet are man, ultimately.
That can be the most difficult thing when you’re dealing with a lot of outside noise and stuff. Just trying to be where your feet are at all time.
That’s kind of been my thing in years past.” Eric Williams reported that quote.
On Pat McAfee’s show, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said the Chargers have not signaled any willingness to move veteran players. Still, with the team sitting at 0-7, Schefter said it would make sense to consider a deal involving someone like Mack if Mack wanted out.
In Other News...
Chargers Collapse Just Put Their Trade Deadline Direction Under A Spotlight
The Chargers 0-7 start has pushed the front office into an uncomfortable spot, with a season that has gone sideways fast now forcing a hard look at the trade market. When a team falls this far behind, every veteran on the roster starts to look like a possible deadline chip, especially with other clubs around the league dealing with injuries and searching for help.
Khalil Mack has been the name most often tied to that conversation, while other players such as Keaton Mitchell, Daiyan Henley and Dalvin Tomlinson have also surfaced as possible assets. For a team trying to salvage value from a lost season, the next move is less about chasing a turnaround and more about deciding which pieces can still bring back something useful before the deadline passes. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Fans Have Every Right To Be Furious About This Offense
Seven straight losses have left the Chargers with nowhere to hide, and the latest 24-9 defeat to the Rams only sharpened the focus on an offense that has gone nowhere fast. Under offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, the unit has looked stuck in neutral, while Justin Herbert has had a season full of frustration as the defense under Chris OLeary has done more to keep games respectable than the offense has done to support it.
The bigger issue is that the Chargers are no longer just dealing with a bad stretch, but with the kind of offensive stagnation that raises questions about the direction of the whole operation. Harbaughs decision to stick with McDaniel through the bye week has only added to the scrutiny, because the losses keep piling up and the offense keeps offering the same empty answers. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Have Hit A Breaking Point And Everyone Sees It
After Week 8, the Chargers are staring at a season that has gone from discouraging to downright alarming. Their loss to the Rams left Los Angeles at 0-7, and with the rest of the league sorting itself out, the Chargers have become the outlier no team wants to be, the only club still searching for its first win.
The latest league-wide power rankings reflect just how far things have slipped, especially when compared with teams like the Dolphins, who are still only 1-6 but have at least shown some fight under first-year coach Jeff Hafley. For the Chargers, the bigger issue is no longer a bad stretch or a few missed chances. It is the reality of where they stand now, and how little room there is left to turn it around. [Read more 🡒]