Phil Simms didn’t need much time to size up what the Los Angeles Chargers just did on offense. For him, the move that matters is the arrival of Mike McDaniel, and he made that clear while talking with Matt “Money” Smith on Bleav in Chargers.
“When the Chargers signed him and I went, oh my God! Good!”
That was Simms’ immediate reaction to the Chargers hiring the former Miami Dolphins head coach, a move that has pushed Los Angeles into the center of offseason conversation. After moving on from Greg Roman following another first-round playoff exit, Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers overhauled the offense and brought in one of the most coveted play callers on the market. McDaniel arrives with a new run-game emphasis built around a wide zone rushing attack, plus a passing game designed to answer the league’s best defenses.
The buzz is tied directly to what the Chargers are trying to leave behind. In 2025, the offense struggled to adjust to injuries and roster limitations, and Simms didn’t dance around that reality.
He pointed to Roman’s approach with Justin Herbert, saying, “Well, Greg Roman saw Justin Herbert and he did what he thought he was doing was right,” Simms said, “I got a guy who can really get it down the field and by God we're gonna try. But the problem with it, it blew up because of offensive line injuries and other things.”
He also brought up the Monday night game against the Philadelphia Eagles, when Herbert was coming off surgery for a broken non-throwing hand. Simms didn’t like what he saw from the game plan.
“I'm watching the game going 'I hate this game'. Come on, can we just run an extra protection?”
Simms said in critique of the offensive game plan and play calling, “keep the running back in, we're allowed to do that.”
Even with questions along the offensive line, Simms sees McDaniel as the piece that can change the whole picture. When Smith asked about the line, Simms answered, “They have a chance to be really good,” Simms replied, “but they got the greatest pass protector, I think, they can get, and that's the offensive coordinator.”
That belief is rooted in the idea that McDaniel can help cover for some of the issues that have tripped up the Chargers in recent seasons. Last year, Herbert absorbed heavy punishment behind an offensive line ravaged by injuries, and he was forced to hold the ball for the longest average time to throw of his career.
The left guard battle in camp remains an important part of the puzzle, but the bigger hope is that McDaniel’s scheme can smooth over the rough edges and still produce. Simms made his stance plain on the Herbert-McDaniel pairing: “I think the Chargers offense will be something to be scared of.”
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