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Here are Popper's initial thoughts on the coordinators:
The Chargers announced Monday that they have agreed to terms with three coordinators. They are the first official hires on new head coach Brandon Staley’s staff.
Former Saints quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi is the Chargers’ new offensive coordinator. Former Broncos defensive backs coach Renaldo Hill is the new defensive coordinator. And former Cardinals assistant special teams coordinator Derius Swinton is the new special teams coordinator.
We will go one by one and break down what each coach brings and how they might affect this roster.
Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi
Staley has a direct connection with all three coaches, which is common in NFL circles. Lombardi, the grandson of Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, was the offensive coordinator at Mercyhurst University in 2005 when Staley was the starting quarterback there. Staley played his first four seasons at Dayton before transferring to Mercyhurst for his fifth year to play with his twin brother, Jason.
Lombardi has spent the majority of his NFL coaching career with the Saints. He started in New Orleans as an offensive assistant in 2007, which was Sean Payton’s second season as head coach. Lombardi spent two seasons as an offensive assistant before being promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2009. The Saints won the Super Bowl that year. Lombardi filled that role through 2013 before leaving to become the Lions’ offensive coordinator in 2014 under Jim Caldwell. He lasted less than two seasons in Detroit. Lombardi was fired eight games into the 2015 season after a 1-6 start. We will get more into what went wrong with the Lions and quarterback Matthew Stafford in a little bit. But it was not pretty.
Lombardi rejoined Payton as the Saints’ quarterbacks coach for 2016 and stayed at that position for five seasons before the Chargers agreed to terms with him Monday.
So what is Lombardi bringing to the Chargers? Let’s start with Staley’s thoughts from the team’s press release.
“I’m just so excited about Joe coming here,” Staley said. “The wealth of knowledge and experience he possesses, having operated within one of the premier offensive systems in the NFL for over a decade. You think about the relationship he has with Drew Brees — one of the all-time great quarterbacks to ever play the game — and having a front-row seat to that relationship. It’s huge. And then obviously partnering up with Sean Payton — one of the best offensive coaches in the NFL, really one of the best coaches period — that experience is invaluable. He has a tremendous family, is a guy that is great at earning his players’ respect and is someone who has a lot of great ideas about what this Chargers offense should, and will, be moving forward.”
Brees operates at an otherworldly mental level. It is the primary reason he will go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks ever. And it starts, first and foremost, with his preparation. I go back to a story John Beck, Justin Herbert’s personal quarterback coach, told me about Brees. Beck and Brees used to throw together when Beck was still in the league.
“Drew taught me the value of reps,” Beck said. “When you’re throwing routes, play the game. You have to see the game in front of you, not just throw a route. So Drew would always say, ‘I know when I take this route, it’s because I process the safeties doing this, I process this, and then I go there.’”
Regardless of what setting he is in, Brees is always thinking about the intricacies of quarterbacking. This is something Beck tried to teach Herbert during their work together in the spring. And it is something the Chargers will try to tap into by hiring Lombardi, who spent 12 seasons with Brees in New Orleans.
The Payton connection is notable, too. It is no secret that the Saints, year after year, boast one of the most explosive offenses in football. Remember, though, that this will be Staley’s system, even if Lombardi is calling the plays.
Last week at Staley’s introductory press conference, Chargers president of football operations John Spanos repeatedly used the term “vertical alignment” — effectively saying that all the team’s schemes, from offense to defense to special teams, will funnel directly from Staley.
“The things that are going to make this offense here successful — the strategies, the philosophies, the components — they’re going to come from Brandon,” Spanos said.
So, this does not strike me as a situation in which the Chargers will be trying to replicate the Saints’ offense. But it does not hurt to poach concepts and ideas from a perennially great offense and from Payton, one of the great offensive coaches the league has seen.
These are the reasons to be excited about the hire. But there are some questions and concerns that must be addressed.
Lombardi’s first stint as a play-caller, with the Lions, did not go well. He inherited a 26-year-old Stafford, a 29-year old Calvin Johnson and a 26-year-old Golden Tate — three great players in their primes. And he did not produce results while overseeing the offense. Stafford played some of the worst football of his career with Lombardi calling plays. His .078 expected points added per play was the lowest of his career outside of his rookie year. His 47.3 QBR was also the second-lowest of his career behind his rookie season. Stafford followed that up with a .031 EPA/play in the first seven games of 2015 before Lombardi was fired. That ranked 27th in the league. Stafford posted the 11th-best EPA/play in the league from Weeks 8 to 17, after Jim Bob Cooter took over for Lombardi. (All stats courtesy of rbsdm.com unless otherwise noted.)
Lombardi admitted that the offense was too conservative in his first season. Johnson, one of the best receivers of all time, only had 128 targets that year, his fewest since he was a rookie.
“We’ll look to him to maybe take a few more chances this year with the football,” Lombardi said of Stafford during the 2015 offseason, according to the Detroit Free Press. “He’s got the arm to do it and he’s got the receivers to throw it to.”
Stafford then went on to average just 6.8 air yards per attempt through the first seven games of 2015, the sixth-lowest average in the league. And he threw nine interceptions in his first six games.
That January, Lombardi talked to Michigan Live and provided an autopsy of sorts on his time in Detroit.
“I felt a strong run game, a good play-action passing game would have given (Stafford) some protection and allowed those receivers to get downfield,” Lombardi said. “I thought (that) plan would be successful. Obviously, for whatever reason, whether it was a poor plan or not executed, it certainly didn’t work out the way we were hoping it would.”
The past does not necessarily predict the future. And let me be clear about one thing: We have absolutely no idea if this hire — or any of these hires, Staley included — will work out until we see the product on the field. But, as the play-caller, Lombardi will have the most direct impact on Herbert’s development and success. Odds are that he learned and grew from that experience with the Lions. We will see.
Defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill
Hill brings clout to this staff as a former player. He was a seventh-round pick in 2001 and spent 10 years in the league as a safety for the Cardinals, Raiders, Dolphins and Broncos. He started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Wyoming in 2012. He was elevated to cornerbacks coach the following season. Hill then spent three seasons as the defensive backs coach at the University of Pittsburgh before jumping to the NFL. He was the assistant defensive backs coach with the Dolphins on Adam Gase’s staff for one year and spent that past two seasons as the defensive backs coach in Denver.
Staley and Hill crossed paths on coach Vic Fangio’s Broncos staff in 2019, when Staley was the outside linebackers coach. Hill primarily will bring knowledge of Fangio’s 3-4 quarters-coverage-based scheme, which Staley ran with the Rams and will run with the Chargers.
But he also has a proven history of grooming players. Justin Simmons, a third-round pick in 2016, developed into one of the best safeties in football under Hill’s tutelage.
“The wealth of experience Renaldo owns,” Staley said, “both as a player and a coach in this league, operating at the highest level as a player, playing for some tremendous franchises — and then as a coach, being in our system with Vic Fangio and the type of work that he did with Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson — it’s a rare combination. He was instrumental in making Justin an All-Pro and one of the best in the game — operating in one of the top systems in professional football. He’s a guy that I have a great personal relationship with and a guy that just has a tremendous background to help our team be successful.”
Staley said he will call the defensive plays, so Hill’s role will not mirror Lombardi’s.
One other connection: Hill coached cornerback Chris Harris in 2019 before he signed with the Chargers.Special teams coordinator Derius Swinton
Swinton and Staley were together on coach John Fox’s Bears staff in 2017. Staley was the outside linebackers coach, working alongside Fangio, who was the defensive coordinator. Swinton was the assistant special teams coach.
Swinton has a background in all three phases. He was a safety in college at Hampton University and started his coaching career as a defensive graduate assistant at the University of Tennessee. He also spent a season as an offensive assistant with the Lions in 2018. Other than those two seasons, Swinton has exclusively coached special teams. He got his first NFL opportunity in 2009 as a special teams quality control coach for the then-St. Louis Rams, where he stayed for three seasons. He went on to be the assistant special teams coach for the Broncos in 2013-14 and the assistant special teams coach for the Bears in 2015.
His lone season as a top special teams coordinator came in 2016 with the 49ers on coach Chip Kelly’s staff. Swinton’s unit finished 17th in Football Outsiders’ DVOA efficiency metric.
After spending 2017 with the Bears and 2018 with the Lions, Swinton was on Kliff Kingsbury’s Cardinals staff for the past two seasons. He was the assistant special teams coordinator in 2020, working under longtime special teams coach Jeff Rodgers, who was also the special teams coordinator with the Broncos from 2013-14 and with the Bears in 2015 and 2017.
“Derius has tremendous command, is a great teacher and has the ability to see the game on offense, defense and through the kicking game,” Staley said. “I can’t emphasize enough what a great teacher he is, fundamentally, from both offensive and defensive perspectives. We’ve worked together before in Chicago, which I obviously value immensely, and even more importantly, he’s had the benefit of having been with one of the premier special teams coaches in the league in Jeff Rodgers. Also, situationally, he’s been instrumental in helping the Cardinals with game management; it’s something that I’m really excited for him to bring to the Chargers.”
This last part is really interesting. The Chargers’ game management was a disaster last season under coach Anthony Lynn. They must improve in this area. It is encouraging that Staley is already thinking about this facet of the job, and, more importantly, that he is willing to delegate responsibility and listen to input when making these crucial decisions.
As we have discussed at length, the Chargers consistently had one of the worst special teams in the league under Lynn and former coordinator George Stewart. I will be very curious to see if that unit shows improvement with some new voices in charge. That needs to happen if the Chargers are to win games in 2021.Comment
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Thanks. Appreciate the articles.Originally posted by Xenos View PostHere are Popper's initial thoughts on the coordinators:
My 2021 Adopt-A-Bolt List
MikeDub
K9
Nasir
Tillery
Parham
ReedComment
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Pelissero reporting that formers Steelers OL coach Shaun Sterrett being hired by the Chargers as Asst OL Coach
Also ready that Campen might be going to the Steelers.Comment
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Well, looks like Happy Campen doesn't figure into Staley's plans...the changing of the last of the Old Guard...Originally posted by Bolt4Knob View PostComment
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This is from a Steelers fan, not a professional writer or anything and it is from the 2019 season. But uh-oh.....
The story of 2019 is this:
How the Stillers' offensive line went quietly into the night as soon as Mike Munchak left.
This offensive line went from well-respected... to a line so inept & offensive that pro Football Focus says that Matt Fieler is the best lineman we have.
Villanueva has regressed so bad, they need to send him back the the practice squad.
Foster is just plain fat, slow, and a pilo shit.
Pouncey looks disinterested half the time. The other half of the time, he sprays shotgun snaps with the accuracy of a Taliban rifleman.
DeCastro has been a DeSaster.
Fieler is barely a backup.
Never has an offensive line failed so much on 3rd and 4th down, and less than a yard.
Collectively, this vaunted, over-hyped crew of fat-asses regulalry and routinely got their asses handed back to them, getting little push with run blocking and allowing tideal waves of continuous pressure while getting mauled and duped in pass protection. It was complete piss and vomit, from opening day vs. NE thru the whipping administered by the Jest front 7.
Shaun Sterret has to go, and the entire OL approach needs revisited, and an OL needs to be drafted in the 2nd round. WITHOUT Munchak, a NEW voice is now needed, not just one who "says the same shit as Munchak". Some guys CANNOT say the same shit with the same effect. There are OL coaches out there with greater pedigree than a stiff who got he job just because he was there. Time for Coach Asslin to man up, step up, and make the change as soon as his team is discarded from playoff contention.Like, how am I a traitor? Your team are traitors.Comment
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Shaun Sarrett*
with Steelers only since 2012 so that's promising but apparently this is a demotion for him
OL hasn't been great for Steelers in the past 2 years while he was the OL coach.
scheme anyone?Chargers vs. EveryoneComment
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But then there is this, too, from Mike Pouncey.
Not long after losing veteran offensive line coach Mike Munchak to the Denver Broncos a few weeks ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers quickly named his assistant, Shaun Sarrett, as his replacement and that really wasn’t a huge surprise if you’ve followed the team closely. While the loss of Munchak obviously hurts and he’ll surely be missed by the Steelers offensive linemen, center Maurkice Pouncey made it clear to Missi Matthews of steelers.com on Wednesday after practicing for the Pro Bowl that the team’s decision to promote Sarrett was the right one.
“I couldn’t be more happier,” Pouncey said when asked about how he fells about Sarrett taking over as the Steelers offensive line coach. “A guy who’s learned a lot from Coach Munch, but first of all, he’s played football, he knows the ins and out of it. He played offensive line, he knows the grit of it, the pass protection, the run blocking and things like that. He’s really honed in on technique and playing football on the offensive line, that’s the one thing you’ve got to teach guys is being a technician and playing the game the right way and he has that.
“And I think he’s learned from one of the best, a Hall of Famer, and obviously a Hall of Fame coach, in my opinion, as well. So, he has a lot to lean on and we have a lot to look forward to with him being our offensive line coach.”
Sarrett has been on the Steelers coaching staff since 2012 when he was hired as an offensive assistant so he was helping coach the offensive line before Munchak arrived in 2014. In short, he’s worked with Pouncey for seven of his nine seasons in the league. Pouncey made it known on Wednesday that he even contacted Sarrett as soon as he heard about his promotion and why he did so quickly.
“Because I’m just so happy for him and I’ve been with him a long time now and I know how much he cares and how much he puts in every single week and how much he can get us a lot better,” Pouncey said. “With the new things that’s going on in the NFL and how it’s changing a little bit, I think he’s perfect for the job.”
Pouncey was also asked on Wednesday to reveal one particular thing that he;’s learned from Sarrett since being coached by him all these years.
“Just how to be more of a technician, Pouncey said. “That he really is big on tape study and pushing the envelope on showing different things each week on the guys you go against. He details his work a lot and you can appreciate that when you’re playing. A guy that’s detailed and working his butt off for you. And you see all the work that’s going into the week, but you still got to go out there and perform. But I think he’s the right guy to lead us in the right way.”
Sarrett’s first year as the Steelers offensive line coach shouldn’t include him having to oversee very many, if any, new faces and especially if guard Ramon Foster is re-signed this offseason and tackle Marcus Gilbert isn’t cut. Even if Gilbert is released in the next seven weeks, the team’s backup tackles, Matt Feiler, Chukwuma Okorafor and Zach Banner, should be back in 2019 and possibly even former fourth-round selection, Jerald Hawkins, who spent the entire 2018 season on the Reserve/Injured list, as well.
Like, how am I a traitor? Your team are traitors.Comment
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Interesting the feedback from the Fan and from PounceyOriginally posted by Heatmiser View Post
I think one thing is the OL in Pittsburgh is pretty old. DeCastro came in with Ingram, Pouncey is 32 or 33; Villanueva over 30. Ramon Foster has been around
Can't make chicken salad out of... well older veterans
Hence I a bit leery in Free agency of who Telesco adds - he has to be really particular about the player, the age, the injury history and the scheme
I hope Sarrett is a good coachComment
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I'm really kind of sad that Steichen and Pep did not remain as part of the new staff. I know some people here don't think Steich is a capable OC, but I disagree. When a rookie QB comes in with an abbreviated off-season and no preseason games and no grooming to be the starter, then is pressed into action and instantly becomes a top 10 QB in the league, I think the OC has something to do with that. Steich and Pep played a role in Herb's record-setting rookie season. Now both are gone and I hope that does not turn out to be a setback for Herb. I think it's pretty well documented that changing OCs and offensive systems every year he was at Oregon held him back in college. All that said though, at the end of the day, Herb has the mental toughness and stoic mindset to not let that affect his play, and that he will excel if his coaches put him in the position to succeed.Comment
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Pouncy says Sarrett is detailed oriented and hard working.
Pittsburg OL does look like a bunch of fed, fat cats who are also long in the tooth
after Munchak left, it was probably a green light to relax a bit
so far i don't see a timeline connection with Staley so i'm just hoping for the bestChargers vs. EveryoneComment
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Munchak is amazing. Good thing Sterret will only be an assistant OL coach here.Originally posted by Heatmiser View PostComment
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