As a lifelong Charger fan, I've seen it all. Rooting for the Chargers since 1980 has made me the unrelenting cynic I am today. Memories of so many missed FGs, dropped INTs, boneheaded penalties, and near misses along the way.
As a result, I go into every season with a "glass half empty" mentality. Of course.
This year, though, I am excited. Or, I have been.
Staley is a breath of fresh air in terms of personality and having a coach who can scheme (and I mean scheme in the modern era). When is the last time we had those qualities in a head coach? Jalen Ramsey's endorsement of Staley made me incredibly hopeful.
As we head into this season, my annual Charger cynicism is starting to bubble up. The underwhelming OL backups being a heartbeat away. A kicker winning the job with a subpar preseason. The special teams showing no progress at all to this point. Needless to say, I'm skeptical.
But my biggest fear, from the moment we hired him, is Joe Lombardi. I've got this odd feeling that he will be a headache for us. Or, he might get by, but only because of Justin Herbert.
Seeing Joe's brief and disastrous track record as an OC with Detroit freaks me out (and I'm sure people will find a way to dismiss it). Reflecting on our original 53-man roster and knowing the players cut and kept that bothered me most are on Joe's side of the ball (cutting Tyron Johnson, keeping Trey Pipkins) and wondering if, as Staley's former coach, Brandon is given far too much credit to Joe in making decisions. Add to those things our one-injury-away-from-disaster OL, as well as our meager depth at RB, and this could be an infuriating year on that side of the ball (stalled drives, delays of game, stupid play calling).
Obviously, I hope I'm wrong. And Herbert covers a multitude of sins.
But Joe Lombardi scares me most going into this season.
What scares you most?
As a result, I go into every season with a "glass half empty" mentality. Of course.
This year, though, I am excited. Or, I have been.
Staley is a breath of fresh air in terms of personality and having a coach who can scheme (and I mean scheme in the modern era). When is the last time we had those qualities in a head coach? Jalen Ramsey's endorsement of Staley made me incredibly hopeful.
As we head into this season, my annual Charger cynicism is starting to bubble up. The underwhelming OL backups being a heartbeat away. A kicker winning the job with a subpar preseason. The special teams showing no progress at all to this point. Needless to say, I'm skeptical.
But my biggest fear, from the moment we hired him, is Joe Lombardi. I've got this odd feeling that he will be a headache for us. Or, he might get by, but only because of Justin Herbert.
Seeing Joe's brief and disastrous track record as an OC with Detroit freaks me out (and I'm sure people will find a way to dismiss it). Reflecting on our original 53-man roster and knowing the players cut and kept that bothered me most are on Joe's side of the ball (cutting Tyron Johnson, keeping Trey Pipkins) and wondering if, as Staley's former coach, Brandon is given far too much credit to Joe in making decisions. Add to those things our one-injury-away-from-disaster OL, as well as our meager depth at RB, and this could be an infuriating year on that side of the ball (stalled drives, delays of game, stupid play calling).
Obviously, I hope I'm wrong. And Herbert covers a multitude of sins.
But Joe Lombardi scares me most going into this season.
What scares you most?
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