Keep Sean Payton Away From The Chargers
The rumors about Sean Payton circling the Chargers have been swirling for months now. Some of it has come from the media, but a lot has come from pissed off Chargers fans that think he will be the answer to a struggling team.
If you ask me, I say NO THANKS and here is why.
What is Sean Payton most known for?
1. A lone, miraculous Super Bowl win in 14 years coaching one of the greatest quarterbacks ever. What about all the other years? A 6-8 playoff record and some of the most epic collapses in playoff history. That includes becoming the first team in NFL history to have a playoff loss against a team with a losing record only one year removed from from that super bowl.
Now, what are the Chargers most well known for to the general public? Every single game coming down to the wire or blowing big leads. It has been the curse of this franchise for over a decade. Payton has experience, yes. But also a lot of experience blowing it in big moments.
2. GUTTING his franchise by allowing Bounty-gate to happen under his watch. He became the first head coach to be suspended for any reason in NFL history, got the Saints fined the maximum amount possible according to the NFL rules, and lost them 2 second rounders (Would have been 1st rounder if they hadn't traded it). He also got 4 of the best defenders suspended.
Why bring a guy that let this happen into your franchise?
What do the Chargers need?
The very simple answer is defense. The Chargers have had one of the worst defenses in the league each year of Herbert's tenure. Brandon Staley was brought in to make the team a defensive powerhouse and the team surrendered a ton of money and a 2nd round pick to run the scheme he wants. It hasn't worked. Herbert can continue averaging 287 yards and 2 touchdowns a game, but that doesn't matter if his defense gives up 27PPG each year.
What don't the Chargers need?
Also very simple: More offense. You can drag a literal monkey off the street and he will find a way to get Herbert + Ekeler rolling on offense. This year, however, is a different story thanks to injury.
When your day 1 depth chart looks like this, it's going to be extremely difficult to succeed on offense regardless of who is coaching. Sean Payton may be a great offensive coach, but how much better would he be doing with this roster? On top of that, Paytons personal OC is is the OC for the Chargers. So would it even be different at all?
Payton is an offensive coach and offense is not what they need. They need health and a defense that doesn't shit the bed every game. I don't see a world where Staley gets fired in this offseason because the Spanos Family always holds on too long and they've already invested a lot of capital into building his system. Even if they were to fire him, there is absolutely no reason to give up draft picks for the still-under-contract Payton.
The season is already over for the Chargers unless something insane happens in the wildcard spot so it is time to look towards this offseason I guess. I think the answer for this team is as simple as good health and finding a way to get a speed WR for the offense.