There’s the small matter of not knowing in which city this team will reside. There’s also the concern of why this job is even available. The Chargers have had a bad record the past two years, but they haven’t been a bad team. Under Mike McCoy, they had a well-honed offensive identify and one of the best passing schemes in the NFL. And McCoy’s defensive coordinator, John Pagano, has long been one of the league’s top in-game schemers. It’s too bad Pagano won’t have a full season with star cover corners Jason Verrett and Casey Hayward playing behind Joey Bosa. With those three, you can execute just about any blitz imaginable.
Injuries and a propensity for losing close games is why the Chargers have gone 9-23 over the past two years. In theory, some of those closes losses can be blamed on coaching … but only in theory. Put on the Chargers 2015-16 film and you see a team that looks a lot like the one that went 9-7 in each of McCoy’s first two seasons. On the bright side, this job comes with a ready-made foundation because McCoy did solid work. But that means it also comes with pressure to succeed right away—and in a new market, no less.
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Best Fit for San Diego
Matt Patricia, Patriots’ defensive coordinator
He’s the best defensive coaching candidate in a market that appears to be dominated by offensive minds. The Chargers have enough talent on defense to win right away.
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