The Bottom Has Fallen Out For The Los Angeles Chargers And It's Time For Change
I know I already declared the season over after the week 2 loss to Vegas, but I need it on record that we are 4 weeks in and I believe it's time for regime change. And I need to split it into three sections:
JIM HARBAUGH
When Jim Harbaugh came to town, nothing made me happier. After Norv Turner, I was sick of the Chargers taking chances on unproven coordinators. Harbaugh was the dream. A former player for the team, football guy and leader of men. Everything this team was missing for YEARS. And what he promised was what I wanted! Let the coordinators be the head coach of their unit, establish a hardcore offensive line and run game, and build out a top-tier defense.
For those of you keeping track, the Chargers run game has been one of the worst in the NFL since Harbaugh took over. When you remove QB rush yards from all NFL offenses, the Chargers run game ranks 25th in R/YPG. Justin Herbert has been the most hit quarterback in football during this span behind one of the worst interior offensive lines in football. The defense, to his credit, improved drastically vs the Staley era behind his hand-picked coordinator Jesse Minter and now the improving Chris O'Leary.
On top of the absolute failure to support this offense, Harbaugh has not been a good game manager. He's made critical mistakes in the few areas of direct control that he hasn't delegated. To make it worse, he gets on stage after these embarrassing losses and rambles, distracts, and is extremely uninspiring!
JOE HORTIZ
I feel I really only need to post his free agency record:
But I'll also note that, for 3 straight years, he watched his QB get fucking brutalized behind a patchwork OL and refused to open up the piggy bank for a free agent. The best he could do was coupon deals for Becton (ASS) and Biadasz (knee exploded).
JUSTIN HERBERT
I am a Herbert defender. That is what happens when you watch your QB come into his first career start with 30 seconds of a heads up vs the defending champion chiefs and take them to overtime. When you see him complete the best statistical rookie QB season ever. When you see him put up 5,400 total yards his sophomore year (the only year both Keenan and Mike Williams stayed healthy). When you see him labour to keep your teams in games behind Brandon Staley's pathetic, 27 PPG allowed defense. When you see him work his whole career without a run game and a declining offensive line. And, most of all, when you see him take hits and keep getting back up for the team.
At the same time, I have eyes and Herbert has played like ass this year. My only counter is that is there is no part of the 2026 Chargers offense that is playing well. The receivers aren't getting open. The OL isn't blocking shit. The run game is non-existent. If I was watching receivers run open and Hampton running rampant behind a great scheme, I'd be out on Herbert. That's obviously, for anyone watching the games, not the case here. Nothing is working.
What I would want from Herbert is simple:
1. To overcome it. To thread the millimeters of separation this terrible WR corps gets in every dogshit situation the offense gets put into. It's unfair, but it's what you want from a franchise QB.
2. Ad lib. Herbert's complete and total adherence to the playcall is sometimes a strength, but a lot of times a weakness. He is a football throwing robot that can make any throw and will make any viable play work. But when the plays aren't viable, he eats shit. And while this current system doesn't allow audibles, there needs to be some sort of middle ground here.
3. Speak up for himself. He is a very introverted dude and worlds greatest team player. After every loss, the script is the same. "It's on me, I didn't execute what we needed to." We all watch the games. We see what's not working and it's not all at the QB position.
I don't know what the answer is to turning this team around. Like I said before, this season is already over. They're 0-4 in the middle of the hardest schedule stretch in the NFL and have way too many injuries (add Derwin James, Ladd McConkey, Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater to the count today), The question is how to limit the damage. The one thing that is very clear to me right now is that Mike McDaniel is not a fit here. He did not adapt this offense to fit Herbert's talents nor the deficiencies in the roster. They are sloppy, confused and constantly committing pre-snap penalties.That would be forgivable if the scheme was opening up all the easy winners he promised, but they are not. And the run game he promised has not materialized. And the Dolphins players he brought over to operate his scheme (Cole Strange, Alec Ingold) have been MASSIVE failures.
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We may be stuck with Hortiz/Harbaugh til the end of the year, but McDaniel may need to be replaced mid-season. And it's time for Hortiz/Harbaugh to come to a few realities:
1. This is not a professional WR room. QJ needs to go. Signing MVS is like the canary in the coal mine moment for any roster.
2. Derius Davis cannot be this teams returner any longer.
3. It does not matter what draft capital you have if your team is fucking dogshit. Make trades. Get better. DO SOMETHING.