Can The Chargers Really Get Better?

Head coach has not shown the ability to improve his team

NBC 7’s Derek Togerson vents some frustrations on the Chargers’ 37-29 loss to the Raiders in this commentary

The Chargers thought they’d had a good week of practice leading up to Sunday’s game against the Raiders. Head coach Mike McCoy said that very thing.

“I think we had a really good week of practice, to be honest with you,” said McCoy. “I think they were energetic, they had good execution, we had good plans.”

But the best-laid schemes of McCoy and his men often go awry, which is exactly what happened in a 37-29 loss to the Raiders at Qualcomm Stadium. The final score suggests a one-possession game, which sounds respectable. Falling behind 30-3 in the first half, however, suggests that suggestion is completely off-base.

“It’s pathetic. That first half is pathetic,” said McCoy in a moment of honesty. “But you know what? We’ll come back, we’ll respond. We got together at halftime and came back. Better second half, but unfortunately, way too late. So we’ve got to do better.”

Pretty much everyone in the locker room said the Chargers simply failed to execute their plays as well as the Raiders executed their plays. So that means one of two things:

Either the Chargers don’t have enough talent to carry out the coaches’ plan, something McCoy vehemently denied.

“We have players to win, yes we do. Yes, we have plenty of players to win football games. We’ve won games here before. We have plenty of players to win. We have a talented football team we have to play better football. We’re going to win here. We’re going to win.”

Or the coaches are not putting together good enough plans or teaching the guys how to be good football players. That one might be closer to the truth.

“It starts with us as coaches. It starts with me as a head coach. It’s all on me. I’m the head football coach here. We’ve got to execute better as a football team too. Everyone has to do their jobs better. No doubt.”

McCoy has said the same thing several times. They just have to get better. They just have to do better. It’s been going on for so long I’m starting wonder if he knows how to do that.

If he knew it would have been taken care of already. I have absolutely no doubt McCoy is putting all of his effort in to winning games. He wants to win with a deep passion. Desire to win is not the issue so perhaps ability to win is.

McCoy is always saying he’s doing what he thinks is best for the football team. It’s becoming clear that his vision of what’s best for the football team is not working. Now, I hope he can change this losing culture. I hope he can make the necessary changes in preparation and game plan and execution to win with a roster that really does have enough talent to be a playoff contender.

In three years McCoy's record as a head coach is now 20-19. The one year they went to the playoffs was 2013, when he had experienced head coach Ken Whisenhunt (who took the Cardinals to a Super Bowl) on the staff.

We all know the Chargers have to do their jobs better. It’s up to the head coach to make that happen.

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