It Is Time for the Chargers to Move on From Ken Whisenhunt

The Los Angeles Chargers just played the Jacksonville Jaguars in what might have been the most unwatchable game of the season. I tried to find every excuse to stop watching, but the inevitable train wreck that is the Chargers is mesmerizing in a way. I’ve been keeping a checklist of ways a team can lose, and this week I crossed off “lose by a blocked field goal” for the second time this season.

At 3-6, the Chargers season is essentially over. The team is still good enough to play their way out of a top draft pick, all while being officially eliminated from the playoff race by the Browns. Each loss is a microcosm of their season, a season that needs a lot less Ken Whisenhunt. Ken was brought back due to the prior success he had with Rivers, and if he’s not succeeding, I’m not sure why Whiz is still here.

18.8 points per game barely would have won you the World Series this year. Recognizing and using your best players is what good coaches do. Hunter Henry is the Chargers’ most complete skill player on the offense, yet his impact is hardly recognizable. Allowing games to be decided by Travis Benjamin is a fire-able offense by every team not named the Chargers or Browns.

The defense has been playoff-caliber all season long, and Gus Bradley has played a huge role in that. With Perryman back, they look like a top-10 unit being wasted. Apologies to the Philip Rivers apologists, but Alex Smith for 3 quarters and David Garrard for the 4th isn’t a winning formula. During games, I often dream of what the offense could be even with a quarterback like Tyrod Taylor who can consistently make plays outside the pocket. It’s time the chargers start thinking about the future.

Melvin Gordon might not be bad, but he certainly is not good. Mike Williams looked like he’d play a role but was out-targeted by Derek Watt (the jokes write themselves). Sure, Austin Ekeler fumbled in a crunch time situation. You know which other Chargers running back had a fumbling problem as a rookie? Austin gets a pass when he’s making every special teams tackle as well. Don’t believe me?

Austin Effort, the Chargers new RB1.

Next week the Chargers get the Bills and if we all agree to not watch it, we can just pretend it never happened. It’s the least anticipated revenge game since Gus Bradley vs. the Jaguars.