Dec 30, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; General view of fans arriving to Qualcomm Stadium for the NFL game between the Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY SportsA new era in Chargers football has started. AJ Smith warned us on what would happen if they missed the playoffs again and here it is. A new era of Chargers football. A new attitude in the front office. A new look in the coaching staff. A renewed excitement from the hometown fans.
Dean Spanos had to make a change and he decided to clean house. He could have taken the easy way out and just hired from within, but he decided to take a risk with someone outside of the organization. He went with youth at the general manager position with Tom Telesco and entrusted him to steer this ship in the right direction.
Not many people know anything about Tom Telesco, but in his first press conference, he won over fans with his confidence, youthfulness and excitement. His presence in front of the microphone was different from the previous regime. He still hadn’t made one football decision, but he looked the part.
Then the hunt for the head coach position began. Solid names were brought to town for interviews. He made his decision and plucked Mike McCoy from the division rivals. McCoy was one of the best available candidates this offseason and will getting his first chance to coach. He stepped up to the mic and was just as impressive as Telesco.
The new regime has youth. The new regime has confidence. And the new regime will put in work!!
McCoy addressed the media on his first day at the job and said that he would bring in an offensive coordinator and that guy will call the plays. Good to see McCoy wouldn’t add extra work on his plate for his first time around. When making the decision for the new OC, he chose veteran coach Ken Whisenhunt. Whisenhunt has head coaching experience and he has won a Super Bowl as an offensive coordinator.
To fill the defensive coaching staff, McCoy kept John Pagano around to keep continuity. Pagano had already built a strong foundation with the unit and it just looks to build upon that this season.
McCoy has built a strong staff around him. He can’t get it done all by himself and he has built a nice staff to help accomplish his goal.
There still is a ton of work to do. Shrine game. Senior Bowl. Combines. Free agency. The draft. Training camp. Tons of work.