Former Chargers Pro Bowler compares Brandon Staley to Schottenheimer

Marty Schottenheimer is one of the greatest coaches in Chargers franchise history. Schottenheimer coached arguably the greatest team in franchise history, the 2006 Chargers that went 14-2.

The head coaches since Schottenheimer have been a mixed bag. Norv Turner had early success but ultimately was not the right coach for the job. Mike McCoy was terrible and Anthony Lynn started promising, but his leadership could not overcome his game management.

The team’s new head coach, Brandon Staley, is someone who the fans have been excited about. Staley is one of the best defensive minds in football and has knocked his press conferences out of the park.

He is the first defensive-minded head coach the Chargers have hired since Schottenheimer, but the similarities don’t stop there. Former Pro Bowl safety Hanik Milligan, who played for Schottenheimer in San Diego, sees a deeper comparison.

Milligan appeared on the official LA Chargers podcast of Bolt Beat, Charger Chat, and explained what he sees in Staley that reminds him of Schottenheimer.

“I see the retransformation, that old-school ‘Marty ball’, coming back. It used to be, you said it best, a family. That’s how we felt. […] that’s the difference. They started believing in each other. People don’t realize it starts from the top but it also starts from the players coming together as a unit.

Now is a new chapter and we are looking forward to what is ahed.”

Milligan nails it on the head here. We know that Staley knows his Xs and Os but his comments about creating a family on the Chargers is the most important thing he has said. Staley understands, much like Milligan, what makes a successful football team.

Family.

Milligan’s Marty story and other content from this week’s LA Chargers podcast:

Milligan shared an excellent Marty Schottenheimer story with Charger Chat that any Charger fan is going to want to hear. He also talks about what it takes to be a great special teams player, comparing his special teams unit to the ‘JackBoyz’.

The guys also continue their fan focus segment and talk to Sean Mitchell of Encinitas, California. The Charger Chat guys feature a new fan every week, so be sure to follow them in order for your chance to be featured on a future episode!

Craig Smith returns for The Craig Experience and talks about edge rushers to pay attention to in the 2021 NFL Draft. The guys then wrap up the show answer listener questions about the draft, the roster and everything in between.