Jesse Minter's LA Chargers defense is fresh off a 35-6 walloping at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was an ugly game in every phase for the Chargers, but was most disappointing for the defense, which needed a prove-it performance against a playoff foe to convince fans it's the real deal.
Unfortunately, that's not what happened. Jacksonville did whatever it wanted on the offensive side of the ball, leaving real question marks about whether or not this defense can hold up against good competition. After all, this is the same unit that was blown out at home by the Indianapolis Colts a month ago.
Minter is still bound to be a hot name in the coaching cycle for teams looking to reset the culture in a Harbaugh-like way. If there's anyone who can provide that it's Minter, who has coached under both Harbaugh brothers.
One team may have already crossed Minter off its list after Week 11, though. The Tennessee Titans, who fired Brian Callahan earlier this season, probably don't want Minter in the same division as Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen.
Jesse Minter may have lost the Titans job before even leaving the Chargers
This isn't the first time Minter's Chargers defense was torn to shreds by a Coen-led offense. One time it can be chalked up as happenstance. Twice and it starts to become a trend.
Coen served as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator before joining the Jaguars last offseason. While fans probably blocked the game out after the fact because of how ugly it was, Minter's defense did not fair well against Coen's offense last season.
The Chargers lost 40-17 against the Buccaneers in Week 15 last season. Tampa Bay picked up 506 total yards of offense even after turning the ball over twice. It was the most points and yards the Chargers allowed all season.
Jacksonville picked up 345 yards of total offense behind the 35 points scored on Sunday. It's the fourth-most yards the Chargers have allowed this season and the second-most points. These two games are the biggest losses of the Jim Harbaugh era at 23 and 29 points.
A team like the Titans will see that and go in a different direction. Not to mention this Chargers defense was also exposed by another team in the AFC South, the Indianapolis Colts. Add in last year's playoff meltdown against the Houston Texans and the Chargers have allowed 155 points (38.75 per game) in the last four games against non-Titans AFC West teams and teams with Coen running the offense.
Something tells us the Titans won't be interested in hiring the person responsible for those numbers. Just a hunch.