Controversial Chargers hire is no longer as scary as it originally seemed

Adam Gase has the reputation of an NFL grim reaper. Two horrendous tenures as a head coach and half a decade out of the league will do that to someone. That's why when Gase was hired by the LA Chargers this offseason, there was legitimate worry.

Yes, the Chargers hired the best offensive coordinator on the market in Mike McDaniel. That softened the Gase hire a tad, but it still didn't elicit a ton of confidence in the newest member of the Chargers' coaching staff.

It was originally expected that Gase would be the team's passing game coordinator — a prominent role with a lot of influence over the quarterback. However, the Chargers had the wherewithal to not give Gase that important of a role, as his exact title was revealed on Friday: passing game specialist.

Adam Gase's job on the Chargers isn't as important as once feared

Passing game specialist and passing game coordinator may not seem like that big of a difference. They certainly are.

The exact duties of either role largely depend on what the staff needs. A passing game coordinator on one team does not always have the same duties as a passing game coordinator on another team. However, there is a distinction between a passing game coordinator and passing game specialist. The former essentially runs the passing game, whether it be with concept design or in managing route trees, under the offensive coordinator.

An analyst does similar things but does not have as much say. This is McDaniel's passing attack and he will likely serve as the de facto passing game coordinator. Gase won't have the same say over the concepts as originally thought.

Yes, it was always going to be McDaniel's offense, but this smaller job title only proves how hands on the offensive coordinator is going to be.

The most optimistic Chargers fans looked at Gase's history alongside Peyton Manning as a reason to like the hire. Gase's past with Manning is exactly what got him two head coaching jobs in the first place. And in those jobs, he proved that Manning's success had a lot more to do with the Hall of Fame quarterback than it did the coach.

Fans don't have to craft up a spin zone to sell themselves on a hire that is objectively out of left field. Gase has a place on this staff, but he shouldn't be an influential enough voice to derail any offensive momentum.

If Gase can recapture whatever "magic" he had working with Manning, then great, that will only be additive for the Chargers. Thankfully, Gase isn't in a position where he will outright burn the Chargers if he can't recapture that magic.