The LA Chargers defeated the Las Vegas Raiders, 28-14, on Monday Night Football in Week 4 to move to 3-1 in the young season. The Chargers' defense nearly completely neutralized the Raiders' offense and Joey Bosa was a big part of that.
Bosa recorded one sack in the game but still played a big role in not only getting pressure on Derek Carr but helping in the run game as well. Bosa's presence alone is a massive deal for the Chargers and that was showcased on Monday night.
Bosa spoke with the media after the big win, in which the Chargers entered halftime with a 21-0 lead, and had some pretty candid comments about his past and what he used to think when he would have a big lead at halftime.
And while he does not name names specifically, Bosa really does seem to be taking a subtle dig at former LA Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn, who started coaching Bosa in his second season. You can see what Bosa had to say at the 6:20 mark of the video linked here (unfortunately the Chargers block the video from playing on our site).
Bosa was asked about finishing games and the reporter commented that in years past you could make a case that the Chargers would not have won this game. Bosa quickly responded and agreed.
"Yeah, probably would have (lost the game)"
It does not stop there, though. Bosa shared his thought process when in previous years when Lynn was the head coach (again, not mentioning Lynn by name). These comments are the most revealing and show just how poorly the Bolts were run before Brandon Staley.
"In years past we would come into half with a lead and I'm like 'oh god, what are we going to do this time to screw this up' and it's — I'm sorry it's kind of how my mind worked because it happened so many times."
Bosa then awkwardly says that it was nobody's fault, then saying it was all of their fault before facepalming. He obviously did not want to say anything directly about Lynn but it is not hard to read between the lines.
Joey Bosa is just as thrilled to have Brandon Staley as the LA Chargers head coach as the fans are.
The flip side of this coin is the fact that the LA Chargers do now have a good head coach that is seemingly preparing this team far better than they were being prepared before. After sharing his concerning thought process when Lynn was the head coach, Bosa explained the change in the locker room and attributed the coaching staff.
"When coach Staley goes up there and talks everybody is listening [...] we have a great group of new coaches, we have great new players and it is a new year. Things don't always have to be the same and I think we have been moving in the right direction and I think the right pieces that we brought in, especially coach Staley and everybody else that came with him, we're just going to keep moving in that right direction."
When coach Staley talks everyone listens... isn't that how it is supposed to be with every head coach? It is incredible that the LA Chargers now have a head coach that not only seems to get it but also has the respect of the players but man... is the Anthony Lynn era a weird one to look back on.
But hey, that is now in the past and now Lynn is the offensive coordinator of the 0-4 Lions (who rank 24th in points per game) while Staley is 3-1 with two big wins already under his belt as the head coach of the LA Chargers.