The LA Chargers are undergoing a big change to the coaching staff after blowing a 27-0 lead to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card Round. While the players rallied around Brandon Staley to keep him in town, the same could not be said for the offensive coaching staff.
Both offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and pass game coordinator/QBs coach Shane Day were fired earlier this week. Despite having Justin Herbert under center and a litany of weapons around him, the offense struggled more than it should have during the 2022 season.
Now Staley and the front office are on the quest to find an offensive mind that can better utilize Herbert's skills and we already know who the first legitimate candidate will be. LA Rams pass game coordinator/QBs coach Zac Robinson is the first official interviewee for the Chargers after working his way up Sean McVay's staff.
Robinson's football career has been interesting thus far, to say the least. He was a quarterback drafted in the seventh round and after his career was over he actually had a stint as a Pro Football Focus analyst. His tenure with PFF produced a now-four-year-old clip of him breaking down Justin Herbert in college, which is sure to make Joe Lombardi cringe.
PFF analyst Zac Robinson on Justin Herbert: "The biggest thing that sticks out is his big-time throws down the field, especially up the seams. He's the best seam-thrower in college football. The 20+ yard throws are very special." #GiantsPride #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/uvWMrEUB1V
— WBG84 (@WBG84) December 24, 2018
Zac Robinson knows that Chargers' Justin Herbert can sling the ball downfield.
This is all some Chargers fans need to see to get on board with Robinson potentially being hired. While Justin Herbert would take the occasional shot downfield in Lombardi's offense, the team did not utilize Herbert's arm strength nearly to the extent they should have.
No fan realistically wants the team to only throw 50-yard bombs down the field. That is incredibly unsustainable and everyone knows that. What fans want to see is an offense that doesn't have Justin Herbert throw it behind the line of scrimmage more than he throws it 10+ yards downfield.
This is not the only old clip that is currently resurfacing with Robinson, either. Prior to the 2022 season, Robinson had a very familiar line that Brandon Staley echoed multiple times during his post-season press conference earlier this week: marrying the run to the pass.
Zac Robinson press conference from before this season started. That line sound familiar?👀 pic.twitter.com/uoosKATopa
— Kax Mellerman (@KaxMellerman_) January 21, 2023
There is a lot to like about Robinson and his vision for what an NFL offense should look like is seemingly in line with what Staley wants to do moving forward. The Chargers are not going to fall in love with the first candidate and not go through the due process but it is hard not to like Robinson's chances to get the job.
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And if he does, we will likely see the Bolts utilize Justin Herbert's insane arm talent in ways that Joe Lombardi could have never dreamed of.