One game is on today’s National Football League preseason schedule with the Los Angeles Chargers meeting the New Orleans Saints in a contest set to begin at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The home stadium today is under a hurricane watch but in a most unusual occurrence the home team isn’t New Orleans, who often face hurricane threats, but Los Angeles, where hurricanes are as rare as earthquakes in Nebraska.
Both the Saints and Chargers won their opening summer games with New Orleans earning a kind of miracle finish to edge the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans and the Chargers dominating the Los Angeles Rams in the stadium both those teams call home. The Saints and Chargers come into the 2023 season with high hopes. Enthusiasm in New Orleans is sparked by the arrival of longtime Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, and the hopes in Los Angeles is that their talented roster can benefit from proficient coaching.
The Saints may have their franchise quarterback in an ongoing attempt to fill the role so well managed for nearly two decades by Drew Brees. Carr led New Orleans to a touchdown on the only drive he engineered last week against Kansas City and looks to already be establishing a good working relationship with both his coaches and teammates.
In Los Angeles, many astute observers consider the Chargers talent wasted on ineffective coaching.
I agree.
Brandon Staley has had a solid roster to work with during his three years as head coach, and a quarterback in Justin Herbert that many consider one of the best at his position. Problem is, the Staley/Herbert combination is yet to win a postseason game and last season their campaign ended in Jacksonville when the Chargers let a 27-0 lead slip to a 31-30 loss.
One might think that Staley, who was defensive coordinator of the Rams prior to being named head coach of the Chargers in 2021, could have held a nearly four touchdown lead. He didn’t, his team didn’t, and yet somehow he held onto his job when many, me included, thought he would be on the coaching chopping block after the postseason meltdown in his only appearance in a playoff game.
That is not to say that sometimes coaches grow into their jobs, don’t make all the right decisions or get the most out of their teams early in their careers, and then develop into a competent sideline mentor.
The Chargers are hoping that will be the case with Staley.
Hope is a very weak premise to build a season on.
The Chargers and Saints square off today in front of a hurricane coming up the west coast and the most important suggestion I have for the fans that brave this preseason game is get home quick after the contest and hunker down for the storm.
Some things are even more important than football.