Chargers News: Pundit Pegs Two Rival LA Coaches as Bolt's Next HC

The dismissal of Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley this morning has now opened up arguably the most coveted head coaching position in the league. Interim head coach Griff Smith will close out the year for the Bolts.

The opportunity to coach QB Justin Herbert alongside what should be a top-5 pick (and likely a skill player), is one that coaches don't come across often. Typically teams that fire head coaches are rebuilding, or, at the very least, don't have a top-5 quarterback at the helm. 

The uniqueness of the Bolts' situation should make for a plethora of top-tier candidates interested in the job, including big names like Bill Belichick and Jim Harbaugh. 

Gary Klein of The Los Angeles Times posits that two additional potential candidates are Mike LaFleur and Raheem Morris. 

LaFleur and Morris are the offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively, for the Los Angeles Rams, who happened to be Brandon Staley's former team. Back in 2021, when Staley took the Bolts' job, Morris assumed his position. 

Klein doesn't directly connect LaFleur or Morris with the Bolts for any particular reason, but with regards to the potentiality of their hires, it seems unlikely that owner Dean Spanos would be interested in another first-time head coach after the Anthony Lynn and Brandon Staley experiences. 

Hiring LaFleur is also tricky as McVay is the play-caller in Los Angeles, and their offense was better under previous OC and now Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell than it is now. 

Morris is a defensive coordinator, meaning that he would be minimally involved, if at all, with the offense for the Chargers. 

That poses a challenge as many of the top teams in the league now have offensive-minded coaches, including the likes of Kansas City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Dallas. 

Conversely, the only team that has regularly found success over the past couple of seasons with a defensive-minded coach is the Buffalo Bills, who have also gone through a few offensive coordinators and seen major offensive lapses in big games. 

We'll see what direction the Bolts end up heading, but hiring another first-time head coach, especially from a position that may hide their flaws, like LaFleur with the Rams. 

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