Los Angeles Chargers

San Diego Chargers: 5 candidates to replace head coach Mike McCoy

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The San Diego Chargers are a franchise without direction after a brutal loss to the New Orleans Saints. After a rough start to the season, here are five potential candidates to replace head coach Mike McCoy.

The San Diego Chargers have never been an elite football team under head coach Mike McCoy. In fact, one could argue the Chargers have only ever underwhelmed with McCoy at the helm.

In the four years McCoy has been the team’s head coach the Chargers have gone for a combined record of 23-29.

For some teams, such as the Cleveland Browns, a losing coaching record might be acceptable, as long as some progress is being made. For the Chargers, however, that isn’t good enough. McCoy’s teams have been getting progressively worse, and San Diego looks downright terrible this season.

Ultimately, the Chargers are too good of a team (in terms of raw talent) to have a losing record. Quarterbacks like Philip Rivers are not made on trees. If the Chargers want to make the most of Rivers’ talent , then they need to bite the bullet and fire Mike McCoy. Here are five potential replacements.

No. 5: Kyle Shanahan

This choice might be controversial. While there were some unflattering rumors surrounding Kyle Shanahan’s move from the Cleveland Browns to the Atlanta Falcons, he’s a seasoned coordinator that knows how to run a successful offense.

Shanahan and the Atlanta Falcons were not initially a match made in heaven. However, this season the Falcons’ offense appears to be humming, and they’ve been putting up a lot of points.

In fact, through the first four games, the Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan is completing 72.1 percent of his passes for 1473 yards and 11 touchdowns, on two interceptions.

Shanahan has completely flipped the narrative that was coming out of Atlanta that Ryan was an average quarterback on a downward slide. In Shanahan’s offense, we’re seeing a level of play from Ryan that we previously thought was unattainable.

Sep 1, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz walks the field prior to the game against the New York Jets at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

No. 4: Jim Schwartz

The former Detroit Lions head coach and current Philadelphia defensive coordinator is on a path that should lead him back to coaching relevancy.

After having five unsuccessful years in Detroit, the defensive mastermind was fired after leading the Lions to a 29-51 record.

Schwartz is not one of the hottest potential head coach options out in the wild, but he does have plenty of upside.

This current Chargers team is in full need of a defensive renovation. San Diego has lost several games this season where they had a lead going into the fourth quarter.

Without a doubt, this Chargers team is stronger offensively than defensively. One of the best moves it could make would be to hire a coach that knows how to coach a heck of a defense. When you factor in the Chargers recently drafting a stud defensive lineman like Joey Bosa, San Diego fans should be salivating thinking about what Schwartz and Bosa could do together.

Sep 17, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin greets fans after the game against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan Hare Stadium. The Aggies beat the Tigers 29-16. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

No. 3: Kevin Sumlin

This will be the only college coach on this list, I promise.

Coming into this latest college football season, Kevin Sumlin looked more like a cast member of the Walking Dead than a typical SEC head coach. However, after winning his first five games through the strength of his running game and impressive defense, the Texas A&M Aggies have a fighting chance at the SEC Championship.

There have been rumors that Sumlin was offered NFL level jobs before. In fact, most of the rumored job offers came in the offseason of 2012, after Texas A&M had an 11-2 season. That said, according to Dan Parr, the Philadelphia Eagles were interested in hiring the Aggies head coach, but ultimately settled on their current coach, Doug Pederson.

Moving forward, Sumlin has been able to put many of his loudest critics to sleep after crafting a team that has shown incredible perseverance. While Sumlin is known as a bit of an offensive genius, the Chargers should feel comfortable giving Sumlin the reigns of the team knowing he’s willing to hire big name defensive coordinators.

Lastly, the likelihood of Sumlin becoming San Diego’s next head coach largely falls on his shoulders. If the Aggies can keep playing winning football, more NFL teams will be convinced it’s time to bring a college coach up into their ranks.

Jan 3, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine watches the action during the fourth quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Steelers beat the Browns 28-12. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

No. 2: Mike Pettine

Mike Pettine will get another shot as a head coach in the NFL. The question is where will it be?

After going 10-22 with the Cleveland Browns, Mike Pettine displayed a great deal of character and leadership. The former Bills and Jets defensive coordinator showed that he knows how to assemble a defense and be a leader of men.

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When Pettine was first hired by the Browns, he was praised for being an open communicator with the media. Unlike other head coaches in the NFL, Pettine tried his best to be honest with Browns beat reporters.

Also, it was well known that Pettine was loved by almost every player in the Browns locker room. Cornerstone player Joe Thomas was quoted as saying “Nobody is happy about it” when asked about the locker room’s morale after the firing of Pettine.

Ultimately, Pettine was not able to win in Cleveland. He was saddled with poor draft picks such as Justin Gilbert and Johnny Manziel. Additionally, his general manager Ray Farmer had a bias against signing big-name receivers. This lack of free agency movement left the Browns under-talented when compared to the rest of the NFL.

If the Chargers want to hire a leader of men and a solid defensive scheme creator, Mike Pettine would be a great guy to bring to San Diego.

Sep 11, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung (23) celebrates with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels following the game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Patriots defeated the Cardinals 23-21. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

No. 1: Josh McDaniels

Every superhero should get a sidekick. Since the Patriots hired Bill Belichick as their head coach, the team has hired several candidates that could potentially be Belichick’s sidekick. However, none are as qualified as Josh McDaniels.

After being fired from the Denver Broncos for accumulating a record of 11-17, McDaniels floated back to the New England Patriots. It is here that McDaniels has gotten prepared to venture out from the safety net that is the New England Patriots. While serving as the Patriots offensive coordinator, McDaniels has the privilege to work with the greatest quarterback of all time, and the greatest coach of all time. In other words, McDaniels is rubbing shoulders with two of the greatest football minds the world has ever had.

When McDaniels does become a head coach, he will take the lessons that he learned while serving as the Denver Broncos head coach, and the experience he has gotten from working with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and use that to help his next team.

If I were running the San Diego Chargers, I would hire Josh McDaniels in a heartbeat. Not many coaches in this league have as strong of a pedigree as he does.

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