Believe it or not, there’s a worse NFL coach than Adam Gase. His name is Anthony Lynn and he was on full display last night.
Lynn’s Chargers beat the undermanned Raiders, 30-27 in overtime. Those who had the underdog Chargers and the Over were winners. But at what price to your health?
Brilliant rookie quarterback Justin Herbert could pass at will against a decimated Raiders secondary missing three starters and with a defensive game plan to fully commit against the run. Yet the Chargers still ran 29 times averaging a meager 3.3 yards per carry. Rarely, if ever, did they pass on first down.
It was maddening to watch if you had the Chargers, or the Over like I did.
Lynn’s strategy is to do the opposite of what is smart. If you have a cold kicker then play for a field goal. If you have a hot QB then run the ball. If your ground game is going well then throw the ball. I’ve never seen a coach make so many in-game mistakes and have less of a feel for what is going on. If there’s a lead to be blown, count on Lynn to either play too conservative, or just make costly bizarre decisions.
Unlike Gase’s Jets, the Chargers have an abundance of talent with Herbert, assorted skill position weapons and talented defensive players headed by Joey Bosa. Yet they are 5-9. The Chargers’ victories have been against the Bengals, Jaguars, Jets, Falcons and Raiders. Those five teams are a combined 14-51. The Chargers’ combined victory margin against those woeful foes is 25 points, an average of five points per win.
If Chargers management is too clueless to realize Lynn is clueless, the league needs to step in and mandate that no Chargers games are nationally televised anymore while Lynn remains the coach. Or at the very least, put in a disclaimer like they do with cigarettes saying watching the Chargers can cause severe health issues.
I have three selections going today, one college football play and two college basketball plays. I have won 60 percent of my college basketball plays the last three years. If you are interested in my sports service, please email me at scriber26@gmail.com, or message me via Twitter. Best of luck and no bad beats!