On Monday afternoon, head coach Anthony Lynn entered the room, approached the podium and described how he was encouraged by the disappointment that the Los Angeles Chargers were eliminated from the playoffs.
The Chargers destroyed the Oakland Raiders on Sunday 30-10 at Stub Hub Center, yet it was not enough to continue on. On a bright note it was the first time the Chargers finished with a winning record (9-7) since 2014.
"You come into the next day of work and the whole organization is a little down," Lynn explained. "That’s kind of encouraging because that just tells me that everyone’s standards and expectations are much higher. We do this for one reason, and that’s to get in the tournament and try to win the prize. So I feel really good about our future here with the Chargers and our ownership with Dean, and A.G. and John, and how committed they are to winning a championship. And the management team I’ve worked with, with Tom Telesco and Ed McGuire. I feel really encouraged about this organization and the things we can accomplish in the future."
Lynn had an outstanding impact on the players from the moment he disseminated his philosophy for the season.
Many players including Philip Rivers, Tre Boston, Tyrell Williams, Melvin Ingram, and Denzel Perryman all embraced Lynn's teaching and coaching, yet remain optimistic for the future.
Lynn also made sure he praised not only the players but the coaching staff who did a good job this season. With reports that defensive coordinator Gus Bradley could be headed out of Los Angeles in pursuit of other head coaching offers, Lynn was asked how much he would like to keep everyone on the coaching staff together.
"We’d like to keep this together if we can. I know with some guys, the contracts are up," Lynn said. "We’re working on that right now. We’re trying to keep this staff together, this nucleus together, because I think we got better as a coaching staff as the season went on. We hit some bumps there early, and midway through the season, but things are a lot smoother right now. I think we understand each other."
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One thing that's a sense of urgency for the Bolts is landing a permanent kicker next season.
"It’s to find that young kicker — not a Band-Aid — but a young kicker that can be with this organization for a long time", Lynn said. "Get him in here, get him in this building around these guys every day."
This off-season should be very interesting as the ream looks to address many needs including a successor to Rivers in the near future.
