Los Angeles Chargers coach Anthony Lynn has been fired as head coach after four seasons.
Lynn signed a one-year extension in the off-season, but the Chargers have won 7-9 this season and lost seven games by one score.
He did make a valiant effort at the end of the season as the Chargers won their last four games. But that was not enough for owner Dean Spanos, who made the announcement on Monday.
“This morning I let Anthony Lynn know that we made the decision to divorce him as head coach. I’m not sure there is another person in this league who is more respected than Anthony, and I want to express that sincerely. my sincere thanks for his leadership during a time of great change for our organization, ‘Spanos said in a statement.
“As we all know, it’s a results-driven venture, and put simply, the results of the last two years have not lived up to expectations. As we move forward, we will make our efforts to be a championship-caliber. program, we’ve been innovative in many facets of our organization over the last few years, and we need to pass that on to our entire enterprise. Our fans need to know that the Los Angeles Chargers are committed to a constant, winning football. to a new head coach will begin immediately. ‘
Lynn ended his four-year tournament with the Chargers with a record of 33-31 in the regular season and a 1-1 season. Lynn led the Chargers in a 12-4 record and a wild-play victory in 2018, but he could not achieve the success, he passed 5-11 in 2019 and struggled again in 2020.
This season began with a punctured lung for quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who received a painkiller injection at SoFi Stadium, which went awry in Week 2, minutes before a game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Justin Herbert, who picked the first round in the first round, became a superstar almost immediately. He started 15 games and threw 4,336 yards and passed an NFL rookie record of 31 times. He also set the NFL rookie record for completions with 396.
“It’s a difficult situation. I believed in coach Lynn. I enjoyed working together. I believe in this locker room and believe we will be better,” Herbert said.
Herbert said Lynn “allowed me to act and be a leader, taught me many things about how to manage a mess, how to step in there and take command.
“Before every game I gave him a hug (and) he said, ‘go have fun, go compete.’ I learned a lot from him, I’m really going to miss him.”
Herbert could have saved Lynn’s job if he had secured a few more W’s earlier in the season, rather than just getting close. But it was Lynn’s own decisions that drew harsh criticism. His clock and game management have often been called into question, including in Herbert’s debut, an overtime loss to the defending Super Bowl champion.
In the first possession of OT, Lynn prefers to score rather than do so on fourth-and-short. Kansas City drove 39 yards to kick a 52-goal goal to win the game 23-20.
It set a tone for the season, and the team was unable to complete matches. It was also a problem in 2019, when nine of the Chargers’ 11 losses were by one score.
Special teams were also a disaster as the Chargers had the last place in the league in the category according to FPI. The team missed 12 kicks, including three extra points and nine field goals, three rebounds (returned twice for hitting) and a blocked field goal for a touchdown. The Chargers’ net points average is the worst in the NFL.
Lynn re-assigned George Stewart, special teams coordinator, on Nov. 25, with Keith Burns taking over. But it made no difference as the Chargers missed the playoffs for the ninth time in 11 seasons.