Los Angeles Chargers coach Anthony Lynn was fired after four seasons as head coach.
Lynn signed a one-year off-season extension, but the Chargers went from 7 to 9 this season, losing seven games by one score.
He made a big effort towards the end of the season, with the Chargers winning their last four games. But it was not enough for owner Dean Spanos, who made the announcement on Monday.
“This morning, I informed Anthony Lynn that we made the decision to part with him as our head coach. I’m not sure if there is anyone else in this league more respected as a human being than Anthony, and I want to sincerely express my deepest gratitude for his leadership during a time of great changes in our organization, “said Spanos in a statement.
“As we all know, this is a results driven business and, simply, the results of the last two years have been below expectations. In the future, we will redouble our efforts to build and maintain a caliber championship program. We have been innovative in many facets of our organization over the past few years and we need to take this into all of our operations. Our fans need to know that Los Angeles Chargers is committed to consistent and winning football. The search for a new head coach will begin immediately. “
Lynn ends her four-year stint with the Chargers with a regular season record of 33-31 and a 1-1 post-season mark. Lynn led the Chargers to a 12-4 record and a wild card playoff victory in 2018, but he was unable to maintain that success, going from 5 to 11 in 2019 and fighting again in 2020.
This season started with a punctured lung for quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who received an analgesic injection at the SoFi Stadium that went wrong in Week 2, minutes before a game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
In the first round, Justin Herbert became a superstar, who became a superstar almost immediately, starting 15 games and playing for 4,336 yards and a NFL record-breaking 31-pass touchdown rookie. He also set the NFL rookie record for conclusions with 396.
“It’s a difficult situation, I believed in coach Lynn, I enjoyed our time working together. I believe in this locker room and I believe that we will be better,” said Herbert on Monday.
Herbert said that Lynn “has allowed me to move forward and be a leader, has taught me many things about how to manage a grouping, how to intervene and take charge.
“Before each game I gave him a hug (and) he said, ‘go have fun, go compete.’ I learned a lot from him, I will miss him a lot. “
Herbert could have saved Lynn’s job if he had secured a few more Ws at the start of the season, instead of just getting close. But it was Lynn’s own decisions that drew harsh criticism. His watch and game management were questioned frequently, including at Herbert’s debut, a defeat in overtime for the current Super Bowl champions.
In the first possession of OT, Lynn chose to punt instead of going for the fourth and short. Kansas City drove 39 yards to kick a 52-yard field goal to win the game 23-20.
That set the tone for the season, with the team unable to end the games. It was also a problem in 2019, when nine of the Chargers’ 11 losses were by a score.
The special teams were also a disaster, as the Chargers were last in the championship in the category, according to the FPI. The team missed 12 shots, including three extra points and nine field goals, had three blocked punts (two returned for touchdowns) and had a blocked field goal returned for touchdown. Chargers’ average net punting is the worst in the NFL.
Lynn reassigned special team coordinator George Stewart on November 25, with Keith Burns taking over. But it made no difference, as the Chargers missed the playoffs for the ninth time in 11 seasons.