After only four games together, the Chargers believe they have a winning combination in coach Brandon Staley and quarterback Justin Herbert. (Los Angeles Times)
Cleveland Browns scouting report: Los Angeles Chargers
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is an analyst on the Cleveland Browns for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Browns v. Los Angeles Chargers
Sunday, 4:05 p.m., in SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Record: 3-1.
Last game: Defeated Las Vegas Raiders, 28-14, Oct. 5, in Inglewood.
Coach: Brandon Staley, 3-1, first year.
Series record: Chargers lead, 17-9-1.
Last meeting: Chargers won, 38-14, Oct. 14, 2018, in Los Angeles.
League rankings: Offense is 10th overall (16th rushing, sixth passing), defense is ninth overall (29th rushing, fifth passing) and turnover differential is plus-3.
Things to watch
1. Second-year quarterback Justin Herbert has made 19 starts since taking over in Game 2 of last season. He has thrown more touchdowns than interceptions in 13 of those games. Only twice has he thrown more interceptions than touchdowns in a game. Only once has he failed to throw a touchdown -- last season in a 45-0 loss to the Patriots. That was his only clunker as an NFL starter. In his last two games, wins over division rivals Kansas City and Las Vegas, Herbert has 7 touchdowns v. 0 interceptions on 67 percent completions for a passer rating of 116.3.
2. The Chargers had a roster of good offensive play-makers already on board when they made Herbert the sixth overall pick of the 2020 draft. This year, their priority was to build a fortress in front of him. They started by making Boardman, OH-native and Green Bay free agent Corey Linsley the highest paid center in the NFL ($62.5 million over five years) and then used their first-round draft pick, No. 13 overall, on Northwestern left tackle Rashawn Slater. As a result, the Chargers are tied for sixth in yielding only seven sacks of the 6-6 Herbert through four games.
3. Under offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, the Chargers have a pass-run ratio of 62.4 to 37.6. Lombardi has established immense trust in Herbert and allows the quarterback to make his choice of 2-4 suggested play-calls after he surveys the defense prior to the snap. The Chargers try to keep an up-tempo offensive pace, use plenty of pre-snap motion and rarely field the same personnel grouping on consecutive plays.
4. Staley is a product of the Vic Fangio defense, serving under the Denver head coach in Chicago and Denver. He runs a 3-4 base and strives to keep his secondary from getting beat deep. Through three games, the Chargers ranked last in run defense, yielding 170 rushing yards per game. But they held the Raiders to 48 yards on Monday night, improving their overall ranking three notches.
5. The Chargers have two decorated defensive play-makers – edge rusher Joey Bosa, who’s made the Pro Bowl three times in five seasons, and safety Derwin James, who was an All-Pro as a rookie in 2018 and is healthy again after two injury-plagued seasons.
Did you know … ?
1. Five years ago, Staley was defensive coordinator at John Carroll University. Now he’s the only first-year NFL head coach of six hired in 2021 with a winning record. While Staley’s coaching career has been exclusively on the defensive side, he played quarterback at University of Dayton for two years and then one year at Mercyhurst College, where he was coached by Lombardi, now the Chargers’ offensive coordinator. After serving as an assistant under Fangio at Chicago and Denver, Staley was hired as Rams defensive coordinator in 2020. The Rams’ defense was No. 1 in points, yards and passing yards, and was third in rushing yards.
2. The Chargers are tenants of the Rams in SoFi Stadium, the centerpiece of a $5 billion+ campus on the former site of Hollywood Race Track and the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood, CA – about three miles along Century Blvd. from Los Angeles International Airport. Because the stadium is in the landing pattern of the airport, it is built mostly below ground and does not offer spectacular mountain views enjoyed at other Los Angeles-area venues such as Dodger Stadium and the Rose Bowl.
3. Transplanted from San Diego in 2017, the Chargers played in StubHub Center in Carson, CA, home of the Major League Soccer LA Galaxy, until SoFi was completed in 2020. Viewed as second-class citizens in SoFi, the Chargers have yet to fully embraced by the LA sports market, although Herbert’s rising popularity is improving their foothold. Hence, the Chargers don’t enjoy a typical home-field advantage. Most of their home games have the feel of a neutral site competition. The fan allotment was 60-40 in favor of the Raiders at Monday night’s game.
Small world: Staley is a native of Perry, OH, played at Dayton and coached at John Carroll in 2013 and 2015-16 … Offensive assistant Dan Shamash was on the Browns’ staff in 2009-10.
