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By Aman Sharma
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The NFL’s only winless team used its bye week to search for answers, and the man calling its plays survived the review.
Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel will remain the team’s playcaller, according to The Athletic. Harbaugh reached the decision after a self-scouting review during the Week 7 break.
Harbaugh didn’t hedge when asked about his coordinator.
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“We’re very confident in Mike and his talent, his work ethic and his ability,” Harbaugh said. “We continue to be.”
He added that the staff looked under “every stone” for ways to improve. The numbers explain the urgency.
A 22-6 defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs was the offense’s low point, with Los Angeles gaining 259 yards. That loss dropped the Chargers to 0-6 and their scoring average to a league-worst 15.0 points per game.
Quarterback Justin Herbert has struggled most visibly. His eight interceptions are tied for the most in the NFL.
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Before the season, Harbaugh predicted Herbert would become the greatest quarterback ever.
McDaniel landed in Los Angeles after the Miami Dolphins fired him in January, ending his four-year run as their head coach. His task was reviving an offense that produced one touchdown in a pair of postseason defeats under Harbaugh.
One of his first changes was Herbert’s shotgun stance, which now has the quarterback’s left foot set ahead of his right.
Herbert, for his part, won’t pin the slide on McDaniel.
“It’s not his fault, it’s our fault as an offense,” Herbert said. “We have to do our job. It’s not Mike’s fault. The guys are open, plays are being made. It’s on us to run, to block, to catch, to throw. It’s on us as an offense.”
His coordinator’s play designs drew praise, too.
“Mike has done an incredible job of getting people open and it’s on us to execute and make plays,” Herbert said.
In 2023, McDaniel’s Dolphins beat the Denver Broncos 70-20 with more than 700 yards of offense. That resume earned him more time in Los Angeles, and Week 8 is his first chance to start paying it back.
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