The Chargers fired both Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi, and Quarterbacks Coach Shane Day on Tuesday morning. Losing both the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach most certainly means an entire scheme change for the Charger's offense. Here is a potential candidate to lead the Charger's offensive playcalling next season.
Greg Olson History
Greg Olson has been coaching for 35 years and been a coach in the NFL since 2001. His first major project was Drew Brees at Purdue during the 1997-2000 period when he was the Boilermaker’s quarterbacks coach. He was elevated to Quarterbacks coach in 2001 helping to develop Jeff Garcia under Steve Mariucci.
In 2003, Olson became the quarterbacks coach for the Chicago Bears and worked with a combination of Chad Hutchinson, Rex Grossman, Craig Krenzel, and Johnathon Quinn, all of which started at least three games during the season, finishing with a 5-11 season under Head Coach Lovie Smith. From 2004 to 2005, Olson became Offensive Coordinator for the Detroit Lions, again under Mariucci, with Joey Harrington under center. The Lions finished with a 5-11 record in both seasons.
During the 2006-2007 seasons, Olson joined Scott Linehan with the St. Louis Rams as their offensive coordinator. They finished with an 8-8 season followed by a 3-13 with Marc Bulger as quarterback. In 2008, Olson joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under Jon Gruden and rejoining with Jeff Garcia. When Gruden was replaced with Raheem Morris, Olson was retained as quarterbacks coach, and eventually elevated to offensive coordinator in 2009 with a combination of Josh Freeman and Josh Johnson under center. The Buccs finished 3-13, 10-6, and 4-12 in those years.
In 2012, Olson joined the Jacksonville Jaguars as the assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach, but the Jaguars finished 2-14. He moved to the Oakland Raiders under Dennis Allen as an during the 2013-2014 seasons, and back to the Jaguars from 2015-2016 under Gus Bradley. He traveled to Los Angeles the following season as a quarterbacks coach, but returned to the Raiders under Jon Gruden as Offensive Coordinator from 2018-2021. He was brought to the Rams last season as a senior assistant.
Case For Greg Olson
There may not be a more experienced offensive coordinator in the NFL. Greg Olson has held the title of offensive coordinator in the NFL for 18 total seasons. That could be a record in the NFL because that is such a rare feat for a coach to hold the title of offensive coordinator without ever becoming a head coach. Greg Olson simply has more knowledge and experience at calling an NFL offense than any other offensive coordinator in the coaching market.
If Brandon Staley does not have the offensive background to call an NFL offense, then Greg Olson surely should be able to handle the other side of the ball with ease. You could give him the reigns and not have to worry about game management decisions because he has literally seen it all in that side of the ball.
Case Against Greg Olson
Even though Greg Olson has a wealth of experience, his offenses have not translated to success. In fact, it’s surprising that Olson has had as many opportunities given his coaching record when being a offensive coordinator. He has not had more than two 10+ win seasons in the history of his coaching career when not named quarterbacks coach. Here’s a list of wins and losses by year he’s had while being an offensive coordinator:
2004 6-10
2005 5-11
2006 8-8
2007 3-13
2009 3-13
2010 10-6
2011 4-12
2012 2-14
2013 4-12
2014 3-13
2015 5-11
2016 3-13
2018 4-12
2019 7-9
2020 8-8
2021 10-7
His 85-172 record as an offensive coordinator is abysmal. That’s a 33% win rate over his career. Let me say again just how absolutely abysmal that record is! Granted, while he coached Drew Brees successfully in college, the rest of his quarterbacks under center or forgettable. think about this list for a second: Jeff Garcia, Joey Harrington, Marc Bulger, Blake Bortles, Rex Grossman, Josh Freeman, and Derek Carr.
Bottom Line
Simply put, Greg Olson has not been successful overall. While he has a ton of experience, when that experience does not translate to wins, that is not a great recipe for success. Would Greg Olson even know what to do with an arm like Justin Herbert? He’s never had a quarterback of that caliber. His offenses have never ranked highly, yet he still gets coaching opportunities. It’s like he takes whatever job offer is on the table and the Chargers do not want a coordinator who doesn’t know how to win.
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