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.
Thomas Brown History
Thomas Brown was a running back from 2004-2008 for the University of Georgia. He made the SEC All-Freshman team in 2008. He never eclipsed 1,000 yards as a collegiate player in his four year career and playing as RB2 on the depth chart behind Knowshon Moreno. He was drafted in the 6th-round by the Atlanta Falcons. His time in the NFL lasted just three seasons without seeing any meaningful snaps during that period.
Brown retired from the NFL and became the Strength and Conditioning coach for the Georgia Bulldogs in 2011. From 2012 to 2015, Brown started coaching running backs for Chattanooga, Marshall, Wisconsin, and returning for another season with Georgia. From 2016 to 2018, Brown coached running backs and became the offensive coordinator for the Miami Hurricanes in his final season. In 2019, Brown coached running backs with the South Carolina Gamecocks. From 2020 to 2021, Brown was hired to the Los Angeles Rams coaching staff focusing on runningbacks. He was elevated to assistant head coach in 2021 and moved to tight ends in 2022.
Case For Thomas Brown
Thomas Brown has done extensive work with the running back position since his retirement from the NFL, and the Chargers have struggled to find a 1,000-yard rusher since Melvin Gordon last did it in 2017. He has spent time in numerous systems over the years, primarily in the college ranks. He is on his 8th different team as a coach since 2011, and that comes with a wealth of knowledge, even if most of it is experience at the college level.
Thomas also had success in developing Melvin Gordon during his stint with Wisconsin. In 2014, Melvin Gordon had 29 rushing touchdowns and led the NCAA in total rushing yards with a ridiculous 2,587 yards. The rushing touchdowns is tied 6th most and rushing yards stands 2nd most in NCAA history. Thomas also briefly coached Nick Chubb, and Sony Michel at Georgia for a single season prior to the duo carrying the Georgia offense to a NCAA National Championship.
The fact that Sean McVay elevated Thomas to Assistant Head Coach is notable. There are plenty of other candidates on the coaching staff who could have been elevated to that position, including Zac Robinson, but McVay chose Thomas for his leadership qualities, and that’s what you want to see out of your next offensive coordinator.
Case Against Thomas Brown
As a player, Thomas Brown was a productive college athlete who failed to crack a 53-man NFL roster. Some of his NFL issues were tied to injury but he wasn’t able to overtake Knowshon Moreno at Georgia. Moreno went on to have a productive career in the NFL, and Brown never did.
After helping to coach the dynamic duo at Georgia, Thomas coached at the University of Miami and earned play-calling duties, but that stint with the Hurricane was extremely underwhelming. Thomas failed to develop almost any quality offensive NFL talent, and the Hurricanes finished with a 19-19 record during the three seasons he remained there. When he left to South Carolina, the Gamecocks finished with a 4-8 record, again devoid of any quality NFL talent.
Most of what Thomas is known for is the historic Melvin Gordon season with the Wisconsin Badgers. He was part of the early development of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, but the duo really blossomed in later years at Georgia. The Rams offense with Sony Michel and Darrell Henderson was formidable, but that offense won a Super Bowl on the arm of Matt Stafford and a historical season by Cooper Kupp, not in the run game.
Bottom Line
The Chargers want to improve their run game to take pressure of Justin Herbert and become more balanced on offense. He has a wealth of experience in creating mismatches in the run game but does his experience translate to taking advantage of the strengths of Justin Herbert? That will be a point to figure out when the Chargers interview him this week. Both the Chargers and Commanders are interviewing Thomas for their offensive coordinator vacancy, so Thomas is on multiple radars for a promotion.
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