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.
Zac Robinson History
Zac Robinson grew up in Littleton Colorado and played multiple positions in high school. As a senior, he threw for 1,475 yards and 15 touchdowns, had 39 receptions for 850 yards and 11 touchdowns, and he rushed for 1,078 yards and 11 touchdowns. That is an insane amount of production for one player on a high school football team. It led to a full ride scholarship to Oklahoma State.
Robinson became a starter in his sophomore season and became known for his dual threat abilities quickly. He rushed for over 800 yards with 8 touchdowns, and also threw for over 2,800 yards and 23 touchdowns. That success followed the next season, where he helped Dez Bryant become a first-round pick with nearly 1,500 yards receiving and 19 touchdowns. Robinson entered the NFL the following season.
Bill Belicheck drafted Robinson in the 7th-round of the 2010 NFL Draft but was cut before the start of the season. He bounced around practice squads of the Seahawks, Lions, and Bengals before retiring in 2014. After his playing career, Robinson helped college quarterbacks prepare for the NFL Draft and eventually landed as an analyst with Pro Football Focus. He was one of the websites primary pro and college quarterback evaluators.
He began coaching for the Los Angeles Rams in 2019 under Sean McVay as an Assistant Quarterbacks coach. He switched to Assistant Wide Receivers coach in 2020, and returned to instructing quarterbacks the following season when the Rams won the Super Bowl. This past season, Robinson was promoted to Quarterbacks Coach and Pass Game Coordinator.
Case For Zac Robinson
For starters, if you look at how the Rams played with Jared Goff at quarterback vs Matthew Stafford, and correlate that to the success the combination of Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp had under both quarterbacks, it’s easy to see how the latter exploded the offense. Robinson had his hands all over that success. The designs the Rams offense created payed enormous gains, ultimately leading to a Super Bowl trophy.
Cooper Kupp nearly had a 2,000 yard season, and finished just 17 yards short of the single season record last year. Robert Woods was also on track for a 1,000 yard season before a torn ACL ended it. They got production out of Tyler Higbee. In all, Stafford threw for 41 total touchdowns and had the second highest QBR in his career. Scheme played a major factor in the Rams offensive success, and as a passing game coordinator, Robinson’s input in the game plan each week was crucial.
Case Against Zac Robinson
Zac Robinson does not have much coaching experience. While he was still involved with football between his playing and coaching career, how well does his PFF experience translate to coaching? As an analyst with PFF, he didn’t have inside knowledge of scheme for the players he was grading, meaning he didn’t know the responsibilities of all players on the field. Their is a gap of knowledge-base he is likely missing.
He was never a starter when he was a player in the NFL, he has not handled play-calling duties, and he does not have years of coaching experience in his background. Even Brandon Staley, who had a fast rise to head coach, was a defensive coach at the collegiate level years before he became a coordinator. With Brandon Staley being a defensive coach, the offensive coordinator for the Chargers will be on a island, and has to be the ultimate leader on that side of the ball.
Bottom Line
Zac Robinson already has an interview lined up with the Baltimore Ravens, and Brandon Staley has requested an interview as well. Even if Robinson is young, he would be a fresh face coming from a well equipped tree. Every year, Sean McVay’s coaching staff seems to get plucked away from his grasp. Zac Robinson is going to get an opportunity elsewhere very quickly, and his foundation is a positive one. The question is whether he can handle play-calling duties.
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