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COSTA MESA, Calif. — It was the day after a surreal night.
As they navigated south on the 101 after which 405 on July 22, Sebastian Joseph-Day and his spouse, Rachel, recapped the evening earlier than, when the defensive lineman reunited with former teammates at Sony Footage Studios to have fun the Los Angeles Rams‘ Tremendous Bowl victory. It was an elaborate get together, full with a purple carpet, flowing champagne and a DJ spinning Drake’s anthem, “Huge Rings,” to set the temper as gamers opened their custom-designed, world-championship, 20-carat diamond rings.
“Unreal expertise,” Joseph-Day described of the made-for-Hollywood season. “Unreal ring.”
The aim is not precisely “Keeping up with the Kroenkes” — in reference to Rams proprietor Stan Kroenke — however the 2021 Rams expertise, from the big-name participant acquisitions to enjoying within the closing recreation in February, is one the Los Angeles Chargers want to replicate.
As Joseph-Day and his spouse continued on their drive, the dialog turned to a brand new starting with the Chargers, a staff that shares Southern California and SoFi Stadium however is headquartered greater than 75 miles south of the Rams’ facility in Thousand Oaks.
“I used to be like, man, O.C.’s like a complete completely different aspect,” Joseph-Day stated of Orange County, the place the Chargers are positioned. “And she or he was like, ‘You understand, that is nonetheless like a part of L.A., proper?’ And I used to be like, ‘What? That is?’ I used to be like, ‘Holy crap.'”
When measuring current success, the gap between the 2 organizations can really feel even farther.
The Rams relocated from St. Louis to Los Angeles in 2016 and have since made 4 playoff appearances over the previous 5 seasons, profitable two convention championships and a Tremendous Bowl.
Up to now 9 seasons, together with the previous 5 since transferring from San Diego to L.A., the Chargers have earned one playoff bid.
Nonetheless, “The aim,” Joseph-Day stated, “continues to be the identical.”
Win a title.
And this season, with the specter of falling additional behind within the chase for relevancy within the NFL and in L.A. — a metropolis that boasts the defending Tremendous Bowl champion Rams and a number of Lakers and Dodgers titles — the Chargers have spared few bills within the try to get there.
“It is a very, very aggressive market proper right here,” Chargers proprietor Dean Spanos informed KNBC. “Not solely do it’s important to win, it’s important to clearly be good, it’s important to win, however you bought to repeatedly win and … you have to be thrilling. You need to be thrilling.
“To do all these issues is just not simple when you’ve gotten the Lakers and the Dodgers and, after all, the Rams, and provides them their credit score — they’re the world champions. They have been to the Tremendous Bowl twice in the previous few years … it is unbelievable.”
BRANDON STALEY IS optimistic about his second season as Chargers coach, however ask the 39-year-old about how the primary ended and the anguish rapidly surfaces.
What the Chargers wanted to advance to the postseason was a win or a tie within the regular-season finale towards the Las Vegas Raiders. All they might handle was an extra time loss, with the Raiders speeding for 10 yards on third-and-4 to arrange a 47-yard, game-winning subject aim.
“That should not occur in that protection,” Staley stated, a clean stare on his face. “That ought to have meant deal with for a loss or zero and we’re out of there.”
As a substitute, it meant season over.
From the surface, when the Chargers didn’t earn a playoff berth, it solely meant they had been nonetheless the Chargers, merely placing a brand new twist on their previous traditional meltdown expertise. The group received 11 or extra video games 5 occasions between 2004 and 2018, reaching the AFC Championship Recreation as soon as over that span.
However for the franchise, the extra time loss to its division rival might turn into essentially the most important, if not useful, loss in current historical past.
A win over the Raiders and a second playoff berth in 4 seasons, coupled with regular-season victories over the eventual AFC Championship Recreation-bound Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs, might have signaled that the roster was near pursuing a convention title and Tremendous Bowl.
As a substitute, it turned obviously clear that, regardless of sensational second-year quarterback Justin Herbert main the NFL’s fourth-ranked offense, the Chargers weren’t near ok.
Not on particular groups, a unit that ranked twenty third or worse in estimated factors added in each season from 2014 to ’21, and positively not on protection, a gaggle that ranked tied for twenty sixth in effectivity in 2021 regardless of that includes star edge Joey Bosa and All-Professional security Derwin James Jr.
“[I] felt actually strongly that in an effort to construct an entire soccer staff that was able to face what we’ll should face,” Staley stated, “that we wanted to make important adjustments in these two phases of the sport.”
Staley informed the entrance workplace and possession that if the Chargers needed to get to the subsequent degree, turn into a perennial playoff staff and one with an actual probability of advancing to the Tremendous Bowl, they wanted to dramatically enhance in these areas — and so they wanted to do it quick.
Basic supervisor Tom Telesco, now in his tenth season with the staff, had a stable basis in place by means of years of profitable drafts, choosing key gamers, together with Herbert, left deal with Rashawn Slater, receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, and Bosa and James. However between 2013 and 2020, the Bolts by no means ranked greater than 14th amongst NFL groups in free company spending.
In 2020, Staley served as Rams defensive coordinator, and he gained intimate information of how the group rapidly constructed a championship-caliber roster by competitively paying in free company and in addition aggressively pursuing the commerce market. The Rams turned well-known for exchanging excessive draft picks, together with years price of first-round alternatives, for confirmed stars — equivalent to quarterback Matthew Stafford, cornerback Jalen Ramsey and pass-rusher Von Miller — all of whom performed important roles in incomes a Tremendous Bowl title.
“We all know what’s at stake. We all know that now we have a Tremendous Bowl-caliber roster. We all know what now we have in our staff.”
Derwin James Jr.
With the Chargers, Staley stated he believed the staff might now not accept constructing by means of the draft, ready two to a few years to fill obvious wants, when the offense was able to win now.
It was time to expedite the advance, which meant leveraging draft picks in trades and spending cash in free company.
“He is proper,” stated Spanos of Staley’s critique, including that Telesco and John Spanos, president of soccer operations and Dean’s son, had been additionally on board. “We wanted to be aggressive like that and transfer on it. That is why we did what we did.”
What ensued was among the many highest-spending offseasons in Chargers historical past.
“YOU GET WHAT you pay for,” Dean Spanos stated. “And typically, it’s important to pay extra.”
The Chargers have ranked within the prime 10 in spending every of the previous two years, and peaked this offseason at fifth, spending $148.3 million.
“It was an costly 12 months,” Spanos stated. “However I am unable to sit there and fear about all of that.”
The Chargers traded second- and sixth-round draft picks to the Chicago Bears to amass All-Professional edge rusher Khalil Mack, who additionally got here with three years remaining on a six-year, $141 million contract. Mack started his Chargers profession with a three-sack efficiency in Sunday’s 24-19 win over the Raiders.
“With the ability to commerce for Khalil, it is a massive transfer from the surface [perception],” stated Staley, Mack’s place coach with the Bears in 2018. “However on the within, I simply had a lot distinctive information of this participant and I knew what he would don’t just for our protection however for our staff.”
“If you are going to usher in Khalil, particularly at his age, along with his contract, and giving up a second-round choose,” Telesco stated of the 31-year-old, “that is fairly important for us.”
Previous to sending a second-round choice to the Bears, Telesco had by no means traded a first- or second-round choose for a confirmed participant. (He has, nevertheless, traded a first- or second-round choice for different picks on 4 events.).
After the Mack commerce, the Chargers signed Professional Bowl cornerback J.C. Jackson, the NFL interceptions chief (25) since 2018, to a five-year, $82.5 million deal. Jackson might make his staff debut Thursday after being sidelined following ankle surgical procedure final month.
“If you do not have cowl guys and you do not have rushers, you bought nothing,” Staley stated.
Then, they stocked up on defensive linemen who might enhance their porous run protection and added Joseph-Day, ranked among the many NFL’s greatest run-stoppers, on a three-year, $24 million deal, together with Austin Johnson (Giants) on a two-year, $14 million contract and Morgan Fox (Panthers)
“I needed to get a giant staff up entrance,” Staley stated. “That is what I consider in.”
The Chargers additionally signed a number of veteran defensive gamers, together with cornerback Bryce Callahan (Broncos) and linebackers Kyle Van Noy (Patriots) and Troy Reeder (Rams).
On particular groups, they collected specialists, signing returner DeAndre Carter (Commanders), long-snapper Josh Harris (Falcons) and punter JK Scott(Jaguars), whereas additionally re-signing kicker Dustin Hopkins.
And on offense, they added tight finish Gerald Everett (Seahawks) on a two-year, $12 million deal as a catch-and-run choice for Herbert.
Staley has a historical past with six of the acquisitions — Mack, Joseph-Day, Fox, Reeder, Callahan and Everett, an element a basic supervisor should take into accout, whether or not good or unhealthy, when buying gamers.
“Particularly on protection with Brandon’s background, it was big,” Telesco stated. “Should you can, it is good to have that.”
“It was an costly 12 months. However I am unable to sit there and fear about all of that.”
Chargers proprietor Dean Spanos
In all, the Chargers’ revamped roster includes a league-high eight gamers in ESPN’s list of the NFL top 100, together with six whom Telesco drafted.
And, as a bonus, 4 of the gamers they signed — Joseph-Day, Van Noy, Reeder and Jackson — have Tremendous Bowl expertise.
“It is a profit and a optimistic for us to have guys which have gone the gap,” stated Bosa, the Chargers’ first-round choose in 2016. “They know what it takes to make it by means of and win the massive recreation. The truth that they go from there to right here means lots. They see that there is the identical alternative right here to go and win.”
1:26
Jordan Cornette is predicting a giant season from Justin Herbert and believes the Chargers’ improved protection will assist them win the AFC West.
AS THE CHARGERS stockpiled defensive stalwarts, the remainder of the AFC West signed offensive firepower. In Denver, the Broncos accomplished a blockbuster commerce for Tremendous Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson, and in Las Vegas, the Raiders traded for star receiver Davante Adams.
And that does not think about the remainder of the convention, the place quarterback Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills are early favorites to advance to Tremendous Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona, this February.
“It is aggressive as hell, in our division particularly,” Dean Spanos stated. “It is by no means simple, however it’s in all probability going to be more difficult than most years.”
The additions, nevertheless, have not simply reshaped their respective items. They’ve strengthened your complete staff. “They’ve modified our staff due to the competitors on the market on the apply subject,” Staley stated. “Our offense is having to play now on daily basis.”
Telesco declined to outline a profitable season. “I do not actually put labels on that stuff,” he stated. “By no means have. By no means will.”
However gamers are conscious of the upgraded roster and the expectation that accompanies it.
“We all know what’s at stake,” stated James, who signed a record-breaking $76.5 million extension earlier than the season. “We all know that now we have a Tremendous Bowl-caliber roster. We all know what now we have in our staff.”
For Telesco, the staff’s trajectory will not turn into obvious till a month into the season.
“I hate listening to that issues look good on paper,” he stated. “You do not actually know till you get into September, late September, the place you actually are.”
When requested about the necessity to obtain with the bolstered roster, Herbert stated there was no stress.
“As a staff, now we have the items, now we have the athletes and rivals,” he stated. “So long as we’re doing our greatest and we’re asking one another what we need to do ourselves, I do not suppose there’s far more which you can ask.”
For Joseph-Day, among the many first orders of enterprise when he moved into his new dwelling in Orange County was to discover a secure haven for his Tremendous Bowl ring.
“I obtained it locked up safely,” he stated.
As for what he plans to do with it will definitely?
“What I am gonna do with it’s, God [willing], if we’re in a position to do what now we have to do, have the ability to add one other one to it and put on each of them on the identical time,” Joseph-Day stated. “That is the aim.”
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