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It’s too dramatic to suggest Sanjay Lal has to mold a clump of clay into a masterpiece, but as receivers coach for the Chargers, he’s facing a significant challenge.
The team has talent at the position, and certainly has invested draft picks, but in most cases those players are either untested or underperforming. On the other end of those passes is quarterback Justin Herbert, who has elite talent but has yet to achieve elite results, with nary a playoff victory to his name.
“I won’t say it’s been easy to this point,” Lal said recently. “But for the first time I feel like we’re on the right track. In fact, today I said, ‘No one knows who the eff we are.’ If we do things the way we’re coaching, with the juice, the sound technicians we’re becoming, the fight in the run game you’ll see … we don’t look like other teams.”
Jim Harbaugh and his coaching staff are out to make a change, and Lal — whose personal football odyssey is one of stubborn resolve — is an integral part of that effort.
First, the details. The Chargers’ two top receivers from recent years are now elsewhere. Keenan Allen left for the Chicago Bears, and Mike Williams is with the New York Jets. That leaves a crew that includes Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnston, both big, young and promising but looking to make their mark on the NFL.
“If I find that trigger for each guy, then the group collectively is going to be a good one.”
Sanjay Lal, Chargers receivers coach on his young, untested group
The 6-foot-4 Johnston was the team’s first-round pick last year, yet the player who answers to “Q” remains a glaring question mark for the franchise. The standout from Texas Christian made some plays as a rookie but was better known for his unreliable hands.
The Chargers liked Georgia receiver Ladd McConkey enough to trade up this spring and draft him near the top of the second round. They added former second-round pick DJ Chark, who bounced from Jacksonville to Detroit to Carolina, and used a…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/meet-sanjay-lal-chargers-receivers-100026172.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2024-09-01 10:00:26
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