For the Los Angeles Chargers, it’s getting late early.
While there are 14 games left in the season, the Chargers are already 0-3, and another loss could torpedo whatever chance they have left of making the playoffs. Pro Football Hall of Famer and Chargers legend Dan Fouts said the offense, which has struggled mightily to begin the season, does not look confident.
“As far as the offense is concerned, there just seems to be a lack of confidence in what they’re doing. And you can’t run a play without feeling it’s gonna be successful. It just looks right now that they’re having trouble with their confidence,” Fouts told OutKick in a recent interview.
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“They’re not able to string together enough positive plays to build momentum, build something that they can hang their hat on.”
The Chargers hired former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel as their offensive coordinator, and many around the league thought the coaching change would take the Chargers’ offense to new heights. However, through three games, the Chargers rank 29th in the NFL, scoring just 14.7 points per game.
The 75-year-old Fouts said the team needs to start fast and sustain that success.
“It goes back to confidence, and you get that by having successful plays in a row, a couple of first downs, a good drive to start the game, to get in the end zone. All those things that will carry throughout the, throughout the ballgame. They need something good to happen early in this next game against Seattle,” Fouts said.
Fouts noted that the Chargers did start fast in their 24-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills last Sunday, but they weren’t able to sustain it, blowing a fourth-quarter lead. The six-time Pro Bowler said the defense has improved significantly and remained competitive despite losing last season’s defensive coordinator, Jesse Minter, to the Baltimore Ravens in the offseason, where he became head coach.
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The two-time first-team All-Pro selection also pointed out the Chargers’ brutal upcoming schedule. In the team’s next five games, the Chargers will play the Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams and Houston Texans.
Fouts said there are 14 games left, and the team has the talent to get it done; the Chargers just need to build some momentum.
Fouts was part of the infamous “Monday Night Football” broadcast booth with comedian Dennis Miller and Al Michaels during the 2000 and 2001 seasons.
However, when Fouts signed on to join Michaels for the 2000 season, he had no idea Miller would be the third person in the booth and was surprised by the unconventional move.
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“I think I said, ‘What?’” Fouts told OutKick when talking about “Miller Night Football,” an HBO Sports documentary that premiered this week.
“Now, I was a big fan, still am, of Dennis. I loved his Saturday Night Live updates. I thought they were awesome. About his humor, I like the fact that it’s not a pie in the face. It’s very subtle at times. It’s good and snarky at other times, and sarcasm, so I liked the way he handled his craft and was intrigued about the possibilities, and it was kind of fun.”
After two seasons of Michaels, Fouts and Miller in the booth, ABC let Fouts and Miller go as the network brought in John Madden. Fouts said he was treated very fairly by the network and still keeps in touch with Michaels and Miller.
The Chargers legend looks back fondly on the two seasons he shared with Michaels and Miller in the booth.
“It was amazing, the attention, the whirlwind, the limos. We didn’t get that very often prior to that as a broadcaster, but the chance to be on Monday night was a great opportunity. I was treated very fairly by ABC, and that’s why I like this documentary so much,” Fouts said. “It brings back some very positive memories, and it gives me another chance to appreciate the humor of Dennis Miller.”
