Fansided

5 replacements for Mike McCoy in San Diego

By Ian O'Brien

Oct 2, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers head coach Mike McCoy reacts during the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers head coach Mike McCoy reacts during the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /
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October 8, 2016; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach David Shaw watches against the Washington State Cougars during the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
October 8, 2016; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach David Shaw watches against the Washington State Cougars during the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

4. David Shaw 

The Stanford head coach has done a remarkable job replacing Jim Harbaugh and continuing to make the Cardinal a winning team. Stanford has never been known for having success in football. Shaw clearly learned a great deal from Harbaugh when serving as Stanford’s offensive coordinator. The 44-year-old coach would bring an injection of youth to a Chargers team that will soon be moving on from quarterback Philip Rivers.

Even with a rough 3-2 start in 2016, his results at Stanford can’t be argued. He has achieved a 57-16 record while guiding the Cardinal to three BCS bowl berths to go with a Rose Bowl win last season. The Cardinal finished third in the nation last season with running back Christian McCaffrey finishing second in the Heisman Trophy voting. Shaw has overseen great Stanford running backs such as McCaffrey, Tyler Gaffney and Stepfan Taylor.

He has also demonstrated defensive prowess with Stanford, as they have been one of the few Pac-12 teams to play consistently good defense. Prying Shaw away from Stanford will be difficult, but his arrival would undoubtedly help running back Melvin Gordon take the next step forward. If Stanford’s defensive performance can be trusted, the Chargers would receive a much-needed fix for their woeful defense.

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