Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn had a rather interesting comparison for the trajectory of his team's season during media availability on Wednesday.
Lynn said the Chargers were “down, but not out” before stating his team can rally in the face of adversity in the same manner the United States came back from Pearl Harbor.
Peal Harbor Remembrance Day was Monday, so it is timely in that regard. Still, it might come off as insensitive to compare football to one of the greatest tragedies in the history of the country.
#Chargers coach Anthony Lynn compared his team situation to Pearl Harbor.
What?pic.twitter.com/t2ukuh0Qn0
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 9, 2020
For whatever reason, football coaches, not just the Chargers main man, in particular seem to have a tendency to cite national tragedies.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban brought up 9/11 and Pearl Harbor after his Crimson Tide suffered an embarrassing loss to Louisiana-Monroe in 2007 (via ESPN):
Coach Nick Saban described the humbling defeat in almost
apocalyptic terms Monday, mentioning the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and
Pearl Harbor in talking about how his team must rebound like
America did from a “catastrophic event.”“Changes in history usually occur after some kind of
catastrophic event,” Saban said. “It may be 9/11, which sort of
changed the spirit of America relative to catastrophic events.
Pearl Harbor kind of got us ready for World War II, and that was a
catastrophic event.”
Perhaps football coaches — from the Chargers to the Crimson Tide — should find alternative ways of motivating the team and providing positive messaging.
The Chargers are coming off an embarrassing loss of their own after the New England Patriots waxed them 45-0 last weekend. There have been questions about Lynn's job security, though he appears safe at least through the end of the year. A strong finish to the season might help his case.
As it always does, time will tell how any of this alters how the Chargers handle the head coach.
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