It's always difficult to take over an offense for a Pro Bowl-level quarterback and find success in the same system. For the Los Angeles Chargers, that is exactly what happened with reserve-turned-starter Easton Stick over the last few weeks.
Taking over for the injured Justin Herbert, Stick showed promise but couldn't get the team to win. The offense was made for Herbert, and Stick's skillset is far from the level of Herbert.
But Stick got his chance to show what he could do. It didn't work out in the manner that he would have hoped for, but he did what he could.
“It’s been tough, it’s really frustrating when you don’t win,” Stick said of his short tenure as a starter. “You play to win, but I am incredibly grateful to be a part of this organization and have their support. … You’re frustrated, you’re really upset that you lost. We had a chance to win and we didn’t do it again.”
This past weekend, the Chargers dropped another game to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs played their backups, and Los Angeles still couldn't find a way to win.
Stick went 28-of-47 for 258 yards, while also rushing for 77 yards on 13 carries. He did the best that he could for this team, but they came up just short.
It's been the definition of the entire season for the Bolts, so it was a fitting end to the year. The Chargers now head into the offseason with more questions than answers, and they want to make sure that this doesn't happen again.
Ownership needs to get the hires for the head coaching position and the general manager opening correct. They can't afford any more wasted years, so this offseason is one of the most crucial in recent memory for this team.
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