The influence of the 1981 San Diego Chargers

I happened to turn it on NFL Network last night to watch America's Game: The Missing Rings & happen to watch the episode of the 1981 San Diego Chargers. The team was lead by Coach Don Coryell, who developed the "Air Coryell" offense that was light years ahead of its time. Even though their defense wasn't that great, the Chargers were one cold day in Cincinati, Ohio away from Super Bowl XVI. The offense was operated by hall of fame quarterback Dan Fouts, that had a trendsetting tight end in Kellen Winslow, & another hall of fame wide receiver Charlie Joiner. The Chargers played the greatest game in modern football history against the Miami Dolphins in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs. Kellen Winslow played the game of a lifetime: catching the ball, blocking, fighting fatigue & cramps to even blocking the Dolphins' potential game winning field goal that led to overtime. The reason why I wrote about the 1981 Chargers is how their offense gave the blueprint to the modern era of football that people see now. They were able to utilize their skill players in a era of football that was still stuck in the old-school principles of playing ball-control offense & not taking any chances. If you look at the New England Patriots of today or the teams that have hybrid tight ends such as the Chargers (with Antonio Gates), the Packers, and many other teams have copied the "Air Coryell" offense in some way. What I found out interesting is that Joe Gibbs was on the Chargers coaching staff in 1980 before taking the head coaching job with the Redskins. He took the "Air Coryell" offense to the Nation's Capital & had a explosive offense but utilized his strong offensive line, John Riggins, & a strong vertical passing game. Even though the 1981 Chargers didn't win the Super Bowl, their influence on the game of football has lasted just as long as if they had won the Super Bowl.