Young offers brutally honest opinion on dysfunctional Chargers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Apparently dismantling the Los Angeles Chargers once in his career wasn’t enough, so Steve Young did so again Wednesday night.
The former 49ers quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Famer joined KNBR 680’s “Tolbert & Copes” on Wednesday evening, discussing San Francisco’s upcoming matchup with Los Angeles on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 10 at Levi’s Stadium.
He also explained why he believes the Chargers don’t pose nearly as much of a threat as other contending AFC teams.
“The Chargers are neither fish nor fowl,” Young said. “If you think about the top-echelon teams, especially in the AFC, Kansas City, Buffalo, Cincinnati, and the Dolphins now, they are all teams that are well-coached, innovative and are going to throw their way there. And they’ve got the personnel and they’ve got the quarterback and the coach, they’ve got all those things and that’s why it’s going to be tough. And the Chargers are not that team.”
Young is all-in on Chargers Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert and believes he is one of the league’s elite stars at the position. However, the structure around him leaves much to be desired in Young’s eyes.
“They don’t have the weapons, they don’t prepare that way, their offense isn’t built that way, they’re not a 2022 innovative offense, they’re not,” Young explained. “They have the guy, Justin Herbert honestly is … I really do believe he is generational like Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. He is that guy, but I don’t believe he’s got the help.
“He’s not getting (the help) philosophically, but he’s also not getting it with talent. But also, strategically, who are we? Who are the Chargers? Offensively I mean. Offensively they’re … I don’t know.”
Young goes on to compare the dysfunction of the Chargers to that of the Arizona Cardinals, who many believe to be of the league’s most inconsistent teams.
“The Chargers show up and they’re a little more like the Cardinals,” Young added. “I always kind of make fun of the Kliff Kingsbury-Kyler Murray kind of wing-it offense and I feel like the Chargers are that way with less of a plan. You can tell I’m not for the Chargers and I think they’re not doing a great job of taking care of a generational talent and I’m worried about that.
“I’m worried there are people there who don’t understand it, don’t understand what needs to happen and they’re being lapped by other teams who do.”
RELATED: Why Warner feels optimistic about 49ers‘ 4-4 start
Regardless of how Young might feel about the Chargers, the 49ers certainly are taking them at face value as a 5-3 team that, albeit very injured, still has game-breaking talent on both sides of the ball in Herbert, running back Austin Ekeler and defensive stars Derwin James and Khalil Mack.
Young handled the Chargers with ease in Super Bowl XXIX almost 28 years ago, completing 24-of-36 passes for 325 yards and six touchdowns on his way to securing San Francisco’s fifth championship, but today’s 49ers certainly aren’t taking the Chargers lightly.