SAN DIEGO -- With a local columnist calling for his job and others nationally speculating he could be working elsewhere in 2016, San Diego Chargers head coach Mike McCoy said he’s not concerned about where he will coach beyond this season.
Speaking to reporters a day after his team’s first win since Oct. 4, McCoy was asked if the victory could possibly save his job, with San Diego sitting at a disappointing 3-8.
“I’m taking this job one day at a time like I do every day,” McCoy said. “I just keep plugging away every day and put great plans in, week in and week out. And I take it one day at a time here.”
McCoy has one more year left on his contract after this season. The Chargers are 21-22 under McCoy, and 1-1 in the postseason. But the Chargers have struggled of late, losing 11 of their past 15 dating back to last season.
San Diego veteran safety Eric Weddle echoed McCoy’s comments about his coach’s job status, saying the Chargers are focused on winning as many games as possible down the stretch.
“We don’t really think about it like that,” Weddle said. “We think [McCoy will] be here. We’re just trying to do the best we can to salvage the season. And it helped winning last week. Guys came in here more upbeat, more confident.
“We came in here and watched the film, saw a lot of good things and a lot of bad things -- a lot of things we can correct. But we’re moving in the right direction."
“We all know if we lose and have a bad season, it’s not just the coaches -- players are gone, too," Weddle continued. "The older guys know that, and I think the younger guys are starting to understand that you’re not here every year. You have to play good, and you have to win.”
McCoy had a more upbeat approach in practice leading up to Sunday’s 31-25 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He said that the coaching staff and players will continue to make adjustments when needed. But ultimately, his mantra remains the same: Keep grinding and the wins will come.
“There’s only one way I know how to do it, and that’s to just keep fighting,” McCoy said. “Keep doing what you believe in, but don’t be afraid to make a change and adjust to what your players do best. It all starts with us as coaches.
“And when I say that, if we walk into a meeting room with our heads down, or as the head coach of the organization if I start moping around, everyone’s going to start looking at me like, ‘What’s going on here?’ So we have a job to do. We have 16 games, regardless. No one is going to feel sorry for you on Sunday, so you have to keep working your tails off, keep fighting to win every game. And that’s what we’ve done.”