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5 Takeaways: What We Learned from Kellen Moore Today

Moore 5 Takes

Kellen Moore is officially the Chargers Offensive Coordinator.

The 34-year-old virtually met with the local media Wednesday morning and spoke for nearly 30 minutes.

Here are five takeaways from Moore's first media availability:

1. He's all in on Justin Herbert

Kellen Moore and Justin Herbert aren't strangers.

The pair worked together on a series of commercials for Kendall Auto Group over the summer when they got to know each other and work on their acting skills.

"Oh, man. It's amazing how life can come full circle on you," Moore said with a laugh. "We did those this summer, and I'm sure that everyone is going to run with them pretty well."

He later added: "You guys may know Justin a little bit better than me, but he's pretty good at it. He has a very dry sense of humor. And it's actually really, really fun."

Now, the Moore and Herbert will work together to try and elevate the Chargers offense to be among the league's best.

Moore said the chance to work with Herbert was obviously a positive draw to coming to the Chargers. Both men are from the Pacific Northwest — Herbert from Oregon and Moore from Washington — and Moore noted they have plenty of crossover relationships.

The 24-year-old quarterback is already regarded among the game's top players at his position and has set a plethora of records in his first three seasons in the league. But there is also room for Herbert's game to get to even greater heights, a challenge Moore is ready for.

"Justin, we know the physical talent. He obviously does a tremendous job," Moore said. "I think it's been really cool to watch him, from a fundamental perspective, as he's gone from Oregon into the NFL and transitioned, and started playing under center — he has done such a phenomenal job of that — and the play-action game, the movement game.

"We know his ability to throw it down the field," Moore added. "I'm just really, really excited to be able to work with him and, hopefully, help him in some way as he continues to build the career that he is going to have."

Over three seasons, Herbert has claimed a Rookie of the Year honor along with a Pro Bowl accolade.

But if Moore can develop a chemistry and find success with Herbert early on, the quarterback's best days should be ahead of him.

The Los Angeles Chargers today agreed to terms with Kellen Moore as the team's offensive coordinator.

2. Flexible on the scheme

If you include the six seasons Moore spent as an NFL quarterback, he has more than a decade of experience in the league.

That time includes eight combined seasons in Dallas as a quarterback, quarterbacks coach and offensive play caller.

Moore said Wednesday that he doesn't plan on simply installing his own system into place and forcing Bolts offensive players to adapt.

Instead, Moore said he'll adapt his scheme to fit skillsets Mike Williams, Keenan Allen and other already have on the roster.

"That's just the exciting part of these situations, it's just building a system around the players," Moore said. "This thing, we're going to do it together. This isn't just dropping a playbook down from Dallas and say, 'You learn this and we'll do this.' There's so much good stuff that is going on here, certainly, with Justin and all of the guys — Mike, Keenan, we can go on and on.

"What they've built, there's so much good. I think that we have to make sure that we incorporate that and make sure that we don't lose all of the good that is going on here," Moore added. "Certainly, there will be stuff from Dallas that we want to incorporate, that I certainly have familiarity with, but then, once you get through those two steps, let's go explore this thing together and let's figure out what we ultimately want this thing to be."

A big focal point for Moore will be helping boost a rushing attack that was near the bottom of the league in 2022.

Moore noted that means more success on early downs in drives, which will lead to more favorable third-down situations.

"I think that's something that we're really excited about building here and developing, certainly in the first- and second- down game," Moore said. "And, it will allow you to be more aggressive, to get the ball downfield.

"It certainly doesn't mean that you go crazy with it, but you can build those marriages," Moore added. "We all know that the top offenses in this league, the beauty is when those two things are in sync. It's a beautiful thing."

Over Moore's four seasons in Dallas, the Cowboys cumulatively ranked in the top 10 in rushing attempts, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.

3. Landing with the Bolts

This past Sunday was a wild one for Moore and his family.

The Chargers newest coach described it as an "action-packed day."

Moore spent the past four seasons as the offensive coordinator in Dallas but said Wednesday that "change can be good" after a certain amount of time in one place.

"It works for both sides," Moore said. "I think that it's an awesome opportunity for Dallas, and an awesome opportunity for me. I'm certainly really, really excited about how this thing all played out."

On Sunday, Moore said he chatted with Chargers Head Coach Brandon Staley and things took off from there.

Moore referenced two-day joint practices the Chargers and Cowboys held in August at Jack Hammett Sports Complex, saying he and Staley spent time together then.

 "Obviously, it was a very fast process in very unique circumstances," Moore said. "We did the joint practices, as you guys are familiar with, this past summer with the Chargers. Any time you do one of those, you get to know the other staff pretty well.

"You spend a lot of time getting practices organized, schedules, [play] scripts and all of that sort of stuff. I really, really enjoyed my time with Brandon [Staley] during those couple days," Moore continued. "Naturally, we had a relationship that extended through the season, mostly through text messages, as you go through a season. The Chargers were going through their season, we were going through ours, and so we stayed in contact.

"Over the weekend, really, this thing happened pretty fast on Sunday," Moore added. "Once we came to an understanding on the Cowboys side of it, it opened up the opportunity. Brandon and I, obviously, spoke quickly, and then had an opportunity to talk to a number of other guys within the Chargers."

Moore said he also met with General Manager Tom [Telesco], Executive Vice President of Football Administration/Player Finance Ed [McGuire] and President of Football Operations] John Spanos.

"Just phenomenal people," Moore said. "It was a really fun process to hear from their perspective. It certainly went rather quickly, but we were able to get it all finalized and knocked out rather quickly."

4. Fired up about the O-line

Moore hasn't had an offensive staff meeting yet, so give him some time to dive into the roster.

But one position group he highlighted Wednesday was the offensive line, a group that features a pair of Pro Bowlers in center Corey Linsley and left tackle Rashawn Slater. 

Add in young, emerging linemen such as Zion Johnson and Jamaree Salyer, and Moore like the look of this group.

"Certainly, the investment has been huge. Having a guy like Corey as the center — you guys certainly probably feel it, but some people I think don't recognize the importance of a veteran center and a guy who really runs the show," Moore said. "Corey has been one of the best in the NFL for a number of years. That is really exciting. I think that helps the quarterback. It relieves some of the workload and the volume that a quarterback has to do pre-snap. Having a guy like Corey run the show has been great.

"Certainly, there has been a lot invested there from a youth standpoint. Tons of younger players have had an opportunity to play," Moore added. "I'm excited to just see those guys continue to develop. They're young players. Their future is skyrocketing right now. I'm just really excited to work with those guys."

In order to get Herbert to that next level and elevate the run game, the trenches have to do their part, too.

"They have so much young talent up there and they've invested up front," Moore said. "I think that's huge for a quarterback. Obviously we'll talk plenty about Justin, but you have to protect the guy, and certainly, the Chargers have done a phenomenal job of investing in that last two years."

5. Filling a vacancy

With Moore's arrival, there is currently one opening on the Chargers coaching staff.

Moore said one of his top priorities is finding a quarterbacks coach that can see eye to eye with Herbert and the rest of the staff.

"Brandon and I have been able to talk through this over the course of the last few days. I just love the way he really likes this offensive staff," Moore said. "Every interaction that I've had, I've really enjoyed. I'm really excited to work with these guys. I'm really excited to work with this group. It sounds like a fun, interactive, collaborative group.

"Certainly, we'll go through the process from a quarterbacks coach standpoint. That's the one that's available right now," Moore added. "We'll go through that process together and find what suits our team best and, certainly, what suits Justin best."

Moore spent the 2018 season as the Cowboys quarterbacks coach after his playing career was done.

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