The Chargers' decision to sign veteran Donnie Jones to take over punting duties for Drew Kaser caught many by surprise.
Several factors went into the decision, and on Wednesday, Head Coach Anthony Lynn outlined why the Bolts went in the direction they did.
The biggest reason he said right off the bat was to help a kicking game that struggled over the first four games. Lynn stressed on Sunday how disappointed he'd been with its performance after the team missed three extra points over their past two games.
On Monday, he emphasized that he was taking a long look at everyone involved.
"The kicking game, that's something we're evaluating right now," he had said. What we're looking at, it's not just the kicker. It's the snapper. The holder. We're looking at the whole process. That has to improve and it's going to."
On Tuesday, he proved true to his word as the team pulled the trigger and made a change.
"I told you I was looking at the whole process - snapper, holder, kicker. "We just felt like we needed to make a move at that (holder) position."
The proof is in the pudding.
Jones held for Sturgis during their time together with the Philadelphia Eagles for 33 games between 2015-17. Over that span, Sturgis knocked through 56 of 66 field goal attempts, which is an impressive 84.8 percent clip.
"Sometimes it's just chemistry between the two guys," Lynn explained. "And Drew (is) an outstanding punter. It was a hard cut, but you look at the big picture, his job is also to hold. Just wanted to change the whole dynamics right there with the holder and the kicker and see if we make an extra point."
In addition to bringing in someone who has valuable chemistry with Sturgis, the Bolts also added one of the game's most reliable punters.
Since entering the league as a seventh-round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, Jones has punted 1,110 times for 50,500 total yards and 44,141 net yards. That averages out to 45.5 yards per punt with a net average of 39.8. In addition, Jones has landed 364 of his punts inside the 20 with a career-long of a whopping 80 yards.
The 38-year old announced his retirement earlier this offseason after winning the Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles. However, his passion for the game never left, so here he is now returning to help a Chargers team he believes can win it all as well.
