LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Chargers' slide toward the bottom of the NFL standings claimed its first victim Wednesday when special teams coordinator George Stewart was removed from his job.
A 61-year-old longtime assistant, Stewart was reassigned and given the title of senior analyst, coach Anthony Lynn said.
Keith Burns and Chris Caminiti will oversee the Chargers' special teams for the remaining six games, according to Lynn.
"We couldn't keep going the way we were going," Lynn said. "So I decided to make that change ... I think it's for the best. Stew and I both agreed to do this. It's what I thought was best for the team or I wouldn't have done it."
The Chargers have struggled on special teams while going 3-7. They've been called for numerous penalties and had three punts blocked over the last five games.
In the first quarter of a 29-21 loss at Miami on Nov. 15, Ty Long had a punt blocked and Quenton Meeks was called for offsides on a field-goal attempt, extending a drive and leading to a Dolphins touchdown.
"It's something I thought long and hard about before I did it," Lynn said. "We just made the decision to do it this morning. But it was something I put a lot of thought into."
Stewart is in his fourth season with the Chargers. An offensive lineman as a player, he went into coaching in 1983 as a graduate assistant at Arkansas.
He also worked at Minnesota and Notre Dame before joining the staff of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1989. Stewart has been in the NFL ever since, his stops including Tampa Bay, San Francisco, Atlanta and Minnesota.
"You're talking about a confidant," Lynn said. "You're talking about a guy that taught me a lot about the game, especially in the special-teams area, a guy that's always had my back. So it was extremely hard to do it."
Burns had been Stewart's assistant. He was a standout special-teams player for Denver, where he and Lynn were teammates.
Caminiti entered this season with the title of senior coaching assistant. In his second year with the Chargers, he previously was on the staff at UCLA.
On Sunday, the Chargers play at Buffalo, leaders in the AFC East. The Bills had won three in a row before losing at Arizona on Nov. 15 on a Hail Mary in the final seconds. They were off last weekend.
The Chargers just ended a three-game losing streak with a victory over the New York Jets. Before that, they had lost seven of eight after a win in their season opener.
Potentially on their way to a second consecutive last-place finish in the AFC West, the Chargers have the appearance of a team that could undergo sweeping changes over the next several weeks.
Along with looking for improvement on the field, the Chargers also are trying to sell tickets for the 2021 season and further establish themselves in L.A. after relocating from San Diego in 2017.
Their move into SoFi Stadium this season has come without fans in attendance because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there are no guarantees for next year, all NFL teams are operating with the hope the situation will change.
Despite their 3-7 record, the Chargers have found a possible long-term solution at quarterback in rookie Justin Herbert. Any personnel moves over the next few months will be made with Herbert's development among the top priorities.
"It's never one person's fault," Lynn said when asked about the decision with Stewart. "As coaches, this is what we sign up for. We sign up to work with these young men. If they don't execute the way we need them to execute, then we lose our jobs. That's just the way it is."
