The sorry Chargers have one major asset in recruiting a new coach: Stud QB Justin Herbert

Dean Spanos will have at least one thing going for him in recruiting his next coach: Justin Herbert.

The Los Angeles Chargers owner, so desperate to win again, has already solidified the most-essential piece that any coach will want. One of the NFL’s best young quarterbacks is locked up through 2029 with a $262.5 million contract.

It’s too bad that Brandon Staley, in less than three seasons, squandered that asset.

Spanos finally made the move a day after the Chargers (5-9) were embarrassed 63-21 at Las Vegas on Thursday night and has certainly paid the price for picking the inexperienced Staley to replace Anthony Lynn – while thinking he was getting a defensive-minded version of Sean McVay.

Wrong.

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Meltdowns pretty much defined how it went down for Staley and his defenses. I thought he was gone after the AFC wild-card playoff defeat at Jacksonville, when the Chargers collected five turnovers and led 27-0 in the second quarter. And still lost. Throughout this season, late-game meltdowns piled on to become a collection of close losses that, like the playoff loss, raised questions about the game management.

Then came Thursday night, with 42-0 marking the largest halftime deficit in franchise history.

Now what? Spanos can sell the big market (even though the Raiders are probably more popular in L.A. than the Chargers or the Rams) and the great home venue in SoFi Stadium. But even better, his young, stud quarterback is surrounded by some key talent in key positions. This includes receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, edge rushers Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa and safety Derwin James.

Sure, they’ll be challenged to keep all of the talent while managing the salary cap. But it’s clearly a workable plan for a franchise that suddenly has the NFL’s most-attractive opening when considering all of the head-coach vacancies already created -- and the jobs projected to open up.

Yes, the Chargers have such a hot job. Herbert is the reason for that.

Now it’s on Spanos not to blow it again in picking the right coach to pair with a special quarterback.

Hip-drop tackle is going, going…

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell minced no words at the close of NFL meetings this week about the need to ban the hip-drop tackle. It figures to be only a matter of time.

Usually, Goodell gets what he wants when it comes to rules.

“We’ve got to work very hard to get that removed this spring,” Goodell said.

The competition committee took a deep dive into the tactic last offseason but never officially proposed a rule change (ala the outlawed horse-collar tackle) amid intense opposition from some players, coaches and others. In another vein, there was also a general sense of confusion about defining and administering such a move.

Nearly a year later, resistance remains, but it surely won’t stop the movement to have the hip-drop tackle banned. For one thing, the tactic – which has only been used for a few years – is better identified across the league. People now know it when they see it.

“It’s the grip, the rotate and the drop,” said Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president for football operations.

Defenders typically haul down ball-carriers from the waist while wrapping their bodies around the lower legs and dropping their dead weight on their opponents.

“Those three mechanics show up on that play,” Vincent added. “And it’s a gruesome play.”

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Injuries to key players – including the ankle injury that has Miami receiver Tyreek Hill listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets – have raised awareness about the danger of the tactic. It’s fortunate that Hill, whose play has put him in the conversation for NFL MVP honors, didn’t suffer a more serious setback after being injured on Monday night. The worst case in recent weeks involved Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, in jeopardy of not returning this season.

Vincent also pointed out how players – either victims themselves or teammates of those injured – have been quick to react to the use of the tactic. And that includes Geno Smith, who got into a scuffle with a Giants player who used it as the Seattle Seahawks quarterback ran out of bounds.

Early wake-up call for Brazil game?

What could the NFL’s advance into Brazil mean for the average fan?

More early Sunday morning telecasts.

The game pegged for Sao Paulo in 2024 (teams TBD) could be destined for the same 9:30 a.m. ET time slot that featured games played in London and Germany in recent seasons. Sao Paulo is two hours ahead of Eastern time. While the NFL has scheduled Monday night games in Mexico, the league undoubtedly sees the early morning window as an opportunity that could flow perfectly with plans to increase the inventory of international games. And having the early windows exclusively will add to the game’s allure.

“I think the 9:30 window has been well-received,” Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II said. “I think we’ll see more of the 9:30 window.”

Count the Dallas Cowboys among volunteers to play in the NFL’s first game in South America … under one condition as identified by team owner Jerry Jones: They don’t give up a home date.

Really, Kadarius Toney?

It’s so fitting that the most ridiculous follow-up remark stemming from the dramatic finish to the Chiefs’ loss against the Bills last Sunday came from the Kansas City receiver whose gaffe ignited the firestorm. A would-be 49-yard, go-ahead TD in the final minutes that included a lateral pass by Travis Kelce was wiped out when Kadarius Toney was flagged for lining up offsides.

Toney finally addressed the case with the media on Thursday. “I really didn’t even find out that the penalty was on me until I was almost home,” Toney maintained. “I really wasn’t ever, like, in tune.” Talk about being clueless.

Did Toney see Patrick Mahomes go ballistic? It’s also striking to think that, according to Toney, not a single teammate or coach mentioned the penalty to him in real time. Then again, when offensive coordinator Matt Nagy defends Toney on the grounds that “you know KT didn’t do that maliciously or intentionally,” it raises questions about accountability.

The Chiefs surely haven’t dropped an NFL-high 34 passes on purpose, either. It’s fair to wonder how former coordinator Eric Bieniemy – whose hard-line standards have drawn complaints from players in Washington – would have reacted to all of the self-inflicted mistakes committed by the Chiefs' offense.

Quick slant

Joe Flacco is the ultimate emergency man for the playoff-contending Cleveland Browns, mindful that he’ll be moving on after becoming a free agent in March with Deshaun Watson due back from shoulder surgery. No pity needed for the former Super Bowl MVP. Flacco, 38, will be looking for work in a league where at least 55 quarterbacks have started games this season as just half the teams have started the same quarterback for every game. If only the same rules applied for Colin Kaepernick.