Brandon Staley was maybe the most well liked identify on the top teaching market in 2021, proper after main the LA Rams to the primary protection in his first season as a defensive coordinator. Two years later as head coach of the LA Chargers, on the heels of blowing a 27-0 result in the Jacksonville Jaguars in Saturday night time’s wild card sport, Staley is now sitting on the most well liked seat within the NFL.
With the Chargers knocked out of the playoffs in embarrassing vogue, following two seasons of questionable choices and underwhelming outcomes with a stacked roster, does Staley also have a probability to nonetheless be a head coach in 24 hours?
He doesn’t appear to have many supporters left, if he even had that many remaining going into the sport.
I like Brandon Staley as an individual however plenty of coaches have been fired for lots much less if we’re being trustworthy about it
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) January 15, 2023
Staley might have had his alternative of a variety of jobs two years in the past and doubtless selected the Chargers partly due to the staff’s loaded roster, deep pockets, star quarterback in Justin Herbert, and the probability that they have been lastly on the precipice of constructing a deep playoff run.
His first season was suffering from controversial teaching choices and the Chargers missed the playoffs with a 9-8 document, dropping three of their final 4 video games. In actual fact, 4 of the final 5 video games that L.A. misplaced in 2021 have been to coaches who now not have jobs: Mike Zimmer’s Vikings, Vic Fangio’s Broncos, David Culley’s Texans, and Jon Gruden’s Raiders.
Offseason push
The Chargers have been intent on being a extra dominant staff in 2022, buying and selling for All-Professional move rusher Khalil Mack, signing Professional Bowl cornerback J.C. Jackson, and drafting guard Zion Johnson within the first spherical to assist shield Herbert. The expectations for Staley’s Chargers have been excessive this yr, and that’s what he signed up for by accepting the job as L.A.’s head coach, however then the Chargers fell to a 6-6 document after a Week 13 loss to the Raiders.
With questions and skepticism all the time following Staley throughout his quick tenure with the Chargers due to choices typically cited with an over-reliance on analytics, there was already purpose to consider that the franchise might fireplace him after solely two seasons if LA missed the AFC playoffs. Staley’s Chargers responded by successful the subsequent 4 video games.
Brandon Staley went from unreasonably ridiculous analytics nerd to costing his staff a visit to the playoffs to partially costing his staff a playoff win all inside two seasons.
With a high 5 quarterback, too.
He shouldn’t be the top coach of that soccer staff anymore.
— Jordan Foote (@footenoted) January 15, 2023
Then the curler coaster took a dip once more.
Week 18 ramifications
Staley’s choice to play starters in a Week 18 sport towards the Denver Broncos that almost all anticipated to be meaningless — besides Staley — star broad receiver Mike Williams suffered a again harm that brought about him to overlook Saturday’s Wild Card playoff sport. And the Chargers nonetheless misplaced to the Broncos, 31-28. To the 5-12 Broncos.
There was already discuss earlier than the sport that Staley might be fired if LA misplaced to the Jaguars, with the Chargers most likely having the fireplace energy and attraction to draw the very talked-about Sean Payton proper now, however then he appeared to drop the mic on these critics. The Chargers intercepted Trevor Lawrence 4 instances within the first half, three by Asante Samuel, and Staley’s staff took an early 27-0 lead on the highway.
He dropped the mic too quickly.
After which got here the Jaguars sport …
Whether or not Williams would have made a distinction within the sport or not is up for debate, as giving up 24 factors to Jacksonville within the second half and 4 landing passes to Lawrence after his nightmare begin is unquestionably a problem that can hang-out Staley perpetually, however management of the sport and his gamers appeared to be out the top coach’s grasp properly earlier than the ultimate game-winning discipline aim for the Jaguars.
Doug Pederson confirmed you why he is a Tremendous Bowl successful coach. He made changes. He led his QB again methodically, play by play.
Brandon Staley confirmed you why he is a snake oil salesman who cannot alter when it issues for shit.
There isn’t a getting back from this.
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) January 15, 2023
The Chargers have been out-played in each side of the sport that didn’t embody Samuel making elite cornerback performs within the first 20 minutes. Staley was out-coached second after second by Jacksonville’s Doug Pederson. As soon as thought of the fastest-rising defensive guru in all of professional soccer, Staley’s protection was burned for 109 speeding yards by Travis Etienne and Lawrence threw touchdowns to 4 completely different gamers.
With a defensive roster that includes high tier gamers like Derwin James, Joey Bosa, Samuel, and Mack, Staley’s Chargers bought picked aside by a Jaguars staff that solely managed six factors towards the Texans in Week 5, 14 factors towards the Lions in Week 13, and simply 20 factors towards the Titans one week earlier.
No matter ammunition Staley critics wanted to finish their argument for the LA Chargers to make a change at head coach after the season, they utterly reloaded after he choked away a 27-0 lead within the second half.
What’s subsequent for Staley and the Chargers?
Staley was a sizzling free agent coach two years in the past. He could be again in the marketplace a lot earlier than anybody anticipated.
