Firing Brandon Staley Wouldn’t Necessarily Change the Chargers

At yet another contentious press conference, this time after a narrow loss to the Packers, Brandon Staley looked like a man nearing his end as a head coach (for now). When someone reaches the clip-the-angry-part-of-the-presser phase of their coaching tenure, and those moments become more frequent, we often lose touch with the breadth of the narrative and count down the days until termination. This could, generously, be described as Volume III of Staley’s greatest hits. Social media will take it from there.

But it’s worth considering the potential roots of the frustration, at least from where I am sitting. Staley continues to take the blame for the fate of the Chargers, beginning, in earnest, with the team’s collapse against the Jaguars in the playoffs. The Chargers have lost six games this season, most of which they were in a position to win. L.A. dropped its opener against the Dolphins by two points … then its second game against the Titans by three points, its fifth game against the Cowboys by three points, its ninth game against the Lions by three points and its 10th game against the Packers by, you guessed it, three points.

Staley is 23–21 in three seasons coaching the Chargers. Most of the losses have been close.

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