Brandon Staley is on fire.
The Los Angeles ChargersThe head coach faces calls for his job following Saturday’s collapse from a 27-0 lead An AFC wild card loss Jacksonville Jaguars. Those calls didn’t come from the Chargers locker room.
The team’s most important players vouched for their head coach when they met with the media on Sunday following Saturday night’s shocking loss. The quarterback Justin Herbert The players told reporters that Staley and the Chargers front office led by general manager Tom Delesco were “100%.”
“We have 100% confidence in Coach Staley and the front office,” Herbert said. “Everyone is lucky to have a coach like Staley. He’s been an incredible leader. He has the respect of everyone on our team.”
Derwin James Jr. echoed Herbert’s sentiments. The All-Pro safety and team captain called Staley his “guy.”
“That’s my boy” James said, to NFL Network’s Bridget Condon. “He puts a lot into it. A lot of guys in the locker room believe in him. I definitely believe in him.”
He also taught patience to the second-year head coach.
“I didn’t know it was going to happen overnight.” James said. “I feel like what we’ve built here and what we’re building on every day, it’s something special. That first half certainly showed that.”
Should the Chargers move on from Staley?
Thanks to his aggressive game management and penchant for calculated gambles, Staley has been a controversial figure since taking the Chargers side. Missing the play-offs last season was disappointing. The Chargers made progress this season, but did so without a wide receiver Mike WilliamsA key player who can make a difference in a close game.
Because of this, Williams was sidelined A back fracture occurred In the Chargers regular-season finale, the AFC’s No. A meaningless game that saw Staley play his starters despite being locked in the 5 seed. result and subsequent injury Staley turned up the heat The Chargers face their first postseason game since the 2018 season.
Then the Chargers got off to a rocky start in Jacksonville, thanks to Staley’s defensive scheme that held Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence to four first-half interceptions. Then, the wheels fell off.
A series of Chargers mistakes let the Jaguars back into the game, and Jacksonville outscored Los Angeles 24-3 in the second half and secured a 31-30 victory with a last-second field goal. Along the way, the Chargers sideline included a visual meltdown.
Pro Bowl pass rusher Joey Bosa, frustrated by a series of calls that didn’t go his way, slammed his helmet to the floor as he left the field in the fourth quarter. Staley took the helmet and handed it back to Bosa, who promptly slammed it back to the ground.
It’s not a great look for Bosa or Staley. Bosa said on Sunday not to blame his head coach.
“Why did I slam my helmet on the ground?” Bosa said. “He took it for me and tried to calm me down and I just grabbed it from him and threw it back on the ground. How is that his fault? It’s my fault.”
Bosa said he “grew up really liking my coaches” and that success “doesn’t happen overnight”.
“Staley took us to the playoffs against all odds,” Bosa said of a team that made the postseason despite injuries to key players.
Not long ago, Staley was hailed as one of football’s most innovative young coaches. Now Chargers management faces a big decision as outside pressure mounts against him. Sneaky Sean Payton – Who takes calls From teams after one season New Orleans SaintsThe sideline – didn’t help Staley’s cause.
A key feature works in Staley’s favor. He won’t lose his job because he lost his locker room.
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