This is not overreacting to one game. This is my reaction to seeing the same old LA Chargers in week 1 as we’ve seen the past two seasons.

Brandon Staley just isn’t cut out to be an NFL head coach.

Guy was a defensive coordinator with the Rams for ONE season, 2020, and somehow the Chargers were like, “We gotta make that guy our head coach.”

One season!

How’s that working out for you, Chargers? How good has your defense been under Brandon Staley?

The supposed “defensive specialist” whose team allowed 27.0 points per game in 2021, ranking 29th in the league, and 22.6 points per game in 2022, or 21st in the league.

Staley is supposed to be a defensive guy but they gave up 36 to the Dolphins at home in their week 1 loss. Last year they let up 5.9 yards per play, third worst in the league. They were 22nd in the league last season in YPP allowed at 5.6. They just haven’t been elite, or even good, on defense since Staley has been there.

If your defensive “specialist” head coach doesn’t make you good on defense, and you’re not special on offense, then what is your coach actually doing? He’s just collecting a paycheck.

I mean just look at their wins from the 2022 season, plus those teams’ final records and whether they made the playoffs or not:

1. Raiders (6-11, no playoffs❌)
2. Texans (3-13-1, no playoffs❌)
3. Browns (7-10, no playoffs❌)
4. Broncos (5-12, no playoffs❌)
5. Falcons (7-10, no playoffs❌)
6. Cardinals (4-13, no playoffs❌)
7. Dolphins (9-8, ✅ playoffs)
8. Titans (7-10, no playoffs❌)
9. Colts (4-12-1, no playoffs❌)
10. Rams (5-12, no playoffs❌)

Now look at the teams the Chargers lost to last season:

1. Chiefs (14-3, ✅ playoffs)
2. Jaguars (9-8, ✅ playoffs)
3. Seahawks (9-8, ✅ playoffs)
4. 49ers (13-4, ✅ playoffs)
5. Chiefs (14-3, ✅ playoffs)
6. Raiders (6-11, no playoffs❌)
7. Broncos (5-12, no playoffs❌)

So the Chargers last season only had one victory over a playoff team, the Dolphins, and it was their only victory over a team with a winning record as well.

The Chargers were 9-2 against non-playoff teams last year.

Against playoff teams, they were 1-5.

And then of course in the playoffs they were 0-1 against playoff teams, blowing a 27 point lead to the Jaguars.

Also, remember when Staley played his starters in the completely irrelevant week 18 game last year, and then Mike Williams got hurt and missed the playoff game against the Jags? Everyone knew it was idiotic but Staley did it anyway.

Now let’s take a look at the 2021 season. First the wins:

1. Washington Football Team (7-10, no playoffs)
2. Chiefs (12-5, ✅ playoffs)
3. Raiders (10-7, ✅ playoffs)
4. Browns (8-9, no playoffs❌)
5. Eagles (9-8, ✅ playoffs)
6. Steelers (9-7-1, ✅ playoffs)
7. Bengals (10-7, ✅ playoffs)
8. Giants (4-13, no playoffs❌)
9. Broncos (7-10, no playoffs❌) 

Losses:

1. Cowboys (12-5, ✅ playoffs)
2. Ravens (8-9, no playoffs❌)
3. Patriots (10-7, ✅ playoffs)
4. Vikings (8-9, no playoffs❌)
5. Broncos (7-10, no playoffs❌)
6. Chiefs (12-5, ✅ playoffs)
7. Texans (4-13, no playoffs ❌) 
8. Raiders (10-7, ✅ playoffs)

It was more of a mixed bag in 2021, his first year there. They were actually 5-4 against playoff teams and 3-4 against non-playoff teams.

But they didn’t even make the playoffs that year! Remember they lost the last game of the season to the Raiders?

Staley blew that whole season.

If you need to jog your memory, the Raiders and Chargers were both 9-7 going into week 18 of the 2021 season. They were both alive and fighting for the playoffs, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who just needed the game to not end in a tie.

If the game ended in a tie, then both the Raiders and Chargers would clinch playoff berths and Pittsburgh would be on the outside looking in.

Because the NFL is the NFL, and it’s scripted to perfection, this game—which was the Sunday Night Football game, the final game of the whole regular season—went to overtime. So it had a real chance of ending in a tie, and both the Chargers and Raiders could make the playoffs.

The Raiders start off by getting a field goal, and the Chargers match with a field goal of their own. This means the next score wins the game–or, it could just end in a tie and both teams would make the playoffs.

And that’s what Raiders head coach Rich Bisaccia wanted–he was trying to run the clock out so they could both make the playoffs. He’s clearly running the clock out. It’s 3rd and 4 from the Chargers 39 yard line, and the clock is just ticking away. Finally, with the play clock under 5 seconds and the game clock at 39 seconds, Brandon Staley calls a timeout.

The announcers were in disbelief. The camera even panned to Justin Herbert on the sideline who looks over and says to someone, “I thought we were going for the tie.” You can read his lips clear as day.

But Brandon Fucking Staley called a timeout because he wanted to get a stop, force a punt, and try to win the game.

Bisaccia even said the Raiders were planning on just going for the tie:

“It was [a] conversation,” coach Rich Bisaccia told reporters after the 35-32 overtime win. “We were talking about it. . . . We ran the ball there, and they didn’t call a timeout. So I think they were probably thinking the same thing. And then we had the big run. When we got the big run, it got us in advantageous field goal position. . . . We were certainly talking about it on the sideline. We wanted to see if they were gonna take a timeout or not on that run. They didn’t, so we thought they were thinking the same thing. And then we popped the run in there and gave us a chance to kick the field goal to win it. So, we were certainly talking about it.”

“We wanted to see if they were gonna take a timeout or not on that run.”

Basically confirms it: the Raiders were playing for the tie, but only if the Chargers were, too. Once Staley called that timeout, the Raiders said, “Well fuck you too, then.”

Next play, Josh Jacobs runs for a first down, then the Raiders are in win the game mode, so they keep running the ball and eventually set up a 47 yard field goal for the win, which Daniel Carlson hit, sending the Raiders to the playoffs and the Chargers to the offseason.

I thought Staley should’ve been fired right then and there.

But they kept him around for another year, and he gets them to the playoffs, but they blow a 27-0 lead in the wild card round.

I thought they were going to fire him there.

But no. They kept him. Somehow this guy kept his job.

And now to open up the 2023 season, they blew a winnable game where they had a late lead against the Dolphins.

Staley is who he is. He’s just not cut out to be an NFL head coach.

Their offense is disappointing, too. I feel like Justin Herbert’s development has been stunted and he’s plateaued since really his rookie year. He needs a coach that understands offense. I just feel like if you have a great quarterback, you need an offensive head coach. 

You might point to Brady and Belichick and how Belichick is a defensive guy, but the difference between Belichick and Staley is that Belichick’s defenses are actually good! Staley’s aren’t. 

It was pretty clear that Sean Payton wanted to coach the Chargers in the offseason but the job didn’t open up. And I think the Chargers’ cheap-ass ownership group balked at Payton’s asking price, which was probably in the $15-20 million range. NFL coaching salaries are kind of shrouded in mystery, exact figures aren’t ever revealed, but the estimation is that the Broncos are paying Payton about $18 million a year.

Staley’s deal, for comparison, is estimated to pay him about $4 million a year.

And I think the Chargers’ cheap-ass owner would rather pay Staley $4 million than Payton $18 million.

The thing about NFL head coaching salaries is that they’re not part of the salary cap—coaches can make whatever. It’s all up to the owner. Belichick reportedly makes $20 million a year. When you have a cheap owner, you are probably not going to get a great coach. Or at least a big name head coach—they’ll always be trying to find “value”—guys who are unknown and untested but who might turn out to be great coaches.

I’m not saying the Chargers would be great if they had Sean Payton. The Broncos just lost to the Raiders in week 1. But Payton is definitely a better head coach than Staley, and more importantly, he’d be better for Herbert.

I’m just saying, if the Chargers gave Justin Herbert this huge contract, why would they not ensure they’re getting the most out of their investment in Herbert by pairing him with the best coach they can find? Why would they skimp on the head coach?

The Chargers had better show this guy the door ASAP while Justin Herbert is still young.