The Chargers fired Brandon Staley on Friday.
While there are various reasons why Staley was let go, there are three distinct moments that will forever define his career with Los Angeles.
The controversial timeout. The first notorious occasion of the Staley era was the Week 18 game versus the Raiders in 2021. The matchup was not only against division rivals Las Vegas, but it also had beguiling playoff implications. The Bolts and Raiders both had the opportunity to go to the playoffs–if the game ended in a tie.
In true Justin Herbert fashion, the talented quarterback led Los Angeles on the game-tying drive by throwing a touchdown on the last play of regulation. Overtime led to a Raiders’ field goal and the Chargers responded with a field goal of their own. The game was tied with 38 seconds left and it looked as though each team would get their fairytale ending. Although the Raiders had the ball, it appeared as though they were setting up to let the clock expire when Staley bizarrely chose to call a timeout.
His decision to call the timeout led everyone to believe that it was the reason Las Vegas went for the first down which set them up for a field goal. This was further confirmed postgame when NBC’s Michelle Tafoya asked Raiders quarterback Derek Carr if the timeout made a difference and he replied, “It definitely did, obviously.”
The defensive guru loses at his own game. The second notorious moment in Staley’s career was in the 2022 playoffs. Staley has always been a defensive-minded coach and as the saying goes ‘defense wins championships’ so it seemed that he was exactly what the Chargers needed.
Nevertheless, Staley’s poor decision-making on defense was showcased on primetime when the Bolts faced the Jaguars in the AFC wild-card matchup. It was smooth sailing after Los Angeles scored 27 points and held Jacksonville to none, or so it seemed. Staley’s defensive unit intercepted Trevor Lawrence four times in the first half but what should’ve been total domination quickly turned into total chaos.
The defensive woes that had hurt the Bolts all season showed its’ ugly face and Lawrence was able to throw four touchdown passes.
After blowing a 27-0 lead to Jacksonville in the Bolts’ first playoff appearance in four years, it seemed as if Staley wasn’t the right man for the job. People already began to wonder whether he’d be the Chargers head coach after the loss to the Jaguars in 2022.
The last straw. The Raiders once again played a main role in Staley’s infamous moments as they faced the Chargers on Thursday Night Football. It was arguably the Bolts’ most embarrassing performance in franchise history as they allowed Las Vegas to destroy them 63-21. It was a historic night for the Raiders but it was a horrific night for Staley.
Just a few weeks prior he had snapped at a reporter in his postgame press conference after losing to the Packers.
“You can stop asking that question,” Staley told the reporter. “I am going to be calling the defenses. So we’re clear. So you don’t have to ask that again.”
Maybe it wasn’t his poor decision making or questionable play calling, but rather, his pride and inability to change that led to Staley’s bitter end.
Staley had three seasons to make the necessary changes yet he never relented. He continued to dig himself into a hole and he eventually jumped in with the historic 63-21 loss to the Raiders.
