Two Florida teams have officially cranked up the hot seat on Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley.
The seat began to heat up with Staley’s Bolts blowing a 27-point lead to the Jacksonville Jaguars to be eliminated in the AFC Super Wildcard round last season.
Now, in their latest contest, this time in their first attempt to redeem themselves from that playoff loss, another defensive meltdown occurred in the 36-34 home loss to the Miami Dolphins — and brought out some vocal critics.
“Pathetic” — Description Given to Staley’s Charger Defense By Fans Before End of Game
The early signs were already presented before the game ended. Alex Insdorf of Chargers Wire on USA Today reacted to the number of yards Staley’s Charger defense allowed.
“Brandon Staley’s defense has given up 300 yards in the first half after he apparently spent the whole offseason thinking about the Jags game everyday,” Insdorf said on X before ending with describing the performance as pathetic.
Brandon Staley's defense has given up 300 yards in the first half after he apparently spent the whole offseason thinking about the Jags game everyday.
Pathetic.
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) September 10, 2023
Jason Reed of Bolt Beat on FanSided was additionally harsh on Staley after the game.
“The Chargers’ defense was downright atrocious in this game. Tua Tagovailoa had the best came of his entire career and while he definitely deserves his roses for how he played, Staley made it pretty easy for Tua to get going,” Reed wrote.
Lastly, Chargers insider Daniel Popper of The Athletic called Sunday’s defensive performance one of Staley’s worst outings.
“Chargers give up 538 yards of offense, including 466 in the air. Up there among the worst defensive performances of the Brandon Staley era,” Popper posted.
FINAL: Dolphins 36, #Chargers 34
Chargers give up 538 yards of offense, including 466 in the air. Up there among the worst defensive performances of the Brandon Staley era.
— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) September 10, 2023
And fans are beginning to believe that Staley isn’t going to last much longer with the Bolts.
Brandon Staley might not make it thru the year
— Frank Ward III (@Y_U_N_V_JD) September 11, 2023
One Chargers fan let it be known it’s time for a change following this game.
It's time to fire Brandon Staley.
Not tomorrow, not a couple hours from now, but ASAP.#BoltUp #firebrandonstaley
— ERKEYZOO (@erkeyzoo) September 11, 2023
Even L.A. Times columnist Dylan Hernandez joined in on the blasting of Staley.
“About that Super Bowl talk by Brandon Staley…Might be juuuust a little premature,” Hernandez began in his first two column paragraphs — even warning that Sunday’s defensive outing could bring “another crushing finish to their season.”
Did Staley Own up to Defensive Outing?
Staley had an opportunity during his post-game press conference to address the defensive debacle. Response No. 1?
“Oh we did not do a good enough job in the passing game today and gave up far too many big plays,” he began.
Then came why and how Tyreek Hill, a past Chargers tormentor from his days with the Kansas City Chiefs, ended up with 11 catches for 215 yards and scored twice — including the game-winner with 1:45 left — against a Bolts defense that featured two Pro Bowlers in the secondary in Derwin James and J.C. Jackson and facing a defensive whiz like Staley.
“I don’t think we played the right leverages,” Staley quaintly said. “And I didn’t think we’d rushed the quarterback effectively enough.”
But when Staley had the chance to finally admit his own accountability as a defensive coach, he instead praised the way Miami plays offense.
“They have a really good offensive group over there,” he said. “They’re a top-three offense in the NFL, and they had a good plan today.”
Eventually, he did share what Charger fans had hoped to hear, saying, “It starts with me as the coach, and I gotta do better.”
He has no choice but to do just that. The next five opponents — Titans, Vikings, Raiders, Cowboys, and Chiefs — all feature at least one Pro Bowl receiving option. And he’s dealing with a fan base and L.A. media that’s growing restless for a man who produced the NFL’s best defense just three years ago when he was Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator.
But, 36 points allowed and 538 total yards later, that seat Staley is sitting on is getting warmer than the current L.A. weather.
