Count former NFL head coaches as part of the growing number of critics of Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley.
This time, Rex Ryan went after the struggling coach on Monday.
Rex Ryan Believes Brandon Staley Belongs at NCAA Division III Level
During his appearance on ESPN’s Get Up on Monday, the defensive guru Ryan didn’t mince words about how he feels toward Staley.
Ryan, the former New York Jets and Buffalo Bills head coach, believes Staley is not cut out to be an NFL head coach.
“He needs to go back to Division III where he belongs,” Ryan said on the show. “Look at his resume, I’m sorry. Dude comes in there, one year as a coordinator of a team that my wife could coach … Second-highest payroll in the National Football League on defense and they’re the second worst. This team is atrocious.”
Rex Ryan going off on Brandon Staley pic.twitter.com/YFZ1KlR8pt
— MM Videos (@MMVideos1003) November 20, 2023
Staley did indeed coach at the NCAA Division III level of college football. He’s a former defensive coordinator for John Carroll University, where he coached in 2013 and a second stint from 2015 to 2016. He was also a defensive line coach for St. Thomas University in 2009 before the Tommies made the leap to Division I FCS.
Ryan’s words come after Staley and the Bolts suffered another fourth-quarter meltdown on Sunday versus the Green Bay Packers. Staley’s team lost its lead late, falling 23-20 at Lambeau Field.
MORE: Should the Chargers Fire Brandon Staley? Los Angeles Loses Another Close One to Packers
The Chargers now sit at 4-6 overall and in sole possession of last place in the AFC West standings. Staley’s defense ranks as one of the league’s worst units, sitting at No. 31 overall and surrendering an average of 393.2 yards per game.
Ryan isn’t the only one verbally attacking Staley. The third-year head coach has come under fire for his most recent postgame presser.
Keyshawn Johnson Among Growing Population Who Think Los Angeles Chargers Must Fire Staley
One other NFL analyst believes it’s time for Staley to go.
Fox Sports analyst and former NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson is another who said the Chargers need to make a change while speaking on The Herd with Colin Cowherd
“Do you have to fire Brandon Staley?” Cowherd asked Johnson.
Johnson replied: “Oh my God, yesterday.”
Johnson, who won Super Bowl XXXVII with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has said he’s tired of Staley. But there’s another reason why he believes Staley should go.
“A lot of it is personal for me because of Anthony Lynn,” Johnson said, referencing the head coach Staley replaced in L.A. “You (the Chargers) didn’t give Anthony Lynn a real chance to succeed. You didn’t build a team for him the way you built a team for Brandon Staley. And he can’t get you to win in the playoffs?”
The time to part ways with Brandon Staley was yesterday, according to @keyshawn…
"I don't see a way you bring him back." pic.twitter.com/0VKPMCjTqE
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) November 20, 2023
Johnson additionally criticized Staley’s defensive acumen, saying, “I’ve never seen a defensive coordinator who’s a head coach where the defense is bad. I don’t understand that.”
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