Chargers News: Stephen A Smith Blames This Bolts Decision-Maker For Early Season Woes
This was supposed to be the year.
The season your Los Angeles Chargers escaped from out of the shadow of the Super Bowl-winning Los Angeles Rams, third-year head coach Brandon Staley's former franchise.
The year that the Bolts emerged as legitimate title contenders.
The moment Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert solidified his case as a perennial MVP candidate.
Instead, it's been anything but. The Chargers have lost two very winnable games, most recently a 27-24 overtime embarrassment to the ghost of Ryan Tannehill and the rest of his Tennessee Titans.
In a new "First Take" segment following the Titans game Sunday, Stephen A. Smith of ESPN didn't pull any punches in singling out one name above all others for criticism: Chargers head coach Brandon Staley.
"The men in that locker room for the Los Angeles Chargers have what it takes. The question mark, Coach Staley, is you, Mr. 'Defensive Coordinator For One Year,' and somehow you get a head coaching job, even though your defense was ranked 16th when you were with the Rams. That guy," Smith said. "Your record is 19-17 as a head coach over these first two seasons, plus these two games [this year]. Justin Herbert is your quarterback. Mike Williams, Keenan Allen are your receivers. Austin Ekeler is your running back. Y'all are loaded. Y'all are supposed to be better."
"The Chargers [are the] first team in the Super Bowl era to start a season 0-2 despite scoring 50 or more points and committing zero turnovers. So Kellen Moore is doing his job," Smith continued. "Since taking over as Chargers head coach in 2020, Staley's defense has been defense has been [the] sixth-worst defense and fifth-worst scoring total defense in the league."
If this continues much longer, it is possible Staley will find himself on the hot seat sooner than many expected, following a solid 10-7 run in 2022.
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