Chargers News: Austin Ekeler Addresses Comments on Brandon Staley, Talks Rough Season

Ekeler is quite hard on himself after a slow return from his ankle injury

Your Los Angeles Chargers are not in an ideal spot, certainly one they didn't expect to be in. Then again, here we are, the Bolts sit at 2-4, with every game in front of them virtually being a must-win. 

Time is ticking, and the team must figure it out this Sunday after losing two in a row after their early Week 5 bye week. A reason for some of their struggles, particularly in the run game, has to do with the absence of their star running back, Austin Ekeler. Ekeler missed three games prior to the bye week as he was recovering from a high ankle sprain. It hindered the team in a big way, and his presence was dearly missed. 

He returned after the bye week but has been far from the Eekler we've seen in the last handful of years or even in Week 1. He's been horrendous, we know it, he knows it, and he didn't hold back on himself. 

"It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how I feel about it. I don't give a damn about how I feel. I'm not spending one ounce of my energy thinking about how I feel because it doesn't matter. What matters is I have to go execute. And if I don't feel like I did that at a high level, I can't think about anything besides that. And so that's where I'm coming from, where it's like, how do you feel about Staley? I don't have an opinion about that. Because I gotta make sure I do my job first."

(per Austin Ekeler via NFL)

Those are harsh words, but in all honesty, it's the truth. Ekeler has been underwhelming in two games. Since returning, he's gone for 14 carries, 72 rushing yards, five receptions for 36 receiving yards and zero touchdowns. 

On top of all that, Ekeler clarified his comment regarding head coach Brandon Staley. 

"I think the clip got taken out of context," Ekeler

explained

Wednesday, per NFL Network's Bridget Condon. "It doesn't matter how I feel, like, what matters is I have to go out and do my job. It's my job to go play well, and then that will [in turn] make Staley look even better."

(per Austin Ekeler via NFL)

This response comes from the answer he gave the media when asked if the team still has faith in Staley; Ekeler responded, "We have no choice, right?"

The way he responded had more to do with his frustration over the loss than his feelings toward Staley. 

LA must be better, Ekeler and Staley included. This team is too talented to play as such, and it's up to them to get things straight. There's plenty of football left, and we'll see if they can get their head out of their you-know-what.