The Chargers are currently 4-7, 4th in the AFC West, and they sit with the second to last overall record in the AFC. Their only wins this season have come against the Vikings (6-6), Raiders (5-7), Bears (4-8), and Jets (4-7). Kirk Cousins was the only semi-quality quarterback they have faced and beat.
Cleaning Out the Coaching Staff
Brandon Staley has the next best odds to be fired, and rightfully so, since he has failed to turn the Chargers into a legitiment contender, all while having all the pieces to actually be competitive. For a defensive minded head coach, the Chargers have been near the league high in explosive plays allowed in every season. During his first two years, it was against the run. This season, it's been against the pass. When you look at the defense from last year to this year, the only notable changes were at linebacker, where Eric Kendricks replaced Drue Tranquill, and at safety, where Alohi Gilman is starting in place of Nasir Adderley.
Even if Staley was to win out, and somehow make the playoffs, there is enough evidence gathered against him to convict him of negligence in his duties as head coach. He needs to be fired and relieved of his duties, though the Chargers ownership tends to make these decisions after the season. If he were to be fired mid-season, it will be once the Chargers are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. They play the Patriots, Broncos and Raiders over the next three weeks. A loss to two of those three teams should do the trick. Keep in mind that they still have to play the Chiefs and Bills to finish the year.
With the tough questions Staley has been asked post game by Daniel Popper, and his aggressive responses, it seems like that decision may be coming sooner rather than later. While the Chargers have been in nearly every game this season, the inability to come through when it matters most is egregious at best. He holds a 23-24 record since taking over as head coach, and that simply isn't good enough.
Cleaning out the Front Office
But Brandon Staley isn't the only issue that the Chargers have. General Manager Tom Telesco is on his third head coach hire. Mike McCoy, Anthony Lynn and Brandon Staley have all come up short of expectations. Outside of his duties as a talent evaluator for the NFL Draft, and acquiring free agents, Telesco has the ultimate responsibilities for the team. 10-years into his tenure as General Manager, the Chargers have made playoffs just three times and never won the AFC West division under his direction and leadership. If Brandon Staley is out, then the Chargers too need to make the decision to move on from Tom Telesco.
While Telesco has made some favorable decisions in recent years, if we're scrutinizing Brandon Staley as the Capo, it's only fair to examine Telesco as the Underboss of the organization. Dean Spanos, serving as the Boss in this Chargers crime family, remains largely shielded from any consequences, a common dynamic in the NFL "mafia."
Taking a look at the Chargers early drafts, Staley was abysmal in his drafting. Only Keenan Allen (2013), Denzel Perryman (2015), Joey Bosa (2016), Mike Williams (2017) and Derwin James (2018) made it to second contracts from 2013-2018. Out of 39 players drafted over six years, just five players were re-signed to contract extensions. For a general manager who stressed draft, develop, and retain to start his career, he failed to hold onto his core values.
While he has drafted and found some success in a handful of players, the inability to be consistent has really put the Chargers into a bind. Teams who have drafted and retained players have gone on to have a tremendous amount of success. Look at the Ravens, Chiefs, and Seahawks draft classes over the last 10 years for a comparison. All teams who consistently make the playoffs every year, and all of them have drafted quality NFL starters, who if not retained, have gone on to make huge impacts to other teams.
The Chargers are headed for a massive rebuild. With the cap situation over the next few seasons, and Telesco putting all his chips into a two-year window, the window is closing at the end of this year and it's time to start over and build a brand new culture with a completely different front office and coaching staff.
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