2022 Official Chargers Season Discussion

[powderblueboy]

Make the playoffs, yes.

Miss the playoffs, no

Miss the playoffs and Staley will get the McCoy treatment: he'll continue as long as he agrees to have his balls tied up

[charger1_sj]

Miss the playoffs and Staley will get the McCoy treatment: he'll continue as long as he agrees to have his balls tied up

He won't get the axe if he misses the POs this year. Missing next year is a different story, with or without injuries.

[QSmokey]

Staley replaced his special teams leader last season so I take thgat to mean he has to feel his people are doing a good job or he'll replace them. The question is; will Staley be back? I think he will and if he can win these last four he'll get my vote. ............. maybe even yours?

Anything's possible, Roo. Winning the last four (actually, it would be five) games would be an accomplishment that even *I* couldn't ignore.

[Heatmiser]

You keep Staley, you probably keep Telesco, and all the coordinators, IMO. I also think Staley is too "nice" a guy, too loyal, to jettison Lombardi and/or Hill. Particularly if we finish about .500, like last year. So it will be same old, same old from the top down in '23.

I posted this elsewhere, but I don't agree with your take, QS. Staley is a indeed a nice guy. Positive, upbeat. But he is a stone killer too. He fired one of his best friends during the offseason. He benched the biggest FA they signed. He benched Nas. He sent Storm to the sidelines. He pulled the trigger on a younger, better kicker even after heroics from Hopkins. He poured cold water on Asante when he won rookie of the week two weeks in a row. He let players like Kyzir and Chenna go. I don't think Staley will let friendship or loyalty get in the way of him succeeding and this team succeeding. There are things I don't like about him, but blind, stupid Anthony Lynn type loyalty is not one of them.

TG

[dmac_bolt]

I posted this elsewhere, but I don't agree with your take, QS. Staley is a indeed a nice guy. Positive, upbeat. But he is a stone killer too. He fired one of his best friends during the offseason. He benched the biggest FA they signed. He benched Nas. He sent Storm to the sidelines. He pulled the trigger on a younger, better kicker even after heroics from Hopkins. He poured cold water on Asante when he won rookie of the week two weeks in a row. He let players like Kyzir and Chenna go. I don't think Staley will let friendship or loyalty get in the way of him succeeding and this team succeeding. There are things I don't like about him, but blind, stupid Anthony Lynn type loyalty is not one of them.

TG

Great post. All humans are prone to varying levels of attachment and hence reticence to sever relationships. Every coach to some degree has this - the best have less than the worst. But there is an over-balance that way as well - there is a line where everyone knows if you’re a completely amoral unethical uncaring inhuman POS that will betray anyone for the smallest single mistake. Coaching includes motivating others to give more than they would or knew they could. If everyone hates and distrusts you, you’re going to lose more than you gained by cutting one bad piece here or there. There’s a balance between “doing what must be done” and just harshly executing lesser others for every small error without any chance to make up or learn from it.

Staley so far, from limited visual examples, seems better balanced at “doing what must be done” than many of our prior coaches without over-doing it to where he loses trust and respect. He won’t ever satisfy everyone. Some of the cold assassins here at TPB would not behave the same as they ask if they were actually in those roles. I agree with you - this is not yet a glaring flaw in the young man - i see a guy with the fire to succeed and willing to do what that requires. But he’s very young, still has things to learn, he’s going to get better as he grows imo.

[QSmokey]

I posted this elsewhere, but I don't agree with your take, QS. Staley is a indeed a nice guy. Positive, upbeat. But he is a stone killer too. He fired one of his best friends during the offseason. He benched the biggest FA they signed. He benched Nas. He sent Storm to the sidelines. He pulled the trigger on a younger, better kicker even after heroics from Hopkins. He poured cold water on Asante when he won rookie of the week two weeks in a row. He let players like Kyzir and Chenna go. I don't think Staley will let friendship or loyalty get in the way of him succeeding and this team succeeding. There are things I don't like about him, but blind, stupid Anthony Lynn type loyalty is not one of them.

TG

We'll see how it pans out after the season, I guess, TG. Particularly in regards to the coaching staff. By the way, letting White and Nwosu go didn't turn out to be the best personnel moves, so just making moves isn't enough; they have to be the right moves.

I am arguably Staley's biggest critic here, and I've taken my lumps for that opinion. But my patience with this team is razor thin, and I need to see results sooner rather than later. If - big IF - the Miami game is a preview of what's to come, that's a really good thing for the team. But until/unless that happens, I'm still gonna remain skeptical.

[Lone Bolt]

I posted this elsewhere, but I don't agree with your take, QS. Staley is a indeed a nice guy. Positive, upbeat. But he is a stone killer too. He fired one of his best friends during the offseason. He benched the biggest FA they signed. He benched Nas. He sent Storm to the sidelines. He pulled the trigger on a younger, better kicker even after heroics from Hopkins. He poured cold water on Asante when he won rookie of the week two weeks in a row. He let players like Kyzir and Chenna go. I don't think Staley will let friendship or loyalty get in the way of him succeeding and this team succeeding. There are things I don't like about him, but blind, stupid Anthony Lynn type loyalty is not one of them.

TG

Yep

[QSmokey]

Great post. All humans are prone to varying levels of attachment and hence reticence to sever relationships. Every coach to some degree has this - the best have less than the worst. But there is an over-balance that way as well - there is a line where everyone knows if you’re a completely amoral unethical uncaring inhuman POS that will betray anyone for the smallest single mistake. Coaching includes motivating others to give more than they would or knew they could. If everyone hates and distrusts you, you’re going to lose more than you gained by cutting one bad piece here or there. There’s a balance between “doing what must be done” and just harshly executing lesser others for every small error without any chance to make up or learn from it.

Staley so far, from limited visual examples, seems better balanced at “doing what must be done” than many of our prior coaches without over-doing it to where he loses trust and respect. He won’t ever satisfy everyone. Some of the cold assassins here at TPB would not behave the same as they ask if they were actually in those roles. I agree with you - this is not yet a glaring flaw in the young man - i see a guy with the fire to succeed and willing to do what that requires. But he’s very young, still has things to learn, he’s going to get better as he grows imo.

This is a fair take. Nobody would want to work for a guy who pulls the trigger on some player after one (or two) mistakes. There is a balance, I agree. And I'm not really picking on Staley, per se. Doesn't matter to me who the HC is, as long as he brings a SB Trophy to the Chargers.

[QSmokey]

He won't get the axe if he misses the POs this year. Missing next year is a different story, with or without injuries.

Agree...mostly. I could still see a scenario where he's hired back in '24 if we miss the playoffs this, and next, season. Particularly if he's close (like he was last year). He does have a 4-year contract, and the Span-Asses have, historically, allowed their hires to finish out at least their initial contracts.

[dmac_bolt]

This is a fair take. Nobody would want to work for a guy who pulls the trigger on some player after one (or two) mistakes. There is a balance, I agree. And I'm not really picking on Staley, per se. Doesn't matter to me WHO the HC is, as long as he brings a SB Trophy to the Chargers.

He’s an unfinished product and his proponents, such as me, are projecting growth, maturation and wisdom gains - we hope in short timeframe. But we are placing a bet, just as those who’d fire him and hire a different coach are placing a bet that the new guy would actually be better/deliver better results. None of us know for sure yet.

[chargeroo]

He’s an unfinished product and his proponents, such as me, are projecting growth, maturation and wisdom gains - we hope in short timeframe. But we are placing a bet, just as those who’d fire him and hire a different coach are placing a bet that the new guy would actually be better/deliver better results. None of us know for sure yet.

That's pretty much how I feel too. He's growing into his job. I also think there's something to be said for continuity.

[charger1_sj]

Agree...mostly. I could still see a scenario where he's hired back in '24 if we miss the playoffs this, and next, season. Particularly if he's close (like he was last year). He does have a 4-year contract, and the Span-Asses have, historically, allowed their hires to finish out at least their initial contracts.

Good point. It's been 4 years and you're out since Lynn.