As the Los Angeles Chargers’ playoff hopes continue to slip away, head coach Brandon Staley seemed to get defensive with reporters over his defense.
Staley got into a terse exchange with the media following the Chargers’ latest loss – a 23-20 defeat to the Green Bay Packers – about the defense’s inability to slow opposing offenses down.
Los Angeles gave up 397 total yards of offense to the Packers on Sunday and allowed quarterback Jordan Love to throw for a career-best 322 yards, marking the first time he’s had 300 yards passing in a single game.
“Every week we’re talking about fundamentals,” Staley said after the loss, according to the Orange County Register. “Every week we show them officiating videos. Every week we’re talking about it, so all we can continue to do is emphasize it. I know our coaching staff is doing that. I know that the message is getting across. We’re not getting the execution on the field.”
And when Staley was pressed further about making any sort of defensive adjustments or even giving up the role of defensive play-caller, he scoffed at the idea.
“I have full confidence, like I’ve told you, in our way of playing,” he said adamantly. “I have full confidence in myself as the play-caller and the way we teach and the way we scheme. Full confidence in that. We’ve got to bring this group together and do it consistently, and that’s where it’s at.
“So you can stop asking that question, OK? I’m going to be calling the defenses, OK? So, we’re clear. So you don’t have to ask that again.”
While Staley was trying to cut those questions off with his comments, they aren’t likely to go away anytime soon.
Sunday’s defensive effort was far from an isolated incident and the Chargers had just come off a Week 10 loss to the Detroit Lions in which they gave up 41 points to the Lions.
They were already coming into the Week 11 matchup with the Packers with the 31st-ranked total defense and last-ranked pass defense.
“You guys act like we never play good defense, that’s not the truth. That’s not the truth. You act like we haven’t made any improvements,” he later said.
The focus on Staley’s defensive play-calling has become increasingly scrutinized after the Chargers allowed the Jacksonville Jaguars a come-from-behind win in the Wild Card round of last year’s postseason.
At 4-6 now heading into Week 12, the Chargers will need to win six of their final seven games to match their record from last season.
They’ll have the unpleasant task of beginning that stretch with a game against the Baltimore Ravens on “Sunday Night Football.”
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