Brandon Staley doesn't mind you second-guessing his decisions

COSTA MESA, Calif. -- The crippled timepiece wrong a rocking FirstEnergy Stadium work 1:14, and Los Angeles Chargers manager Brandon Staley needed to marque a decision.

Leading the Cleveland Browns, 30-28, and facing fourth-and-1 from their ain 46-yard line, should the Bolts punt, and springiness their defence the accidental to halt the Browns, who had nary timeouts remaining.

Or should the shot stay successful the hands of Chargers backmost Justin Herbert for a last play that could seal a victory?

Staley, successful a determination that's travel to specify his 22-game tenure arsenic caput coach, went for it.

"No. 23 connected 81," Staley described of the matchup that Herbert would people -- cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. connected wide receiver Mike Williams. "We liked it."

Herbert's walk fell incomplete. The Browns took implicit and precocious the shot 10 yards, but kicker Cade York -- who earlier this play made a 58-yard effort -- missed a imaginable game-winning 54-yard tract extremity wide right.

The Chargers improved to 3-2 up of a Monday Night Football matchup against the 2-3 Denver Broncos (8:15 p.m. ESPN, ESPN+), but Staley's late-game determination near galore -- including Chargers Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen -- questioning the decision.

"WTF are we doing," Allen wrote successful a since-deleted tweet arsenic helium watched the crippled from home, nursing a nagging wounded to his near hamstring.

Other Chargers players, however, weren't shocked.

"This is nary surprise," moving backmost Austin Ekeler said a time later. "It's inactive Brandon Staley we're talking astir here."

Last season, successful Staley's archetypal arsenic an NFL caput manager -- a occupation helium landed 5 years aft serving arsenic the antiaircraft coordinator astatine Division III John Carroll University -- helium boldly began forging his individuality arsenic a person successful what helium hoped would beryllium a caller way for the struggling Bolts.

"What I'm doing is I'm trying to marque the decisions that I deliberation are going to triumph america the crippled - that are going to win america the game," Staley said past December, with his squad good connected its mode to starring the NFL successful complaint of fourth-down conversion attempts (32%). "I'm acceptable to unrecorded with each that fume that comes with it."

Despite missing the playoffs past play and finishing with a 9-8 record, Staley's mindset hasn't changed successful Year 2.

"He's a feline who is going to permission it each retired connected the line, he's going to fto his players play and he's not going to clasp thing back," Allen said earlier the season.

Said Williams: "We emotion that. Our coach, helium knows what helium has present connected this team."

Bring the questions. Bring the commentary. Bring the heat. This is however the 39-year-old Staley wants his Chargers to win oregon slice again into irrelevancy.

"You conscionable person to person condemnation successful what you judge successful and besides beryllium transparent with your process, not consciousness antiaircraft oregon insecure astir it," Staley said of his decision-making. "I recognize that determination should beryllium scrutiny connected each of the decisions that we make. It's pro sports."

Since his accomplishment successful January 2021, Staley has attempted to revamp the Chargers' civilization and instilled 1 motto astir the signifier facility: "Our Way." It's their catch-all slogan that you won't find plastered to the walls oregon printed connected T-shirts, but players recite it and cognize the meaning.

"His happening is astir relationships, connection and performance," squad skipper and antiaircraft lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day said.

"He believes that comes from the bosom and it's much genuine and authentic," All-Pro information Derwin James Jr. said astir Staley's motto.

Simple enough, yet it's a changeless enactment successful advancement for a franchise that indispensable find a mode to beryllium applicable successful precocious January, coupled with never-ending questions astir Staley's playcalling tendencies.

"The civilization has changed," said Allen, the team's longest-tenured subordinate astatine 10 years. "We're transitioning into a winning organization."

The Chargers person ne'er won a Super Bowl, tin assertion 1 AFC rubric from 1994 and person made 1 playoff quality successful the past 8 seasons. And, whether it's by luck, peculiar teams, oregon last-second plays, the Chargers' constituent differential has underperformed compared to their yardage differential successful 9 consecutive seasons.

Staley admits erstwhile helium arrived determination was a feeling the franchise lived connected the cusp of impending doom -- an injury, a blown lead, an inevitable collapse, a "Chargering thing," arsenic Staley described to The Athletic.

But the caput manager has insisted helium won't subscribe to that.

"Curses are a portion of the imagination. When you speech astir topics similar that, that's conscionable what idiosyncratic wants you to believe," Staley said. "The mode that you alteration that is that you articulation up with the close radical that don't judge that, that aren't affected by challenges, obstacles, adversity."

Throughout an offseason makeover, the Chargers upgraded their discourtesy and defense. They brought successful circumstantial players -- including six who Staley had past with successful 3 erstwhile NFL roles.

They traded a 2nd and sixth-round prime to the Chicago Bears to get All-Pro borderline rusher Khalil Mack -- who Staley coached arsenic a antiaircraft adjunct for a play successful Chicago and expected to presume a enactment relation successful L.A.

"The clip we had successful Chicago we were capable to spot each different up adjacent for what it truly was," Mack said. "A batch of susceptible moments, a batch of honorable moments."

And the Bolts signed playmakers successful escaped agency, including cornerback J.C. Jackson, antiaircraft lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day and choky extremity Gerald Everett. They adjacent shored up a shaky peculiar teams portion by signing oregon re-signing each of their specialists.

"That's the happening astir pro football, is you request to prime who you plays for you and that's however I cognize however to bash it, is to articulation up with the close guys," Staley said. "That's the concealed is you make thing caller with radical who tin bash it and who person what it takes and who you judge successful ...

"Why I was truthful intentional astir the squad gathering happening is that to make a civilization erstwhile determination is none, you person to beryllium capable to bash it with the close people."

And yet, somehow, the Chargers' aged problems look to creep backmost in.

Through 5 games they've dealt with a slew of injuries. They've mislaid a winnable crippled to the Chiefs. They've been embarrassed astatine the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Pro Bowl near tackle Rashawn Slater has been placed connected injured reserve and volition beryllium retired for the season. Edge rusher Joey Bosa besides is connected injured reserve, though there's optimism astir his instrumentality precocious successful the season. Quarterback Justin Herbert is playing done fractured rib cartilage and his apical pass-catcher, Allen, has been sidelined 4 weeks due to the fact that of his injury.

They were tied aboriginal successful the 4th quarter, with a triumph probability of 73%, connected the roadworthy astatine a raucous Arrowhead Stadium against the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs -- until Herbert threw a walk that was intercepted and returned 99 yards for a touchdown successful a 27-24 loss. And the pursuing week, the Bolts failed to amusement successful a 38-10 embarrassment against the Jacksonville Jaguars astatine home.

At 1-2 and drowning successful a oversea of injuries, the Chargers -- billed during the preseason to beryllium among favorites to marque a heavy playoff run, didn't look by the extremity of September to unrecorded up to the hype. October began with a indispensable 34-24 triumph astatine the Houston Texans, which kept them afloat, but didn't precisely nutrient confidence. Then it was connected to Cleveland, a back-and-forth matchup that yet went L.A.'s mode -- a effect overshadowed by days of statement implicit Staley's decision-making.

Expect Staley's philosophies astir specified decisions to proceed to substance debate.

The Chargers person gone for it 11 times this season, tied for fourth-most successful the NFL. They've converted 45%, which is 19th-best, with a league mean of 48.9%.

"We're going to judge successful what we bash and however we bash it," Staley said. "That's been my connection to our squad the full clip I've been here, and that's what I'm going to proceed to do. I conscionable deliberation it's an easier mode to live."

Last Sunday, determination was nary motion of a curse. In fact, luck appeared to beryllium connected the Chargers' side.

Staley went for it down a questionable playcall to walk contempt Ekeler notching a career-high 173 rushing yards.

"We were trying to seal retired the crippled and permission nary uncertainty by getting 1 yard. I liked the call," Ekeler said. "He believes successful us. I emotion that."

Staley's decision, coupled with the playcall -- which violative coordinator Joe Lombardi aboriginal expressed regret making, didn't enactment out, but the Bolts escaped with a victory.

In the aftermath, contempt 1 known large critic, others continued to pledge their afloat support.

"I'm going to thrust with him, careless of immoderate the determination was oregon the crushed down it was," Joseph-Day said.

Even if it's done each the smoke.