Chargers ‘play strongly urged to stay here to stay – San Bernardino Sun

At some point, perhaps Brandon Staley and Dave Roberts should sit down and discuss the best method for skipping second guessers.

The Dodgers manager heard a lot about it in his six seasons, even in the year his team won the World Series. (A blogger, after all, wondering if he should be fired if his team takes it all. I think we know how that happened.)

Meanwhile, the Chargers’ first-year head coach remains open to scrutiny with many drastic decisions in the past season. The head scratching lasted until the final moments of Game 17, and overtime waiting time before Daniel Carlson’s winning goal in the game in a 35-32 Raiders win on Sunday night in Las Vegas, knocked Staley’s team out of the knockout stages after a dramatic, intrepid and almost otherworldly performance by quarterback Justin Herbert.

Or if not for the timeout, the 4th and 1st goals from their own 18-yard line in the third half made a spectacular counter-attack, as the Raiders stuffed Austin Ekeler at the line for a 1-yard loss, taking over possession. and took a 20-14 lead on Carlson’s 31-yard goal after three innings.

Then again, the Chargers switch three fourth and tenth plays, one at their own 17 and another aided by a defensive hold penalty, in the action forcing the game theirs in the fourth quarter. But defeats are what people remember, and the three goals missed in the loss to Kansas City in extra time will probably stay in the memory of Charger fans long after the game is over. forgotten ending.

Players and coaches learn from the early stages of football development to eliminate outside noise. This is no different, just more intense and from more sources because of stakes and national TV audiences. (After all, isn’t this why social media was invented?)

“I think you understand the seriousness of the job and the seriousness of these decisions, and I certainly don’t take these decisions lightly,” Staley said during his post-season press conference. on Wednesday.

“We know that every game is different, every situation is different. And what we’re trying to do is give our team the best chance to win. I think we’ve been transparent about our process and own mistakes if they happen. And, you know, sometimes it doesn’t come down, but you can be proud of your process. ”

Staley’s defense is that so many positive decisions have put the Chargers in their rightful place, on top of what should have been just the franchise’s third berth in the past 12 seasons.

Conversions from fourth and down attract the most attention and are largely successful. Chargers are 22 for 34 (64.7%), fourth in the league in percentages and third in tries. The only teams with more fourth knockouts were Detroit (21 for 41) and Chicago (15 for 36), and they combined for nine wins, just like the Chargers had.

“I feel like we have an identity that we believe in and I feel like a lot of decisions are being made, some of which have given us a great opportunity to be sought after,” Staley said. . “And you can go back to a lot of concrete examples of specific games where we won those games based on that same thought process. … We will do our best to make the best decisions that we feel will give us the best chance of winning. And I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”

Another way of looking at it: When people guess and criticize, it means they care. For a franchise still struggling to expand its fan base and gain a foothold in Los Angeles, that’s crucial.

“Hopefully our fans, the Powder Blues, they realize that, hey, this team is about something, it means something, that we’re doing our best to win the game. Win these games, not just play against them and we have confidence in Staley to say.