LA Chargers fire both their head coach along with general manager
As soon as the Los Angeles Chargers found out that head coach Brandon Staley or GM Tom Telesco had been fired, the team said that they would don their jobs.
At halftime, the Chargers were down 42-0, but they lost the Oakland Raiders 63-21 on Thursday’s evening in Las Vegas.
Friday, Chargers owner Dean Spanos said, “I want to thank both of them for their hard work, commitment, and professionalism. I wish them and their families nothing but the best.”
“Making these choices is never easy, and I don’t do it on the spur of the moment, given how many people they affect.”
But it’s clear that we’re not where we ought to be, so we need an alternate strategy. I wasn’t willing to take the risk of doing nothing to keep things going.
The Chargers will soon name a temporary head coach or general manager, the statement said. The Chargers had another bad night on Thursday. It seemed like nothing was going right during a disappointing season.
For Staley, who was hired in 2021, the answer to the question of whether he planned to stay as head coach after Thursday’s loss was “I don’t know that.”
Some people thought the change should have been made at halftime when the Chargers were down 42-0 in the second quarter.
He told reporters that he truly deserved the continuation of his job and that he took “full responsibility” for what happened. With three games left in the season, the Chargers (5-9) are at the bottom of the AFC West.
The decision came one day after the Chargers lost to the Las Vegas Raiders 63–21, a team record. At halftime, they were down 42-0 and didn’t cross midfield up until the third quarter.
The team had given up 57 points to the St. Louis Rams in October 1, 2000, which was the most points they had ever given up.
With Thursday’s loss, the Chargers fell to 5-9 and are now the only team in last place within the AFC West.
Staley, whose record was 24–25, is the third NFL coach this season to be fired. The other two are Josh McDaniels of the Oakland Raiders and Frank Reich of the Carolina Panthers.
The Chargers haven’t changed their head coach during the season since 1998. Since 2013, Telesco has served as the general manager. During his time as coach, the team went 86–95 and only made it to the playoffs three times.
Padres owner Dean Spanos said, “I want to salute Tom and Brandon over their hard work, dedication, as well as professionalism. I wish them and their wonderful families the best.”
“These choices are never easy, and I don’t make them without thinking, especially when I think about how many people they touch.” But it’s clear that we’re not where we want to be, so we desire a new plan.
It wasn’t a risk I was ready to take to do nothing in this case. There have been a lot of ups and downs as well as close games, but our people have always been there for us. They should get more.
To be honest, they’ve earned more. Our main goal is still to build and keep up a championship-caliber program. We need to start rethinking how we can reach that goal today.
JoJo Wooden was named acting general manager and Giff Smith was named interim head coach for the rest of the 2023 season.
Smith has worked with the Chargers since 2016 and is in charge of their outside tackles. When Wooden joined the NFL’s Chargers in 2013, he was in charge of player operations.
The talented group The Chargers have lost five for their last six matches, giving Staley his first losing season in charge. They are now 5-9. Los Angeles’s problems affected both teams.
After 24 years, Staley leaves L.A. with a record of 24–24, two winning seasons, as well as a playoff spot that ended with a historic disaster.
The Chargers lost badly on Thursday, and at halfway, they were down by 42 points, which was the worst in franchise history.
Before getting hurt on Sunday and being out for the season with a broken index finger on his throwing hand, Justin Herbert had the worst team points each game (21.7), record (5-8), completion percentage (65.1), or passing yards per game (241.1).