To many outside of the Los Angeles Chargers organization, it came as a surprise to see general manager Tom Telesco opt to stick with Brandon Staley after the team's 27-point collapse in the AFC wild-card round. From the viewpoint of the players on the team, Telesco’s final decision on this matter did not shock them.
Staley has won over a multitude of players in his ongoing run as Chargers head coach. For one, Austin Ekeler has been much fond of Staley’s work with the Chargers ever since Telesco hired him to fill the team’s head coaching vacancy in 2021.
Speaking to Buffalo Bills outside linebacker Von Miller on Bleacher Report’s “The Voncast” show, Ekeler took some time to offer his stamp of approval to Staley and his “insane” knowledge of the game.
“This man's knowledge of the game is insane,” Ekeler said on Thursday. “It's crazy, like we go through this team meeting, he's talking about like this footwork, ‘why would you ever open up in a Cover-2 corner doing this.' Like he's just breaking it down to the fundamentals of the game all levels, it's not just the corners, it’s the whole breakdown, offense, defense.
“He's calling out our offensive plays. … He's so invested in the fundamentals and the actual intelligence of football, and the strategy and scheme. It shows.”
Ekeler also lauded Staley for the hefty amount of preparation that he puts in ahead of weekly team meetings.
“I love his team meetings because he breaks it down for us,” Ekeler said. “I'm learning something every time. … I'm like so invested in it because he knows so much that you respect that.”
As mentioned, Staley has already won over plenty of Chargers players, including quarterback Justin Herbert.
“We believe in coach Staley and the front office 100 percent,” Herbert said a day following the Chargers’ playoff exit against the Jacksonville Jaguars. “Everyone would be lucky to have a coach like Staley. He has been an incredible leader. He’s got the respect of everyone on our team.”
The Chargers are coming off of a season where they finished in second place in the AFC West standings with a 10-7 record.
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