Chargers head coach Brandon Staley has been widely criticized for his team’s meltdown from a 27-0 lead to a 31-30 loss to the Jaguars, but Staley isn’t going to concede that he was out-coached.
Asked if he was out-coached by Jacksonville’s Doug Pederson, Staley disputed that characterization.
“I thought it was a tight game,” Staley said. “I thought that for a half, I wouldn’t say that was the case for a half. At the end of the game, that team that we were playing showed a lot of fight, a lot of resilience. I thought it was a high-quality game against two teams that are both young and hungry. So I thought it was just a high-level game all around. I think Doug is an outstanding coach, and I know we were coaching at a high level, and I hope we get another chance at those guys.”
Staley may not have been out-coached in the first half, but few would dispute that he was out-coached in the second half. And as he addresses his team’s painful loss, Staley would probably be better off acknowledging that everyone on the team can learn from it, including Staley himself.