“That’s What Undid Him”: Following Brandon Staley’s Sacking, Doug Gottlieb Points Out the Key Factor in His Dismissal

The Chargers faced a disastrous situation during their trip to Las Vegas. They lost, as their performance was arguably far from respectable. This led to a massive defeat at the hands of the Raiders, surpassing any losses they’ve ever experienced. The previous record was set when the Chargers were an LA team for the first time, coincidentally against the Oakland Raiders, with a 51-0 loss.

Despite being a rookie QB, Raiders’ Aidan O’Connell, dominated the game by scoring 49 consecutive points before the Chargers managed to score a touchdown in their third quarter. With no Justin Herbert, no ball security, poor defense, and numerous issues, the Chargers suffered a humiliating 63-21 loss. Following this defeat, HC, Brandon Staley, and GM, Tom Telesco, were fired on Friday morning. As if it’s not enough, there could be another drawback of Staley per sports analyst, Doug Gottlieb.

Is being ‘smart’ the issue?

Recently, Sports analyst Doug Gottlieb, explained on Fox Sports Radio that he believes Staley lost his job as the Chargers’ HC because always being perceived as the smartest person in the room.  And it can sometimes work against you. He highlighted, “To me the biggest issue is….it can sound like a compliment at the time and people try and let you down kind of softly when they say man you know you’re the smartest coach. We got you’re smart. They use the word, smart is not always and maybe mostly not a compliment.”

Explaining his stance, Gottlieb further played the audio of Staley when he attended the presser after the game, after his HC position uncertainty news. The coach was asked if he expected to be the head coach the next day. Staley expressed uncertainty. When questioned if he believed he should be the coach, ex-Chargers coach confidently stated that he knows what he has done for the team in the past three years and believes in his coaching abilities, hence, he felt he should become the HC. Furthermore, in the clip, Staley could be heard saying, “I believe in myself um but again this isn’t about me this is about a group that’s hurting in there we got to get some rest and we gotta get ready for Buffalo.”

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Recalling this statement, Gottlieb said when someone attempts to explain things, especially in a situation where there is anger, and they try to appear more smart than everyone else in the room, it often backfires. Gottlieb concluded by saying, “I truly believe that’s what undid him and maybe that’s why their defense was so lost.” After two and half seasons, the Chargers finally fired Staley and general manager Tom Telesco. But what’s next for the team?

Who is replacing Brandon Staley?

Brandon Staley is the second Chargers’ head coach to be fired mid-season since 1970. The first one was Kevin Gilbride, who was fired in 1998. Giff Smith, the team’s outside linebacker coach, will be the interim head coach. While, JoJo Wooden, the Chargers director of player personnel, will temporarily take on the GM role.

Smith has been with the organization for eight seasons. When Staley became the head coach in 2021, Smith was the only position coach that Staley chose to keep from the previous staff. The team’s next game is against the Buffalo Bills on December 23, and it would be interesting to see how the interim head coach works wonders.

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