The LA Chargers have been one of the most volatile teams in the NFL for quite some time now. There are weeks in which the Chargers look unbeatable, weeks in which they severely disappoint and many weeks in which the game literally comes down to the last drive either way.
The talent is always there for the Chargers as well. Every single year there are high expectations surrounding the team as they always have some of the most prominent names in the sport. And most of the time, the Bolts fail to live up to those expectations.
Austin Ekeler is someone who has seen a lot in Los Angeles. He came into the league in 2018 when Anthony Lynn was the head coach and played his part in a 12-4 season. He was also there for the bad Anthony Lynn years. Ekeler was a featured back for Philip Rivers and then helped groom a young Justin Herbert into the star he is today.
If there is anyone who is familiar with why and how things have gone wrong for the Chargers in the past it is Ekeler. And on a recent appearance on the Jim Rome Show, Ekeler was very candid about why the Chargers have been inconsistent in the past, blaming not just the players but the coaching as well (h/t NFL.com).
.@AustinEkeler on why finishing games has been an issue for the Chargers. pic.twitter.com/rC2wIRJ3My
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) September 12, 2023
"And for us, when we have our guys that are getting hurt that are being consistent for us, right, that plays a part into it. And we've had injuries over the past years, and you can't blame everything on injuries. Our coaching hasn't always been the best. Our play hasn't always been the best. And when you have a combination of those, then guess what? You're going to be inconsistent."
Chargers' Austin Ekeler doesn't shy away from including coaching in the blame pie
Chargers fans should appreciate when a star player like Ekeler is as candid as he is about the team. Every athlete is media trained to answer questions a certain way to not reveal too much and Ekeler is very straightforward and honest about the Bolts.
Nothing Ekeler is saying here is incorrect, either. Yes, the Chargers have been dealt some unlucky hands when it comes to injuries. Last year's team was able to overcome those injuries and still win 10 games and the coaching staff did a great job in helping accomplish that.
However, the coaching staff has also had some really ugly moments as well. Whether it be the blown 27-0 lead in the AFC Wild Card round or questionable decisions in the past that other Chargers called out on social media, coaching has not been perfect.
Is there more to read into this than on the surface? Probably not. This doesn't mean that Brandon Staley has lost the locker room and his players do not respect him. Staley himself has admitted after bad games that it is his fault and he did not prepare the team enough.
But at the end of the day, you can only do that so many times until the franchise starts to get impatient and wants to move on. The fanbase has certainly already reached that point.