AFC Notes: Brandon Staley, Chargers, Chiefs, Raiders

Chargers

On Friday, the Chargers cleaned house and fired HC Brandon Staley and GM Tom Telesco following the team’s blowout losses to the Raiders. 

A league source tells Mike Florio that the decision to part ways with both was made on Friday morning.

Chargers owner Dean Spanos issued the following statement:

“I want to thank Tom and Brandon for their hard work, dedication and professionalism, and wish both them and their great families nothing but the best. These decisions are never easy, nor are they something I take lightly — especially when you consider the number of people they impact. We are clearly not where we expect to be, however, and we need new vision. Doing nothing in the name of continuity was not a risk I was willing to take. Our fans have stood strong through so many ups and downs and close games. They deserve more. Frankly, they’ve earned more. Building and maintaining a championship-caliber program remains our ultimate goal. And reimagining how we achieve that goal begins today.”

Chiefs

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes credited former OC Eric Bieniemy for bringing accountability to the team.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s a combination of a lot of guys,” Mahomes said, via Chiefs Wire. “I think Coach Bieniemy set that standard when he was here. And I think you could see those lingering effects of the other coaches who have coached underneath EB (Eric Bieniemy) and then coach Nagy. I mean, I coached with EB, been an offensive coordinator before, and QB coach last year, We hold each other accountable; the coaches hold us accountable. But obviously, we’ve made some mistakes that we don’t typically make, and we’re gonna try to correct those as quickly as possible.”

Raiders

Raiders DE Maxx Crosby dismissed the notion that the team could shut players down and said he’s looking forward to playing the full 17 games this season.

“There’s a lot of bullshit going around talking about shutting people down because of this and that. But that’s a bunch of bullshit,” Crosby said, via PFT. “At the end of the day, we play and train all year round to play 17 guaranteed, so that’s what we plan on doing. We’ve got to finish the season strong, so it’s one at a time. Quick turnaround with the Chargers, so we’re definitely looking forward to getting out there again.”