October 3, 2022 • 31 mins
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley talks with Mike Silver about the challenges of the first few weeks of the 2022 season, his extraordinary path to becoming an NFL head coach, how his first year in the NFL was affected by a global pandemic, his reputation as the most analytics-driven coach in the league, why Justin Herbert is such a special player, meeting Rafael Nadal and other tennis heroes at Wimbledon, and more. #Volume #herd
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
I remember the first time that I got some intel
on my next guest. I was talking to Sean McVeigh,
who had just interviewed this guy to be as new
defensive coordinator. Wasn't a hot name, and I was like, Hey,
explained to me, like why you like him so much?
(00:24):
He goes, he's kind of like me but defense. And
that was in a way a compliment and in a
way a clear sign that Brandon Staley is a little nuts. So,
uh now he's known to the world. But that was
my introduction to all things Brandon Staley, and we have
(00:46):
them here today. How are you bat good to be
with you, Mike, thank thanks for the introduction. Uh, you
know you are. You are the coach of the Los
Angeles Chargers, a team that a lot of people are
very high on. But um, coaching is never easy, and
your early season has been a rough stretch. You have
(01:08):
some of the league's best players and a lot of
them seem to be dealing with pretty significant injuries. Um,
you know, what kind of challenges have you faced these
first few weeks? Yeah, Mike, I think the first three
weeks in the NFL kind of represent what the NFL
can be. Uh. So we've had three really tough games.
I think to open up with Vegas, um, you know,
(01:29):
with with the team that that they have, UM, you know,
I think going against them in the first game, especially
with how last season ended, you knew that as an
opener that I was going to be as big as
it could get in an opener. Uh. To be at
home in front of our fans. UM. There was a
lot of emotion, a lot of energy in that stadium.
And you know, it was a really tough game. It
was a fourth quarter type of game, a two minute
(01:51):
type game. We were able to close it out. UM.
I really like the way we competed in that game
as a team. UM. It wasn't a clean game, am
by any means, but I really like the way we competed.
And I really like the way we finished on defense
and then on offense. UM. And then you know, you
gotta turn around four days later, you know, in the
first game against you know, you know, the first Amazon
(02:12):
game against the Chiefs, and um, you know at Arrowhead
uh and so UM, you know, I think to open
up a season, you know, it doesn't get any um,
you know, tougher than that. I thought that we really
showed our chops in that game. I felt we had
control of the game in the second half and then, um,
you know, we had chances to kind of you know,
really stretch it out, and it just stayed tight. And
(02:34):
you know, late in the game, Um, you know, just uh,
you know, made a mistake that that really shifted the
momentum that football game, and we weren't able to you know,
find our way back. But UM, I like the way
we competed in that game too. Um. Again, not a
clean game, but I really like the way we competed. Um,
that's an excellent team, and um, it just didn't go
down for us. And you know, and then you know,
(02:55):
then some things you know started to go down from
an injury standpoint. You know, we lost Keenan in the
first game. Obviously, justin goes down, you know, in the
in the Chiefs game with a tough you know, tough thing. Um.
And you know, we lost our center, Corey Lindsley in
that game, in the in the Kansas City game, which
was tough, um, you know, And and so anyways, you know,
(03:16):
just I think that was a very emotional game. And
then you've got ten days before your next game, and
I thought that we had a good week of practice
going into the Jacksonville game, and then, um, it was
it was just a different week. I think, you know,
working through um, you know, some guys not being there
uh for the week and then justin working through um
that week for the first time, you know. UM, and
(03:38):
then we just got to the stadium and didn't didn't
have the right energy in that game. You know, I
didn't do a good enough job coaching in that game,
and we got beat. And I think what people are
gonna realize is that Jacksonville has got a really nice team. UM.
I think they're gonna win a lot of games if
they can stay healthy. Um, there are a lot better
football team. UM. Then you know, I think anyone realizes.
But I think people will realize that in time. UM.
(04:00):
But we got beat and um, and we had some
guys go down, so UM, you know we're gonna have
to make those adjustments. I think we've had a good
week of practice and UM. You know, again, the NFL
UM isn't decided in this September, no matter what your
record is, whether you're rolling. You know, last year we
were four and one. UM, you know, at the beginning
of the season, just like that doesn't matter. It doesn't matter.
(04:20):
Hey if you have a start where you're one and two, Um,
it doesn't matter how you start in the NFL. And
so we got to make the adjustments, and um, you know,
now we get a chance to prove ourselves after a
tough loss, you know, going to Houston. We know injuries
are a part of the NFL. Everyone goes through it,
and your job is just to to plow through and
you know, put out the best product you can do.
(04:42):
You ever have any moments when you go through a
stretch like this where you kind of just for a
second allow yourself to feel, you know, sorry for yourself
and your guys, like, I can't believe this is happening again.
Times like this give you the opportunity to really show
that you can figure it out. I think that as
a competitor, it's times like this where you really get
(05:04):
to show that competitive spirit. Um. And so I really
look at this as an opportunity for our team, you know,
to show a type of team we have. You know,
you what, what you gotta be able to do in
the NFL. You've gotta be able to absorb tough stuff
because it's happening all the time, and injuries are a
part of the game, okay, and it doesn't matter what team,
(05:26):
you know, and so you've got to have a good
enough team to absorb that. And and I think, um,
you know, we're certainly going to get a chance to
prove ourselves what type of team we have. Um. You've
been through a lot in your life, and you know,
not all of it in terms of football. Um. You know,
let's start just with the improbability of you being where
(05:46):
you are football wise. You know, I mean, we everyone
knows this, but I'm just gonna say it again because
it's so extraordinary. In you were a You're a defensive
coordinator for a Division three school, John Carroll Universe City,
and in fewer than five years you were at NFL
head coach. Most people, if I posed that scenario, would say,
(06:08):
no chance that could happen. Did you believe that was
possible in the moment as you went through it? Yeah, Mike,
we had a really unique environment at John Carroll. I
tried to explain the people, you know, there were nine
NFL coaches, UM on my staff at John Carroll when
I was there. Um, And I would argue that our
environment at John Carroll was a lot more like the
(06:30):
NFL than any place in college. UM and it's a
really really special place. And in I envisioned myself being
a defensive coordinator in the NFL. Like that's where my
mindset was. I felt like my game was ready enough
and I needed an opportunity to prove myself. And I
think anybody that I coached with, or a player that
(06:52):
played for me there, they would tell you that. UM.
And I was fortunate to get an opportunity to get
in front of John Fox at Big Fangio and ed
Donna Tell. I was able to get that opportunity to
prove myself. UM And even though I was coming from
Division three, I never saw my game that way. I
never felt like, Hey, I'm a Division three coach. I didn't.
(07:14):
I didn't see my game that way. I saw myself
as an NFL defensive coordinator. I saw myself as a
person that wanted to become a head coach. UM, that
was learning how to do that. Um and so UM,
I know that path is uh. You know, it's it's
hard for some to digest and and and connect those dots.
But I think, um, when you talk to those closest
around me. Um, they'll tell you, you you know, the way
(07:36):
I was working and what I was capable of and um,
and then when I got to the NFL. You know,
a big part of it, Mike, as you know, is
is being around the right people, you know, getting a
chance to to link up with the right people that
can help shape you. And um, coaches and players. When
you link up with Vic Fangio and Ed Donna Tell
and John Fox, and then you get to coach Khalil
Mack and you know, Leonard Floyd and you know, we
(07:58):
had a lot of special players in Chicago on that
number one defense that allows you to get going. And
you get joined up with Von Miller, you know, and
Bradley Chubb and uh, you get to coach Jalen Ramsey
and A d and John Johnson, some special people. You
wink up with Sean McVeigh um and a lot of
other great coaches. Um, you know that helped me. That's
what that's ultimately, what it's about is who you're with.
(08:19):
And I'm certainly a you know, a representation over that.
So there was that night game in Chicago late in
the season when the Rams were rolling and we're out
to a Super Bowl and um, the Bears just shut
him down. I was at that game, and I know
that affected Sean to the point where when he did
make a change after the next season, that Fangio defense was,
(08:42):
you know, on his mind. And you know, once you
guys talked, as a referenced in the intro, there was chemistry. UM.
I know you you've told me about this, and I
know you and Sean talked about this at his wedding. Um,
you know a few months ago. But um, that was
a wild situation. You came in as a first year
defensive coordinator, Kevin O'Connell came in as a first year
(09:04):
offensive coordinator. Uh. And oh, by the way, the world
was shutting down, Um with a pandemic. What do you
remember about that experience? You know, go to that season. Yeah, Mike,
you talked about having to figure it out. There was
a lot to figure out that offseason. I remember when
Kevin and I got there, Um, you know number one,
(09:26):
I just I remember, you know, the interview with Sean
and linking up with him. You just knew that, Um,
that we we had special chemistry, that we really saw
the game the same. I think if I could coach
on offense, That's how I would want to coach. If
he could coach on defense, I think that's how he
would want to coach. And I think the way we
saw coaching players and philosophically how to run a team
(09:46):
and you know, how to how to link up a
team in all three phases. Um, you know, just uh,
it's hard to explain, um, but you know, he's like
a brother to me. Means a lot to me, and
I feel like we were able to connect and not
just you know, Sean and myself up. But then there
are a lot of special coaches on that staff. You know,
you mentioned Kevin, who's one of my best friends. You know. Um,
during the pandemic, our wives, Leah and Amy, they home
(10:09):
schooled our kids together. You know, we basically, you know,
we were together every single day for a year. You know,
you talk about what COVID did, and um, I remember
installing the defense. I was in my grandmother's rocking chair, uh,
in the casita, just like screaming into a you know,
a computer with like forty five defensive players. And Aaron
Donald's in Pittsburgh, and you know, you know Ramsey's in Nashville,
(10:30):
and and you're trying to, like, you know, convince people
that you're for real. And I mean I'm in a
rocketsh just I mean spitting fire into this uh computer,
And um, you had installed the whole thing in the
spring on zoom and uh, I didn't even see any
of our players till we got the training camp. And
UM went to training camp and there's no preseason games,
so you have no idea what's going on. You just
(10:50):
have the practice field and UM, you talk about having
to figure it out. And what I loved about that
season was, you know, our team, Um we figured it
out to other you know, and UM, you connect with
a lot of special coaches as you guys know, you know,
Joe Barry and Chris juley E, j Evro, Eric Henderson,
Albrey Pleasant, Fad Bogardis, Jonathan Cooley. We had a really
(11:11):
special staff, UM, a lot of awesome players, you know,
A d Ramsey, Leonard JJ, you know, there's so many names,
Foxy Sabashed and all these guys and we just doined
up together and we had a really special year. And UM,
you know, I just think that's what happens when you
get you know, special people together as you can really
take it along ways and um, you know that was
a wild year. Um and obviously you know to be
(11:34):
to become the number one defense that year. You know,
it's something I'll remember forever. Did the rocking chair ever
like get close to tip it over? Like I know,
I know you. Yeah, well I know that. Uh, the
players that played for me, we'll we'll have some pretty
good impersonations. Um. I know that my uh my wife
was tired of listening to me. She's like, you'd be
(11:54):
brandon if you heard how many times you say I
in a in a an install meeting. I was like,
She's like, you'd hate yourself. So um. It's like I
can't imagine how your players, you know think so um.
I mean, shoot, I was doing a zoom and then
after the meeting on face timing with guys like making
sure they got it, you know, like, um, you know
a lot of good stories in there. Um. But hey,
(12:16):
that's part of the NFL being able to figure it out.
And there's plenty of stories from that year to remember.
Only a wife could I could say that to a husband,
by the way, Like I could totally picture that happening
to me too. It happened trust me. Um. I saw
you at an event, a quarterback collective event, Uh, put
on it by your agent, Richmond Flowers, some of the
(12:38):
best minds in football, and it was a really cool
event down in southern California. Um. You know you told
the story to some young quarterbacks and a lot of
us were present. That just you know, gave everyone chills
and um, you know. So I don't know you know
how much of your background people know, but you've had
a lot of cancer and your family, you know, went
(13:01):
through some horrible stuff with your mother and you ended
up having kids or two. Um. That story you told
though about playing quarterback at Dayton and winning a big
game at home against Morehead State. Uh, you know, just
I don't know if people could imagine that situation, but
(13:22):
just give me a little sense of what that was like. Yeah, UM,
I try to tell that story because I think as
a young kid, young man, you know, like, um, I
was talking about some high school seniors that are going
into their senior year and you know, my mom got
sick when I was twelve, and you know, she had
cancer for nine years. So when you're kind of in
your formative years, you know, when you're kind of uh,
(13:45):
you know, learning how to figure it out as a
young kid. And um, you know your mom is going
through the toughest stuff that that you can go through.
And you know my point of the quarterbacks where you're
gonna have to be ready for when it gets tough,
you know. And um, it was my first road win
as a starter, you know, more Head State. They were
a rival team for us, and um, you know we
(14:06):
had a big win. I was a tough win. I
remember hitting a big pass you know, to kind of
seal the win, and you know, um it was just
a gritty kind of road win. And UM, I remember
going to see my dad after the game and um,
you know it was a really happy win for our team.
And when I looked at him, that's not the way
he looked and and I kind of knew what that meant. Um,
(14:29):
but you know, for him to say that, you know,
your mom's you know, treatment you know, stopped working and
and and there's not anything more that we can do. Um,
you know, you're never gonna forget that. You know how
you felt. And the thing about life is it keeps moving.
And my point to those quarterbacks was, um, you gotta
(14:50):
have what it takes when you get news like that,
you know, and when you get tough news like that,
you gotta show what you're made up. And you know,
I just I tell that story because I lived it,
and I think the reason why I'm here today, UM,
it's because my parents taught me how to live through
stuff like that. They they showed me how to live
(15:12):
through stuff like that. And so you know, when I
got sick, you know, I knew, um, I had what
it took. I knew what it was gonna take, UM.
And then I knew what it was gonna take ultimately
to become a head coach in the NFL. I knew, um,
the journey that I was going to have to go on. UM.
And you know, I just I wanted to speak at
that event because you know, those guys are high profile
(15:33):
recruits and it's going well for them right now, but
there's gonna be a time where it doesn't, and and
that's when you're gonna show what you're made of. I mean,
So three years after that, you're at Northern Illinois as
a young coach and you get the news that you've
got cancer, and obviously the overtones of that for you
personally are horrifying Um, you know, how did you how
(15:58):
did you kind of gut your way through that? Well?
I think, Um, it was at this right stage for
it to happen, where it gave me a chance to
compete against something. And that's the way I looked at it, Uh,
was it was gonna, you know, be a chance for
me to to show what I was made of. And
I looked at treatment that way. I said, Hey, I'm
gonna have twelve of these chemotherapies once every two weeks.
(16:19):
Then I'm gonna have thirty six radiation treatments, and you know,
I'm gonna look at it like a game. I'm gonna
look at it, um, you know that way that I'm
on a mission, you know, and I'm gonna do what
it takes, and that I'm gonna keep living my life,
you know. And um. And so I felt like, once
I got past the other side of it, you know, um,
that there's a feeling that's difficult to describe. You know,
(16:42):
once once you can come out on the other side
of it, and you can you can beat it. Um.
You know, there's a freedom, there's a confidence. Um, there's
an energy. Uh that really brought me to all the
good things in my life. It brought me to my wife. Uh,
it brought me towards me headed towards a career that
I that I loved, and um, I had to go
(17:03):
through all the hard stuff in order for that to
you know, be brought out of me. So, um, you
know it's been a big part of my story. Um.
You know you talked about being a competitor. There's no
way you and I can do a podcast without getting
into the other sport you love, and that's tennis. Uh yeah,
you went there, Mike, there you go. Yeah. And so
(17:24):
I wrote a couple of tennis stories when I was
at Sports Illustrated, one on on a Court of Cova,
one on young Serena, and uh, you apparently were one
of the people who read those, so which I did
obviously didn't know at the time, but probably if I
ever have to write another tennis story, I should just
(17:44):
hire you as an expert because you know way more
about it than I do. And uh, I know you
had a chance to be basically your tennis idol a
couple of times. Now tell me, tell me what those
experiences were like. Well, the fact that you you were
ahead of the Serena deal. Um, you know you just
you definitely you know saw it before it happened. Just
(18:05):
shows you number one your vision, but number two your age. Um,
so uh you know, but um, you know, I think uh,
I've always admired Rapha Nadal Um. I was a high
I was a college senior Dayton when I think he
won his first French Open. I think he was nineteen
right when he won that first one. Um. I remember
the seventeen year old kid is with the with the
(18:27):
cutoff and the clam diggers, you know, um, with the headband,
and I knew that this guy was different, he was special.
But um, I at that point, I didn't know what
was making him special. But then I think over time,
you know, you see how this guy was raised, how
he's trained, um, and then just what type of competitor
he is, The type of will that he has, the
rare focus, the stamina, and I've always loved the game.
(18:48):
I kind of grew up. We were a tennis family.
My mom that was her favorite sport. That was her dream,
Um to go to the US Open someday. Uh, it's funny, funny.
I went to Wimbledon this summer and I met Martina
Navtlo uh uh, and that would have been like I
was like, my mom would just be so thrilled, and
Martino was like, man, don't make me feel old, you
know so uh but uh, you know, I just I um,
(19:11):
I just I. I see a lot of rafa, you know,
like what what makes him great? Of what you know
has made the special players that I've been around, the
Aaron Donald's, the Ramsey's during James cleil Mac you know,
um von Miller, those type of players like they Justin Herbert,
they have these like rare qualities. Like if you're around
Justin Herbert, um, you know, Justin Herbert's got that rare focus,
(19:34):
that rare stamina, and when you're with Roff and a
Doll like you see that when you watch him practice
at Wimbledon, when you watch him in Indian Wells in
a first round match, you just you you feel this,
you know you feel this around him, and you know
that's the way I feel about Justin every day is
like you just feel that this guy is special. This
guy is rare, um, you know. And and so I'm
(19:55):
always trying to learn something from other sports, and tennis
is such a passion of mine, and um, you know,
I'm hoping to continue to be able to watch as
many of these great guys as possible, because you know
they're they're towards the end. You know, Roger just retired,
and you know, I don't know how much we're gonna
have of Rafa and Novak. So I'm gonna try and
see those guys as much as I can. When you
(20:16):
when you got a chest to talk to Rafa at
Indian Wells and again at Wimbledon in person, was there
an aura that kind of and were you were you
fanboy at all or were you able to keep it together? Yeah?
I number one. He looks like a dB. He looks
like you know, he's like so, I'm like, man, I
think him and Darling could do some damage together. But
(20:36):
he's a lot bigger guy, uh than I think you realize. Um,
But I think um. When I talked to him after,
and he was it was really tough match. He was
down five too in the third set. Of course, of
course he was on the Sebastian Quarta. You know his dad,
Peter was a great player on the tour. So Sebastian
is like this up and coming young player and he's
(20:58):
got him down five two in the hard said, and
you know, it was interesting because Ralphah had this calm,
like you could just know you just saw at the
match that one guy had been there and one guy hadn't.
So he had that poise and it was really interesting.
After the match, I asked him, like, you know, what
was kind of going through your mind down five two,
and um, he just said something so simple to me.
He was like, you know, I just I know that
(21:19):
if I give up, I can't win, but that if
I forced him to beat me, at least I'll have
a chance. And that's what he did. He's like, I
just I need to play one point at a time.
I need to keep the ball in play, and I
need to force this guy to beat me. And pretty soon,
like I made some mistakes and Ralphail gets into a
rhythm and then all of a sudden he's playing how
he can play, and then he got on a role
(21:41):
and he ends up you know, winning that thing, you
know in the third set. And so I just think
that that poise that like I've like these eyes, I've
lived through a lot, all right, So that wasn't a
big deal to me, and I think, you know, just
you can't minimize the experiences of a champion, you know,
and I think I saw firsthand why he's so many
of them, and that's what you're trying to bring back
(22:03):
to your players and um, and then you just realize
how much they have in common with your players. So
special for me to meet him in person. So what's
weird is that, I mean he could draw on all
that championship experience and one guy had been there and
one guy was hadn't. But your quarterback, I don't know
if I've ever seen someone in game on the line
(22:26):
situations who's so young and so common. You know, I've
covered all the great ones since Montana and Marito and Elwo,
So I I mean that. I know you look back
at that game against Las Vegas at the end of
the year with the playoffs on the line, and you
know you hate it. But just I just want you
(22:48):
to appreciate from an outsider, your season was on the line,
like I think eight times or something in say, unless
he did something pretty big and he did it every
single time. I what, how could a guy that young
have that? Yeah, he's just got rare poise. Um. I think, Um,
(23:13):
when I think of Justin, I think of that that
that poison, that fierce competitive spirit um. But it's it's
it's interesting with Justin because he's so fierce and it's
he's got those eyes that tell you he's fierce, but
then everything else is calm and so I think that
that does allow for his teammates and big moments is
that they see him calm um, and they see that,
(23:36):
you know, they feel they believe that it's gonna go down,
and that that does a lot for your football team.
I think when you talk about going back to Joe
Montana and Steve Young and John l A. D. M. Marino,
their teams believe they we're gonna win. And that's what
Justin does is he just brings out the belief in
his teammates because they know how hard he works every
day and then they see what he does at the game.
(23:58):
And what I would tell the fans is our first
game against Washington last year, he hit four third downs,
you know on you know, in the fourth quarter UM
to seal the game for us. I think we're like
thirteen of nineteen on third down UM in that game.
And uh, you know, you know at that point, you know,
they have all those great rushers and it was like,
(24:18):
you know, he he brought us, you know, back in
that game, and it was the first game to the
Vegas game. It was all year long and and you
know everyone knows that our year we have fifteen games
in the fourth quarter, and um, it wasn't just the
Vegas game that was just kind of the that was
that was the ultimate theatrics, you know in that game. Um,
but he did it the whole season and um, and
then you know he's done it so far this season.
(24:40):
So um, you know, we're very fortunate and he's at
the beginning. And again, I think those great competitors, you know,
they have their best, um when their best is required.
And you and I talked about this before the Super
Bowl while drinking Spanish latte, is that we're unbelievable in
the morning. But um, you know, everyone you were getting
(25:03):
stigmatized or labeled as analytics guy or fourth down go
for it guy. And I know there's a lot that
goes into all of that, But how much of I'm
going for it here, even if you think I'm crazy too,
has to do with that with Justin Herbert. Yeah, Mike,
it it's the it's at the front of your decision
(25:24):
making process is just UM, I think when you have
a guy that's at the beginning, you want to make
sure that that you show that belief in him your offense,
your defense, And the only way that you do that
is to prove yourself that you're gonna be able to
put the ball in his hands and whether he throws
it or not, whether it throws it, hands it off,
that we're gonna put the ball in his hands and um,
(25:45):
you know, and and that we're going to be aggressive.
And I think you gotta put your players, um through
as many of those situations as possible to create the
belief in in your program, your organization. And UM, I
thought that we got off to a really good start
last year with that. UM the mindset, UM, you know,
being the most important thing. And you know, there's certainly
(26:05):
a part to the math that is so significant that
I believe in, but you know, the mindset of your
football team, that's that's what we're trying to to build
and that when you get into these big environments, these
big games, that you're you're ready to go meet a
moment and UM, I know that Uh. Last year, UM,
you know, we had the tough side of it. Um,
you know, I think in the National Games, the k
(26:26):
C game, you know, in the Vegas game at the
end of the year. UM, you know. But what I
would say too is that I love the I mean,
the way our team competed in those two games. We
may have lost them, but you couldn't ask for anything
more as a head coach, the way we competed in
that game. And do we come back in the in
the Vegas game, had you not built a team, um,
you know that was ready to come back, you know
(26:48):
that could come back because they've been put through a
lot of situations. And you know, I felt like we
won you know, probably five the six games in the
season because of that thought process. You know. So you
gotta deal with a both sides, you know, and um,
as you know, that's that's part of it. And UM
you know, I understand the criticism, UM you know, and
I definitely don't back away from it. And UM, I
(27:10):
definitely don't feel like I have all the answers, UM.
But what I'm trying to do is what's best for
our team. And UM you know, I love I love
coaching this group for sure, And you know, obviously we're
at the beginning of this season. All right, before I
let you go, there's just something I've been dying to
ask you for months now. Um, you're at You're at Wimbledon,
(27:31):
You're watching the best tennis players of the world. You go,
you got to get the strawberries and create right? Yes,
is it as great as it is cracked up to be?
Because I've never gone to Wimbledon? Yes, well number one, Mike, Um,
there's so many parts of Wimbledon that you would love. Um,
the strawberries and cream, you know that that is Um,
(27:53):
it's a tradition unlike any other. I think that that
just having that experience, Um, having the famous drink you know, uh,
the pims Uh, you know, just I think when you
experience all of Wimbledon, Um, you get to have that
that ultimate fan experience, which which I don't get to
have very much. Um. That was a lifelong dream from
my wife and I, she who also placed tennis. So
(28:15):
it doesn't get much better than that to see Henman Hill,
like what that actually looks like and what that actually
is like. Um, you know, it's it's an opportunity I
won't ever forget. And but the thing I took most
away from it, you know, and a super coach, you know,
only a coach would say is that I got to
watch practice for an hour, you know, and I got
to watch you know, Novak and Rafa practice. I got
(28:36):
to watch you know, some of the best players in
the world practice. And I won't forget that, you know.
And so uh, if you ever get the chance to
go to London, uh and go go down to Wimbledon, UM,
it'll be worth it because, um, anything that you've ever
seen about it, it's so much better in person. That's awesome.
Did you see any royals? Were there any members of
the royal family around? No that I miss I missed them.
(28:59):
I missed them. They came um the next week. UM,
I was there at the beginning. I was kind of
there like week one. I think I missed you know,
some of the you know, like Tom Cruise and stuff
like that. I didn't get to link up with with
that group necessarily, but UM, I got to see the players,
you know, I got to see Novak, I got to
see Rafa. UM. And then you know, you just know
the state of American tennis is is you know, super
(29:22):
I mean super bright men and women. UM. I saw
Cocoa Golf, like awesome, and uh, you know, I didn't
get to see Serena. I was bummed, you know, because
Serena is like the queen Queen b I just you know,
I was really hoping I could see Serena, but it
didn't happen because she's a legend. But um, awesome experience.
I feel like seeing Martina is as good as it gets. Though.
(29:44):
That's pretty It was awesome to see and Martinez. She
and she's just she's just awesome, Like you can see
that she's lived through a lot, you know, and she's
just uh, you know, so sharp, and she was so
gracious with her time and uh, you know, just a
living legend. And you know that was uh it was
the tournament they did when they had everybody come back
to celebrate, and I just missed, like that celebration we
(30:06):
had it we had to head out of there, but um,
all those people were coming back in town, the legends
of the game, and um, you know, you know, growing up,
like you know, we were like Pete Sampras and Agacy
and you know that era Jim Curry or Michael Chang.
And then on the women's side, you had like Stephy
Graff and sell Us and Navratalova and you know that group.
So I would have been good to see some of them,
(30:27):
but um, maybe next year, Mike Indian Way. Yeah. And
by the way, I feel like there's gonna be a
Super Bowl victory party sometime and I'm gonna be cruising
around getting ready to write a story, and I'm gonna
see Marteta, you know, sip at a drake at your table,
and it's gonna be like, oh, this is a pretty
cool party. But until then, uh, good luck with your
(30:52):
your your weekly endeavors as you as you fight through
the injury stretch. Well, I appreciate it might good to
be with you were taking care of your cow bears.
I see that cow you know, I see that that's
Jared Goff. That's actually a Jared Goff helmet from cal
and uh and I know you are. You are one
of the great Jared Goff supporters in this league. Love
(31:14):
j g And we got Keenan Allen here, we got
Rich Rogers. We had to man Steven Anderson last year.
So we're taking to the cow bears here at the Chargers.
The more bears, the better, That's what I always say.
So thank you so much for taking the time and
uh we appreciate you. Thanks a lot, Michael
I remember the first time that I got some intel
on my next guest. I was talking to Sean McVeigh,
who had just interviewed this guy to be as new
defensive coordinator. Wasn't a hot name, and I was like, Hey,
explained to me, like why you like him so much?
(00:24):
He goes, he's kind of like me but defense. And
that was in a way a compliment and in a
way a clear sign that Brandon Staley is a little nuts. So,
uh now he's known to the world. But that was
my introduction to all things Brandon Staley, and we have
(00:46):
them here today. How are you bat good to be
with you, Mike, thank thanks for the introduction. Uh, you
know you are. You are the coach of the Los
Angeles Chargers, a team that a lot of people are
very high on. But um, coaching is never easy, and
your early season has been a rough stretch. You have
(01:08):
some of the league's best players and a lot of
them seem to be dealing with pretty significant injuries. Um,
you know, what kind of challenges have you faced these
first few weeks? Yeah, Mike, I think the first three
weeks in the NFL kind of represent what the NFL
can be. Uh. So we've had three really tough games.
I think to open up with Vegas, um, you know,
(01:29):
with with the team that that they have, UM, you know,
I think going against them in the first game, especially
with how last season ended, you knew that as an
opener that I was going to be as big as
it could get in an opener. Uh. To be at
home in front of our fans. UM. There was a
lot of emotion, a lot of energy in that stadium.
And you know, it was a really tough game. It
was a fourth quarter type of game, a two minute
(01:51):
type game. We were able to close it out. UM.
I really like the way we competed in that game
as a team. UM. It wasn't a clean game, am
by any means, but I really like the way we competed.
And I really like the way we finished on defense
and then on offense. UM. And then you know, you
gotta turn around four days later, you know, in the
first game against you know, you know, the first Amazon
(02:12):
game against the Chiefs, and um, you know at Arrowhead
uh and so UM, you know, I think to open
up a season, you know, it doesn't get any um,
you know, tougher than that. I thought that we really
showed our chops in that game. I felt we had
control of the game in the second half and then, um,
you know, we had chances to kind of you know,
really stretch it out, and it just stayed tight. And
(02:34):
you know, late in the game, Um, you know, just uh,
you know, made a mistake that that really shifted the
momentum that football game, and we weren't able to you know,
find our way back. But UM, I like the way
we competed in that game too. Um. Again, not a
clean game, but I really like the way we competed. Um,
that's an excellent team, and um, it just didn't go
down for us. And you know, and then you know,
(02:55):
then some things you know started to go down from
an injury standpoint. You know, we lost Keenan in the
first game. Obviously, justin goes down, you know, in the
in the Chiefs game with a tough you know, tough thing. Um.
And you know, we lost our center, Corey Lindsley in
that game, in the in the Kansas City game, which
was tough, um, you know, And and so anyways, you know,
(03:16):
just I think that was a very emotional game. And
then you've got ten days before your next game, and
I thought that we had a good week of practice
going into the Jacksonville game, and then, um, it was
it was just a different week. I think, you know,
working through um, you know, some guys not being there
uh for the week and then justin working through um
that week for the first time, you know. UM, and
(03:38):
then we just got to the stadium and didn't didn't
have the right energy in that game. You know, I
didn't do a good enough job coaching in that game,
and we got beat. And I think what people are
gonna realize is that Jacksonville has got a really nice team. UM.
I think they're gonna win a lot of games if
they can stay healthy. Um, there are a lot better
football team. UM. Then you know, I think anyone realizes.
But I think people will realize that in time. UM.
(04:00):
But we got beat and um, and we had some
guys go down, so UM, you know we're gonna have
to make those adjustments. I think we've had a good
week of practice and UM. You know, again, the NFL
UM isn't decided in this September, no matter what your
record is, whether you're rolling. You know, last year we
were four and one. UM, you know, at the beginning
of the season, just like that doesn't matter. It doesn't matter.
(04:20):
Hey if you have a start where you're one and two, Um,
it doesn't matter how you start in the NFL. And
so we got to make the adjustments, and um, you know,
now we get a chance to prove ourselves after a
tough loss, you know, going to Houston. We know injuries
are a part of the NFL. Everyone goes through it,
and your job is just to to plow through and
you know, put out the best product you can do.
(04:42):
You ever have any moments when you go through a
stretch like this where you kind of just for a
second allow yourself to feel, you know, sorry for yourself
and your guys, like, I can't believe this is happening again.
Times like this give you the opportunity to really show
that you can figure it out. I think that as
a competitor, it's times like this where you really get
(05:04):
to show that competitive spirit. Um. And so I really
look at this as an opportunity for our team, you know,
to show a type of team we have. You know,
you what, what you gotta be able to do in
the NFL. You've gotta be able to absorb tough stuff
because it's happening all the time, and injuries are a
part of the game, okay, and it doesn't matter what team,
(05:26):
you know, and so you've got to have a good
enough team to absorb that. And and I think, um,
you know, we're certainly going to get a chance to
prove ourselves what type of team we have. Um. You've
been through a lot in your life, and you know,
not all of it in terms of football. Um. You know,
let's start just with the improbability of you being where
(05:46):
you are football wise. You know, I mean, we everyone
knows this, but I'm just gonna say it again because
it's so extraordinary. In you were a You're a defensive
coordinator for a Division three school, John Carroll Universe City,
and in fewer than five years you were at NFL
head coach. Most people, if I posed that scenario, would say,
(06:08):
no chance that could happen. Did you believe that was
possible in the moment as you went through it? Yeah, Mike,
we had a really unique environment at John Carroll. I
tried to explain the people, you know, there were nine
NFL coaches, UM on my staff at John Carroll when
I was there. Um, And I would argue that our
environment at John Carroll was a lot more like the
(06:30):
NFL than any place in college. UM and it's a
really really special place. And in I envisioned myself being
a defensive coordinator in the NFL. Like that's where my
mindset was. I felt like my game was ready enough
and I needed an opportunity to prove myself. And I
think anybody that I coached with, or a player that
(06:52):
played for me there, they would tell you that. UM.
And I was fortunate to get an opportunity to get
in front of John Fox at Big Fangio and ed
Donna Tell. I was able to get that opportunity to
prove myself. UM And even though I was coming from
Division three, I never saw my game that way. I
never felt like, Hey, I'm a Division three coach. I didn't.
(07:14):
I didn't see my game that way. I saw myself
as an NFL defensive coordinator. I saw myself as a
person that wanted to become a head coach. UM, that
was learning how to do that. Um and so UM,
I know that path is uh. You know, it's it's
hard for some to digest and and and connect those dots.
But I think, um, when you talk to those closest
around me. Um, they'll tell you, you you know, the way
(07:36):
I was working and what I was capable of and um,
and then when I got to the NFL. You know,
a big part of it, Mike, as you know, is
is being around the right people, you know, getting a
chance to to link up with the right people that
can help shape you. And um, coaches and players. When
you link up with Vic Fangio and Ed Donna Tell
and John Fox, and then you get to coach Khalil
Mack and you know, Leonard Floyd and you know, we
(07:58):
had a lot of special players in Chicago on that
number one defense that allows you to get going. And
you get joined up with Von Miller, you know, and
Bradley Chubb and uh, you get to coach Jalen Ramsey
and A d and John Johnson, some special people. You
wink up with Sean McVeigh um and a lot of
other great coaches. Um, you know that helped me. That's
what that's ultimately, what it's about is who you're with.
(08:19):
And I'm certainly a you know, a representation over that.
So there was that night game in Chicago late in
the season when the Rams were rolling and we're out
to a Super Bowl and um, the Bears just shut
him down. I was at that game, and I know
that affected Sean to the point where when he did
make a change after the next season, that Fangio defense was,
(08:42):
you know, on his mind. And you know, once you
guys talked, as a referenced in the intro, there was chemistry. UM.
I know you you've told me about this, and I
know you and Sean talked about this at his wedding. Um,
you know a few months ago. But um, that was
a wild situation. You came in as a first year
defensive coordinator, Kevin O'Connell came in as a first year
(09:04):
offensive coordinator. Uh. And oh, by the way, the world
was shutting down, Um with a pandemic. What do you
remember about that experience? You know, go to that season. Yeah, Mike,
you talked about having to figure it out. There was
a lot to figure out that offseason. I remember when
Kevin and I got there, Um, you know number one,
(09:26):
I just I remember, you know, the interview with Sean
and linking up with him. You just knew that, Um,
that we we had special chemistry, that we really saw
the game the same. I think if I could coach
on offense, That's how I would want to coach. If
he could coach on defense, I think that's how he
would want to coach. And I think the way we
saw coaching players and philosophically how to run a team
(09:46):
and you know, how to how to link up a
team in all three phases. Um, you know, just uh,
it's hard to explain, um, but you know, he's like
a brother to me. Means a lot to me, and
I feel like we were able to connect and not
just you know, Sean and myself up. But then there
are a lot of special coaches on that staff. You know,
you mentioned Kevin, who's one of my best friends. You know. Um,
during the pandemic, our wives, Leah and Amy, they home
(10:09):
schooled our kids together. You know, we basically, you know,
we were together every single day for a year. You know,
you talk about what COVID did, and um, I remember
installing the defense. I was in my grandmother's rocking chair, uh,
in the casita, just like screaming into a you know,
a computer with like forty five defensive players. And Aaron
Donald's in Pittsburgh, and you know, you know Ramsey's in Nashville,
(10:30):
and and you're trying to, like, you know, convince people
that you're for real. And I mean I'm in a
rocketsh just I mean spitting fire into this uh computer,
And um, you had installed the whole thing in the
spring on zoom and uh, I didn't even see any
of our players till we got the training camp. And
UM went to training camp and there's no preseason games,
so you have no idea what's going on. You just
(10:50):
have the practice field and UM, you talk about having
to figure it out. And what I loved about that
season was, you know, our team, Um we figured it
out to other you know, and UM, you connect with
a lot of special coaches as you guys know, you know,
Joe Barry and Chris juley E, j Evro, Eric Henderson,
Albrey Pleasant, Fad Bogardis, Jonathan Cooley. We had a really
(11:11):
special staff, UM, a lot of awesome players, you know,
A d Ramsey, Leonard JJ, you know, there's so many names,
Foxy Sabashed and all these guys and we just doined
up together and we had a really special year. And UM,
you know, I just think that's what happens when you
get you know, special people together as you can really
take it along ways and um, you know that was
a wild year. Um and obviously you know to be
(11:34):
to become the number one defense that year. You know,
it's something I'll remember forever. Did the rocking chair ever
like get close to tip it over? Like I know,
I know you. Yeah, well I know that. Uh, the
players that played for me, we'll we'll have some pretty
good impersonations. Um. I know that my uh my wife
was tired of listening to me. She's like, you'd be
(11:54):
brandon if you heard how many times you say I
in a in a an install meeting. I was like,
She's like, you'd hate yourself. So um. It's like I
can't imagine how your players, you know think so um.
I mean, shoot, I was doing a zoom and then
after the meeting on face timing with guys like making
sure they got it, you know, like, um, you know
a lot of good stories in there. Um. But hey,
(12:16):
that's part of the NFL being able to figure it out.
And there's plenty of stories from that year to remember.
Only a wife could I could say that to a husband,
by the way, Like I could totally picture that happening
to me too. It happened trust me. Um. I saw
you at an event, a quarterback collective event, Uh, put
on it by your agent, Richmond Flowers, some of the
(12:38):
best minds in football, and it was a really cool
event down in southern California. Um. You know you told
the story to some young quarterbacks and a lot of
us were present. That just you know, gave everyone chills
and um, you know. So I don't know you know
how much of your background people know, but you've had
a lot of cancer and your family, you know, went
(13:01):
through some horrible stuff with your mother and you ended
up having kids or two. Um. That story you told
though about playing quarterback at Dayton and winning a big
game at home against Morehead State. Uh, you know, just
I don't know if people could imagine that situation, but
(13:22):
just give me a little sense of what that was like. Yeah, UM,
I try to tell that story because I think as
a young kid, young man, you know, like, um, I
was talking about some high school seniors that are going
into their senior year and you know, my mom got
sick when I was twelve, and you know, she had
cancer for nine years. So when you're kind of in
your formative years, you know, when you're kind of uh,
(13:45):
you know, learning how to figure it out as a
young kid. And um, you know your mom is going
through the toughest stuff that that you can go through.
And you know my point of the quarterbacks where you're
gonna have to be ready for when it gets tough,
you know. And um, it was my first road win
as a starter, you know, more Head State. They were
a rival team for us, and um, you know we
(14:06):
had a big win. I was a tough win. I
remember hitting a big pass you know, to kind of
seal the win, and you know, um it was just
a gritty kind of road win. And UM, I remember
going to see my dad after the game and um,
you know it was a really happy win for our team.
And when I looked at him, that's not the way
he looked and and I kind of knew what that meant. Um,
(14:29):
but you know, for him to say that, you know,
your mom's you know, treatment you know, stopped working and
and and there's not anything more that we can do. Um,
you know, you're never gonna forget that. You know how
you felt. And the thing about life is it keeps moving.
And my point to those quarterbacks was, um, you gotta
(14:50):
have what it takes when you get news like that,
you know, and when you get tough news like that,
you gotta show what you're made up. And you know,
I just I tell that story because I lived it,
and I think the reason why I'm here today, UM,
it's because my parents taught me how to live through
stuff like that. They they showed me how to live
(15:12):
through stuff like that. And so you know, when I
got sick, you know, I knew, um, I had what
it took. I knew what it was gonna take, UM.
And then I knew what it was gonna take ultimately
to become a head coach in the NFL. I knew, um,
the journey that I was going to have to go on. UM.
And you know, I just I wanted to speak at
that event because you know, those guys are high profile
(15:33):
recruits and it's going well for them right now, but
there's gonna be a time where it doesn't, and and
that's when you're gonna show what you're made of. I mean,
So three years after that, you're at Northern Illinois as
a young coach and you get the news that you've
got cancer, and obviously the overtones of that for you
personally are horrifying Um, you know, how did you how
(15:58):
did you kind of gut your way through that? Well?
I think, Um, it was at this right stage for
it to happen, where it gave me a chance to
compete against something. And that's the way I looked at it, Uh,
was it was gonna, you know, be a chance for
me to to show what I was made of. And
I looked at treatment that way. I said, Hey, I'm
gonna have twelve of these chemotherapies once every two weeks.
(16:19):
Then I'm gonna have thirty six radiation treatments, and you know,
I'm gonna look at it like a game. I'm gonna
look at it, um, you know that way that I'm
on a mission, you know, and I'm gonna do what
it takes, and that I'm gonna keep living my life,
you know. And um. And so I felt like, once
I got past the other side of it, you know, um,
that there's a feeling that's difficult to describe. You know,
(16:42):
once once you can come out on the other side
of it, and you can you can beat it. Um.
You know, there's a freedom, there's a confidence. Um, there's
an energy. Uh that really brought me to all the
good things in my life. It brought me to my wife. Uh,
it brought me towards me headed towards a career that
I that I loved, and um, I had to go
(17:03):
through all the hard stuff in order for that to
you know, be brought out of me. So, um, you
know it's been a big part of my story. Um.
You know you talked about being a competitor. There's no
way you and I can do a podcast without getting
into the other sport you love, and that's tennis. Uh yeah,
you went there, Mike, there you go. Yeah. And so
(17:24):
I wrote a couple of tennis stories when I was
at Sports Illustrated, one on on a Court of Cova,
one on young Serena, and uh, you apparently were one
of the people who read those, so which I did
obviously didn't know at the time, but probably if I
ever have to write another tennis story, I should just
(17:44):
hire you as an expert because you know way more
about it than I do. And uh, I know you
had a chance to be basically your tennis idol a
couple of times. Now tell me, tell me what those
experiences were like. Well, the fact that you you were
ahead of the Serena deal. Um, you know you just
you definitely you know saw it before it happened. Just
(18:05):
shows you number one your vision, but number two your age. Um,
so uh you know, but um, you know, I think uh,
I've always admired Rapha Nadal Um. I was a high
I was a college senior Dayton when I think he
won his first French Open. I think he was nineteen
right when he won that first one. Um. I remember
the seventeen year old kid is with the with the
(18:27):
cutoff and the clam diggers, you know, um, with the headband,
and I knew that this guy was different, he was special.
But um, I at that point, I didn't know what
was making him special. But then I think over time,
you know, you see how this guy was raised, how
he's trained, um, and then just what type of competitor
he is, The type of will that he has, the
rare focus, the stamina, and I've always loved the game.
(18:48):
I kind of grew up. We were a tennis family.
My mom that was her favorite sport. That was her dream,
Um to go to the US Open someday. Uh, it's funny, funny.
I went to Wimbledon this summer and I met Martina
Navtlo uh uh, and that would have been like I
was like, my mom would just be so thrilled, and
Martino was like, man, don't make me feel old, you
know so uh but uh, you know, I just I um,
(19:11):
I just I. I see a lot of rafa, you know,
like what what makes him great? Of what you know
has made the special players that I've been around, the
Aaron Donald's, the Ramsey's during James cleil Mac you know,
um von Miller, those type of players like they Justin Herbert,
they have these like rare qualities. Like if you're around
Justin Herbert, um, you know, Justin Herbert's got that rare focus,
(19:34):
that rare stamina, and when you're with Roff and a
Doll like you see that when you watch him practice
at Wimbledon, when you watch him in Indian Wells in
a first round match, you just you you feel this,
you know you feel this around him, and you know
that's the way I feel about Justin every day is
like you just feel that this guy is special. This
guy is rare, um, you know. And and so I'm
(19:55):
always trying to learn something from other sports, and tennis
is such a passion of mine, and um, you know,
I'm hoping to continue to be able to watch as
many of these great guys as possible, because you know
they're they're towards the end. You know, Roger just retired,
and you know, I don't know how much we're gonna
have of Rafa and Novak. So I'm gonna try and
see those guys as much as I can. When you
(20:16):
when you got a chest to talk to Rafa at
Indian Wells and again at Wimbledon in person, was there
an aura that kind of and were you were you
fanboy at all or were you able to keep it together? Yeah?
I number one. He looks like a dB. He looks
like you know, he's like so, I'm like, man, I
think him and Darling could do some damage together. But
(20:36):
he's a lot bigger guy, uh than I think you realize. Um,
But I think um. When I talked to him after,
and he was it was really tough match. He was
down five too in the third set. Of course, of
course he was on the Sebastian Quarta. You know his dad,
Peter was a great player on the tour. So Sebastian
is like this up and coming young player and he's
(20:58):
got him down five two in the hard said, and
you know, it was interesting because Ralphah had this calm,
like you could just know you just saw at the
match that one guy had been there and one guy hadn't.
So he had that poise and it was really interesting.
After the match, I asked him, like, you know, what
was kind of going through your mind down five two,
and um, he just said something so simple to me.
He was like, you know, I just I know that
(21:19):
if I give up, I can't win, but that if
I forced him to beat me, at least I'll have
a chance. And that's what he did. He's like, I
just I need to play one point at a time.
I need to keep the ball in play, and I
need to force this guy to beat me. And pretty soon,
like I made some mistakes and Ralphail gets into a
rhythm and then all of a sudden he's playing how
he can play, and then he got on a role
(21:41):
and he ends up you know, winning that thing, you
know in the third set. And so I just think
that that poise that like I've like these eyes, I've
lived through a lot, all right, So that wasn't a
big deal to me, and I think, you know, just
you can't minimize the experiences of a champion, you know,
and I think I saw firsthand why he's so many
of them, and that's what you're trying to bring back
(22:03):
to your players and um, and then you just realize
how much they have in common with your players. So
special for me to meet him in person. So what's
weird is that, I mean he could draw on all
that championship experience and one guy had been there and
one guy was hadn't. But your quarterback, I don't know
if I've ever seen someone in game on the line
(22:26):
situations who's so young and so common. You know, I've
covered all the great ones since Montana and Marito and Elwo,
So I I mean that. I know you look back
at that game against Las Vegas at the end of
the year with the playoffs on the line, and you
know you hate it. But just I just want you
(22:48):
to appreciate from an outsider, your season was on the line,
like I think eight times or something in say, unless
he did something pretty big and he did it every
single time. I what, how could a guy that young
have that? Yeah, he's just got rare poise. Um. I think, Um,
(23:13):
when I think of Justin, I think of that that
that poison, that fierce competitive spirit um. But it's it's
it's interesting with Justin because he's so fierce and it's
he's got those eyes that tell you he's fierce, but
then everything else is calm and so I think that
that does allow for his teammates and big moments is
that they see him calm um, and they see that,
(23:36):
you know, they feel they believe that it's gonna go down,
and that that does a lot for your football team.
I think when you talk about going back to Joe
Montana and Steve Young and John l A. D. M. Marino,
their teams believe they we're gonna win. And that's what
Justin does is he just brings out the belief in
his teammates because they know how hard he works every
day and then they see what he does at the game.
(23:58):
And what I would tell the fans is our first
game against Washington last year, he hit four third downs,
you know on you know, in the fourth quarter UM
to seal the game for us. I think we're like
thirteen of nineteen on third down UM in that game.
And uh, you know, you know at that point, you know,
they have all those great rushers and it was like,
(24:18):
you know, he he brought us, you know, back in
that game, and it was the first game to the
Vegas game. It was all year long and and you
know everyone knows that our year we have fifteen games
in the fourth quarter, and um, it wasn't just the
Vegas game that was just kind of the that was
that was the ultimate theatrics, you know in that game. Um,
but he did it the whole season and um, and
then you know he's done it so far this season.
(24:40):
So um, you know, we're very fortunate and he's at
the beginning. And again, I think those great competitors, you know,
they have their best, um when their best is required.
And you and I talked about this before the Super
Bowl while drinking Spanish latte, is that we're unbelievable in
the morning. But um, you know, everyone you were getting
(25:03):
stigmatized or labeled as analytics guy or fourth down go
for it guy. And I know there's a lot that
goes into all of that, But how much of I'm
going for it here, even if you think I'm crazy too,
has to do with that with Justin Herbert. Yeah, Mike,
it it's the it's at the front of your decision
(25:24):
making process is just UM, I think when you have
a guy that's at the beginning, you want to make
sure that that you show that belief in him your offense,
your defense, And the only way that you do that
is to prove yourself that you're gonna be able to
put the ball in his hands and whether he throws
it or not, whether it throws it, hands it off,
that we're gonna put the ball in his hands and um,
(25:45):
you know, and and that we're going to be aggressive.
And I think you gotta put your players, um through
as many of those situations as possible to create the
belief in in your program, your organization. And UM, I
thought that we got off to a really good start
last year with that. UM the mindset, UM, you know,
being the most important thing. And you know, there's certainly
(26:05):
a part to the math that is so significant that
I believe in, but you know, the mindset of your
football team, that's that's what we're trying to to build
and that when you get into these big environments, these
big games, that you're you're ready to go meet a
moment and UM, I know that Uh. Last year, UM,
you know, we had the tough side of it. Um,
you know, I think in the National Games, the k
(26:26):
C game, you know, in the Vegas game at the
end of the year. UM, you know. But what I
would say too is that I love the I mean,
the way our team competed in those two games. We
may have lost them, but you couldn't ask for anything
more as a head coach, the way we competed in
that game. And do we come back in the in
the Vegas game, had you not built a team, um,
you know that was ready to come back, you know
(26:48):
that could come back because they've been put through a
lot of situations. And you know, I felt like we
won you know, probably five the six games in the
season because of that thought process. You know. So you
gotta deal with a both sides, you know, and um,
as you know, that's that's part of it. And UM
you know, I understand the criticism, UM you know, and
I definitely don't back away from it. And UM, I
(27:10):
definitely don't feel like I have all the answers, UM.
But what I'm trying to do is what's best for
our team. And UM you know, I love I love
coaching this group for sure, And you know, obviously we're
at the beginning of this season. All right, before I
let you go, there's just something I've been dying to
ask you for months now. Um, you're at You're at Wimbledon,
(27:31):
You're watching the best tennis players of the world. You go,
you got to get the strawberries and create right? Yes,
is it as great as it is cracked up to be?
Because I've never gone to Wimbledon? Yes, well number one, Mike, Um,
there's so many parts of Wimbledon that you would love. Um,
the strawberries and cream, you know that that is Um,
(27:53):
it's a tradition unlike any other. I think that that
just having that experience, Um, having the famous drink you know, uh,
the pims Uh, you know, just I think when you
experience all of Wimbledon, Um, you get to have that
that ultimate fan experience, which which I don't get to
have very much. Um. That was a lifelong dream from
my wife and I, she who also placed tennis. So
(28:15):
it doesn't get much better than that to see Henman Hill,
like what that actually looks like and what that actually
is like. Um, you know, it's it's an opportunity I
won't ever forget. And but the thing I took most
away from it, you know, and a super coach, you know,
only a coach would say is that I got to
watch practice for an hour, you know, and I got
to watch you know, Novak and Rafa practice. I got
(28:36):
to watch you know, some of the best players in
the world practice. And I won't forget that, you know.
And so uh, if you ever get the chance to
go to London, uh and go go down to Wimbledon, UM,
it'll be worth it because, um, anything that you've ever
seen about it, it's so much better in person. That's awesome.
Did you see any royals? Were there any members of
the royal family around? No that I miss I missed them.
(28:59):
I missed them. They came um the next week. UM,
I was there at the beginning. I was kind of
there like week one. I think I missed you know,
some of the you know, like Tom Cruise and stuff
like that. I didn't get to link up with with
that group necessarily, but UM, I got to see the players,
you know, I got to see Novak, I got to
see Rafa. UM. And then you know, you just know
the state of American tennis is is you know, super
(29:22):
I mean super bright men and women. UM. I saw
Cocoa Golf, like awesome, and uh, you know, I didn't
get to see Serena. I was bummed, you know, because
Serena is like the queen Queen b I just you know,
I was really hoping I could see Serena, but it
didn't happen because she's a legend. But um, awesome experience.
I feel like seeing Martina is as good as it gets. Though.
(29:44):
That's pretty It was awesome to see and Martinez. She
and she's just she's just awesome, Like you can see
that she's lived through a lot, you know, and she's
just uh, you know, so sharp, and she was so
gracious with her time and uh, you know, just a
living legend. And you know that was uh it was
the tournament they did when they had everybody come back
to celebrate, and I just missed, like that celebration we
(30:06):
had it we had to head out of there, but um,
all those people were coming back in town, the legends
of the game, and um, you know, you know, growing up,
like you know, we were like Pete Sampras and Agacy
and you know that era Jim Curry or Michael Chang.
And then on the women's side, you had like Stephy
Graff and sell Us and Navratalova and you know that group.
So I would have been good to see some of them,
(30:27):
but um, maybe next year, Mike Indian Way. Yeah. And
by the way, I feel like there's gonna be a
Super Bowl victory party sometime and I'm gonna be cruising
around getting ready to write a story, and I'm gonna
see Marteta, you know, sip at a drake at your table,
and it's gonna be like, oh, this is a pretty
cool party. But until then, uh, good luck with your
(30:52):
your your weekly endeavors as you as you fight through
the injury stretch. Well, I appreciate it might good to
be with you were taking care of your cow bears.
I see that cow you know, I see that that's
Jared Goff. That's actually a Jared Goff helmet from cal
and uh and I know you are. You are one
of the great Jared Goff supporters in this league. Love
(31:14):
j g And we got Keenan Allen here, we got
Rich Rogers. We had to man Steven Anderson last year.
So we're taking to the cow bears here at the Chargers.
The more bears, the better, That's what I always say.
So thank you so much for taking the time and
uh we appreciate you. Thanks a lot, Michael
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