Chargers LB Khalil Mack: Players still 'believe in' Brandon Staley despite 42-point loss to Raiders

EDITOR'S NOTE: This post was published prior to the Los Angeles Chargers announcing the firings of head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco on Friday.

Following Thursday night's 63-21 debacle in Las Vegas, Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James verbalized what a national audience knew early: "We didn't show up ready to play today."

It was evident from the outset the Chargers were ill-prepared to play. Missed tackles, pitiful effort, turnovers, miscommunications, penalties. L.A. faced a Raiders team that lost 3-0 four days prior and made them look like the Joe Montana-led 49ers.

When a team plays with such woeful energy and pitiful preparedness, the finger of blame points to the head coach.

Brandon Staley has been under fire since the playoff collapse last season. As ridiculous as losing a 27-0 second-quarter lead in the postseason is, getting shellacked 42-0 at the break in historic fashion by a Raiders team with an interim head coach feels worse.

Asked Thursday night if he still expects to be the Chargers coach on Friday, Staley responded: "I don't know," per the Associated Press.

Should he be?

"Yes," he said.

Why?

"I know what I've done here for three years," he said, falling to 24-25 as head coach, including playoffs. "I know what I've put into this, and I know where we're capable of going," he continued. "I know the type of coach that I am. I believe in myself. 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 got to get ready for Buffalo."

The Chargers looked like a team playing without its star quarterback, Justin Herbert, and receiver, Keenan Allen, and seemed to mentally check out before they even boarded the plane to Vegas.

"This is