NFL Exec on Chargers' Staley: 'For Such a Smart Guy, He Sure Does Some Dumb Things'

With so much of a game coming down to their control, sometimes it's easy for an NFL coach to overthink things or make wrong decisions.

But in the case of Los Angeles Chargers' top man Brandon Staley, those moments keep coming way too often, to the displeasure of fans and the joy of rival teams.

One NFL executive texted NBC Sports' Peter King: 'For such a smart guy, he sure does some dumb things.'

Staley, who's in his third season at the helm, once again put the Chargers in adverse circumstances with his unnecessarily aggressive play-calling late against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

Holding a seven-point lead with 3:34 remaining left in the game, Staley opted to go for it on 4th-and-1 from the Chargers' own 34-yard line instead of punting it away. Quarterback Justin Herbert wound up getting stuffed and Los Angeles turned it over on downs.

Luckily for Staley, Raiders rookie Aidan O'Connell threw an interception on a 1st-and-goal play that sealed the win for the Chargers.

But it really should have never gotten to that if Staley would have made the safer decision.

It's not the first time he's done it this season either.

In fact, the Chargers were in a very similar situation in Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings, failing to convert on 4th-and-1 with 1:51 remaining at their own 24. Again, it was mistakes by their opponents that allowed the Chargers to come away with the win.

But that won't last forever.

It's these types of poor decisions that have had fans calling for Staley's job dating back to last season.

Those calls won't slow down anytime soon unless he starts cleaning up those mistakes.