Super Bowl after epic collapse? Why Chargers' Brandon Staley says he has the 'right group'

COSTA MESA, Calif. — When training camp commenced, Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley addressed the team about the meltdown in Jacksonville. The Chargers squandered a 27-point lead in what was an historic playoff collapse.

But before Staley spoke to the Chargers about what transpired in their 31-30 playoff loss to the Jaguars, he took a trip to the Bay Area to connect with Steve Kerr and the NBA's Golden State Warriors during their opening round playoff series versus the Sacramento Kings.

Like Staley, Kerr knows firsthand about historic collapses. The Warriors held a commanding 3-1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals before LeBron James's Cleveland Cavaliers won three straight games to clinch their first NBA Championship. The Cavs became the first team in history to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win the NBA Finals.

“In the Cleveland series, [Kerr] described it as, 'We just faded. Their level got high and ours just wasn’t quite as high.' A lot of people say they gave it away, but he was like, ‘They beat us. We didn’t quite have it down the stretch.’ That’s kind of how I felt in the Jacksonville game,” Staley told USA TODAY Sports during an exclusive interview. “It wasn’t like there was just this one thing that gave it away, we just kind of faded in the second half.”

Kerr and the Warriors have won three titles since 2016. Staley wants the same for the Chargers.

PLAY TO WIN $10K: USA TODAY's Pro Football Survivor Pool is free to enter. Sign up now!

“One of my big takeaways was, we have everything and everyone we need here to go to where we want to go," Staley said. "We just have to put in the right work, which is what we’re doing. We have the right group of guys.”

Where do Chargers want to go?

The Chargers are one of 12 teams to have never won a Super Bowl. The organization has just one Super Bowl appearance (a 49–26 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 29).

The franchise is marred by not living up to expectations and perpetually finds unique ways to lose — for example, the 2006 Chargers went 14-2 in the regular season to give up a 21-13 fourth-quarter lead to the New England Patriots in the division round of the playoffs.

Then there’s last year's playoff debacle in Jacksonville.

Incremental improvements the past two seasons under Staley have created optimism the team can get over the hump.

“I think when you talk about building a team and an organization and culture, I think we’ve made a ton of progress," Staley said. "We haven’t had that ultimate breakthrough that everyone here wants and expects.

"A breakthrough for us is a Super Bowl championship. That’s what we expect.”

'The right group of guys'

If Super Bowl is the expectation and Staley has 'the right guys' to get there, what has changed?

Entering Staley’s third year at the helm, the team’s projected starters are nearly identical to last season.

The Chargers biggest changes are free-agent acquisition Eric Kendricks, who is slated to start at inside linebacker; second-year lineman Jamaree Salyer, who is moving inside to start at right guard; and Alohi Gilman, who is taking over for recently retired Nasir Adderley at free safety.

Then there’s a rookie draft class that incudes first-round pick Quentin Johnston, who is slated to get significant playing time at wide receiver.

Though, the Chargers' confidence that they have the right group centers around Justin Herbert – the quarterback they just made the highest-paid player in NFL history based on average annual value ($52.5 million).

Herbert holds NFL records for most completions (1,316), passing yards (14,089) and total touchdowns (102) by any player in their first three seasons, but the fourth-year QB has yet to add a playoff victory to his resume.

“You got to have a stud quarterback if you’re gonna have a chance,” Chargers RB Austin Ekeler told USA TODAY Sports. “They are rare when you get somebody like number 10.

"When you have someone like that, it makes it so much more fun to play the game because there is a lot of trust. It’s not as uneasy or like, 'Who is gonna be that person or who is gonna lead this team?' We got our guy, let’s build around that. When you’re building around something, I feel like it’s a lot more constructive. You have solutions, you’re putting more pieces around, and being a part of that is awesome.”

Another change? The lingering weight of last year's playoff embarrassment.

Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen told USA TODAY Sports the team is "definitely playing with a chip on our shoulder, knowing that we kind of fumbled one."

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.