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Keenan Allen deletes tweet criticizing Brandon Staley; Chargers coach says it brings them 'closer'
Keenan Allen was displeased with his head coach on Sunday on a very public forum.
But it now sounds like he and Brandon Staley are cool. Staley spoke with reporters about Allen's tweet questioning his call Sunday to go for it on fourth down late against the Cleveland Browns. The Los Angeles Chargers' head coach said he has since spoken with Allen about the tweet and believes that the public disagreement has made him "closer" with the Pro Bowl receiver.
"I was made aware of that after the game," Staley told reporters at his Monday news conference. "The thing that I will say is that Keenan Allen is a captain for us, and he and I, since I've become the head coach, have become extremely close. ...
"It's just a part of sports. We're going to become closer because of it. We already became closer this morning because of it."
What exactly did Allen tweet to prompt Staley to address the subject Monday?
"WTF are we doing."
That was Allen's response to Staley's decision to go for it on fourth-and-a-long 1 at the Chargers' own 46-yard line while leading the Browns, 30-28 with 1:14 remaining. He has since deleted the tweet, presumably in tandem with making peace with Staley.
Allen was not involved in the play or the game as he was sidelined for a fourth straight week with an ankle injury. He was not alone in questioning the call that generated plenty of controversy in the ongoing football analytics debate.
A conversion would have sealed the win, while coming up short would have set the Browns up a few yards from field-goal range with a chance to kick a game-winner. The alternative was to punt in an effort to pin the Browns deep. Analytics largely supported Staley's decision.
The Chargers went for it and failed. They still won after Cade York's 54-yard field-goal attempt to win missed. Here was Allen's response to the missed kick; this one he didn't delete:
So glad he missed that. Cause man man man
— Keenan Allen (@Keenan13Allen) October 9, 2022
The failed conversion consisted of a Justin Herbert pass to Mike Williams that was broken up. It's the kind of play Allen likely would have been involved in if healthy. Staley speculated that Allen's distance from the game colored his feelings about the call.
"There's no one that I have more respect for than Keenan Allen," Staley said. "What makes him special is his competitiveness and how much he cares about our team. We saw each other this morning, we met this morning.
"Anyone that has been a part of competition knows that when you're not a part of it, you can feel some type of way. Keenan's heart is with me. It's with us."
Allen has not publicly addressed the tweet. Whether or not his absence from the game influenced his decision to publicly question his head coach, it seems clear that he philosophically disagreed with the call. It goes to show that the analytics debate doesn't rage just on social media and in living rooms. It happens in locker rooms as well.
