Until John Spanos is Gone, Nothing Will Ever Change - Locked By Fleet - John LIstened

[DarOv]

What they did was offer, say Charles Halley a 1 million dollar deal but paid him an addition 3 million (my numbers are not accurate just using examples) under the table, off the records so they were able to fit under the cap. They did this with most of the superstar players they were signing. Once this was discovered, they used the corruption sandal as cover and that is why the issues with the owners came up, why Debartalo was forced out. The NFL went into panic mode to cover this up and ESPN worked hard with them as the 9ers were a favored franchise. The 9ers were fined $ and picks, they also had the cash they had paid under the table to the players added to the cap over the next 10 years. That is why every year they are at the cap but had trash players for the next decade. It was not until the cap was eventually cleared that they started to get better and were able to sign FA's that were not off the street.

Just thinking about this makes me sick. I hate those guys more than any other team in the NFL.

Hell, it really does look so lousy that it doesn't even seem like a business. It's a common scam.
But who's to say all the other teams don't do it? Just because the fans don't know about it doesn't mean it's not happening.

[foreigner]

Selling bologna sandwiches in the parking lot on game day? :More Q Please:

Honestly.... If I were a very rich man I would buy the Chargers and give them to competent people, me and my family would be selling cheap bologna sandwiches in the parking lot showing my support to the fans and hanging around with them. That's what I would do.

[jubei]

What would Dean be doing if daddy didn't hire him?

RIGHT?!

[Boltjolt]

This bs about John Spanosis just a conspiracy theory. Tired of how hate comes out as soon as something doesnt go right and i guess its a new victim that cant defend himself. Insulting people isnt ok. Its fine to have an opinion but why let emotion ruin it. Sure I get Seattle beat us but as they just showed they are healthier and beating quality opponents…doesnt mean we have to talk shit about people and be disrespectful and sometimes infantile in response to a loss. Its why i didnt come back to the site since the last game…gets old reading that type of response.

sorry that just bugs me…had to voice it

RTPbolt

The common denominator is the Spanos family that are,.... In case you havent noticed, have all the management positions in the front office. From player personel, to cap mangement, to president of operations and scouting.

They hire the cheap head coaches and GM and then hire a consultant to do a HC search instead of the GM hiring him.

Where else do you want to point to?
They can come in here and defend themselves lf they want to. They know this place exists.
And if they don't, who cares. Everything in every company starts at the top and they are at the top.

[SK21209]

The common denominator is the Spanos family that are, 8nncasrnyyounhabrmt noticed, have all the management positions in the front office. From player personel, to cap amangement, to president of operations..

They hire the cheap head coaches and GM and then hire a consultant to donanHC search instead of the GM hiring him.

Where else do you want to point to? They can come in here and defend themselves lf they want to. They know this place exists.
And if they don't, who cares. Everything in every company starts at the top and they are at the top.

I went to lunch with one of the partners at my law firm a couple of weeks ago. Born and raised in San Diego, he used to be a big Chargers fan and now he doesn't really even watch football. I asked why and he said "the Spanos family are fucking losers. I've worked with hundreds of successful businesses; those guys will never build a successful organization."

Can't say I disagree. I'm going to root for this team week after week and talk myself into their chances to win it all year after year, every offseason, but it may all be in vain until the team is sold to be honest. We play in the best stadium in the league, in one of the biggest and most attractive markets, and will (hopefully) have one of the game's brightest young stars on the team for years to come. I can only hope someone billionaire realizes that and takes a chance on us.

[Boltinloudguy]

I would love it if Jeff Bezos came in to buy the team because he would just hire football people to run it and leave it at that. Wishful thinking is always fun!

[DarOv]

I went to lunch with one of the partners at my law firm a couple of weeks ago. Born and raised in San Diego, he used to be a big Chargers fan and now he doesn't really even watch football. I asked why and he said "the Spanos family are fucking losers. I've worked with hundreds of successful businesses; those guys will never build a successful organization."

Can't say I disagree. I'm going to root for this team week after week and talk myself into their chances to win it all year after year, every offseason, but it may all be in vain until the team is sold to be honest. We play in the best stadium in the league, in one of the biggest and most attractive markets, and will (hopefully) have one of the game's brightest young stars on the team for years to come. I can only hope someone billionaire realizes that and takes a chance on us.

The Spanos family is also having fun in their own way. Maybe they don't have the same goals as the other owners. Or maybe they are so overconfident that they don't want to listen to anyone. So be it.
Are there any rumors of a sale?

[DerwinBosa]

This is not true. Norv didn't make personnel decisions - AJ did. AJ started whittling away the talent from the moment Norv arrived. The first thing AJ did was get into pissing match with Donnie Edwards and let him walk, and going with Matt "Whiffhelm" in 2007. I'm not a fan of Norv particularly, but I am a fan of the facts. And the fact is the talent crumbled around Norv each season and it was AJ's doing.

Norv played a role in it. I remember hearing the scouting department wanted to take David Harris, the linebacker, in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft, but Norv pushed hard for Buster Davis. We all know what happened with Buster Davis. David Harris, while nothing close to a Hall of Famer, earned All-Rookie honors in 2007, made second-team All-Pro in 2009, and had 10 productive years with the Jets, before finishing his career with the Patriots.

I'm sure there are other stories like that. The head coach and general manager have to work together in building a team. As much as A.J. Smith hated Marty, the draft picks got worse after Marty was fired and Norv replaced him. A lot of that has to do with developing the talent that's selected, an area Norv failed miserably in. For example, I think Marty would have gotten much more out of Ryan Mathews than Norv did. And I actually hated that pick, which Norv was giddy about, because I wanted Brandon Graham in that draft, as I knew Merriman was done.

[DerwinBosa]

There is no doubt AJ smith got cocky and liked the attention. I mean, one year he even said going into training camp 47 of the 53 spots were filled. So he started making terrible draft day decisions

He drafted Buster Davis but 7 picks later paid a crapload for Weddle. Now Weddle was very good - but maybe just take him with the pick

He overpaid for Jacob Hester
He drafted Waters at LB who never played
He drafted Jonathan Crompton - who was terrible at Tennessee

So AJ did have a liltte of that "i have a stacked roster, I can gamble and take chances"

where good GMs like the Ravens or Reid with the Chiefs "just stick to the plan"

I really wanted A.J. Smith to succeed. Unlike how other people reacted to him, I thought he was hilarious with some of his comments to the public. In particular, I liked the way he didn't hold back with his sarcastic jabs at the obnoxious Manning family.

He didn't back it up, though, and a lot of it, I think, had to do with his arrogance. The worst for me were his Jacob Hester and Jonas Mouton picks. He traded a 2009 second-rounder to move up in the third round of the 2008 Draft for Hester, a little-used fullback who really shouldn't have been with us for four years. The 2011 second-round pick on Mouton has to go down as one of our Top Ten worst in franchise history, as he was credited with one tackle over four years with us. How do you possibly last four years as a linebacker on one team when you make one tackle?

[Velo]

The worst for me were his Jacob Hester and Jonas Mouton picks. He traded a 2009 second-rounder to move up in the third round of the 2008 Draft for Hester, a little-used fullback who really shouldn't have been with us for four years. The 2011 second-round pick on Mouton has to go down as one of our Top Ten worst in franchise history, as he was credited with one tackle over four years with us. How do you possibly last four years as a linebacker on one team when you make one tackle?

His first really egregious sin was getting into a pissing match with Donnie Edwards over a new contract and letting him go in favor of Matt "Wiffhelm." That started the talent erosion on the team in 2007, after its peak in 2006.

[The Intellectual Assassin]

The whole Spanos clan to be blunt, really make me sick to my stomach. I don't care about their own personal financial issues(As they claim) I just want the best for our beloved Chargers and that starts with a new owner, period. Now with that being said, I do think that eventually it will happen, but how much longer will that be? Not really something I like to contemplate.

The best scenario is finding an owner who has not only the teams interests at heart, but the fans also. If we truly want to build a large fanbase in LA and elsewhere, a lot of things need to happen both on and off the field. I just do not want us to continue to be used as someone's plaything.

[richpjr]

His first really egregious sin was getting into a pissing match with Donnie Edwards over a new contract and letting him go in favor of Matt "Wiffhelm." That started the talent erosion on the team in 2007, after its peak in 2006.

When AJ stopped drafting the BPA and started drafting reaches to plug holes, the team started in the downward spiral. That and making the pissing contest between he and Marty personal.