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

[Fouts2herbert]

I don't know how many of these posts I've read, but I do know that none of you have been a part of the decision-making team. Some find it convenient to blame John Spanos, some blame TT, others blame the HC. In truth, we don't know how much John Spanos says about the draft. If the scouts and the GM and the coaching staff all like some players above the player J Spanos likes, does he say "pick the one I like, end of discussion"? I don't know and neither do you.

common denominator? I'm convinced it won't matter much who they bring in until the franchise has new ownership...multiple sources that were actually in the building at odd intervals in the past have shared nuggets of information over the years, and the cast has continued to change with predictable results despite having different franchise QBs at the helm, players(including HOF guys), GMs, HCs etc...all have changed except for Dean and company...

[gzubeck]

common denominator? I'm convinced it won't matter much who they bring in until the franchise has new ownership...multiple sources that were actually in the building at odd intervals in the past have shared nuggets of information over the years, and the cast has continued to change with predictable results despite having different franchise QBs at the helm, players(including HOF guys), GMs, HCs etc...all have changed except for Dean and company...

John's driving the car while dean's been asleep in the backseat. The near fatal crash has awakened the sleeper. I'm not so negative until we get to see the restructuring yet. After that we can then decide if this team is still worth supporting or not.

[Fouts2herbert]

John's driving the car while dean's been asleep in the backseat. The near fatal crash has awakened the sleeper. I'm not so negative until we get to see the restructuring yet. After that we can then decide if this team is still worth supporting or not.

I do apologize wholeheartedly for being so pessimistic about my beloved chargers...I've been sick to my stomach since the debacle in Jacksonville and the way that was handled by the owner even when it was plain to see that a change was needed...yet another wasted year and I was even staying away from my favorite time to post on charger forums which is the lead up to the draft when I typically recharge my batteries with renewed hope for the teams future...

I honestly wish I could find hope in what you are saying, BUT looking at Dean as a savior from John would be laughable to me if it wasn't so devastatingly sad...I wish I could still buy into these types of arguments and hopes...I've definitely come to a crossroads in my fandom, this is uncharted territory and it scares the shit outta me...I've heard of folks losing their religion before but I never thought something like that could happen to me with something that has been such a massive part of my life since I was kid...I don't think I'm alone in this but I do believe that the spanos family has succeeded in beating my charger fadom to a bloody unrecognizable pulp...hanging on by a thread at this point...

[Boltjolt]

I do apologize wholeheartedly for being so pessimistic about my beloved chargers...I've been sick to my stomach since the debacle in Jacksonville and the way that was handled by the owner even when it was plain to see that a change was needed...yet another wasted year and I was even staying away from my favorite time to post on charger forums which is the lead up to the draft when I typically recharge my batteries with renewed hope for the teams future...

I honestly wish I could find hope in what you are saying, BUT looking at Dean as a savior from John would be laughable to me if it wasn't so devastatingly sad...I wish I could still buy into these types of arguments and hopes...I've definitely come to a crossroads in my fandom, this is uncharted territory and it scares the shit outta me...I've heard of folks losing their religion before but I never thought something like that could happen to me with something that has been such a massive part of my life since I was kid...I don't think I'm alone in this but I do believe that the spanos family has succeeded in beating my charger fadom to a bloody unrecognizable pulp...hanging on by a thread at this point...

Not alone. If they screw up this HC hire I'll be way down there with ya.

[Boltgang74]

Same here.They cheap out this go round n fuck em.I'll have my Sundays free finally.Im not wasting time and money anymore if the owners are too cheap n stupid to do what MUST be done for Herbert and us long suffering fans(the few of us left).

[Fouts2herbert]

Same here.They cheap out this go round n fuck em.I'll have my Sundays free finally.Im not wasting time and money anymore if the owners are too cheap n stupid to do what MUST be done for Herbert and us long suffering fans(the few of us left).

unfortunate truth, I think that the Spanos' lasting legacy is going to be the complete annihilation of what used to be a thriving and proud fan base, Alex was and dean grew up a diehard raider fan so aside from investing in a lucrative league that has made them a ton of money, maybe there was already a well engrained disregard for us charger fans from the very beginning, I mean, what other ownership group has done more to alienate and destroy their fan base in the last 50 years?

[DerwinBosa]

If the Spanos family passes on Harbaugh when he wants to come here and hires someone inexperienced like Bobby Slowik or another Norv Turner type (Raheem Morris comes to mind), I believe Roger Goodell should drop the Chargers to whatever turns out to be the USFL/XFL after the merger. Promote one of those team's owner(s) to the NFL and let him, her, or them have the first rights to sign the players they want from the Chargers' roster.

If the Spanos family wants to operate a team like the way it has for the last several years, it can do so in a league very few people care about.

[NOrvMeNow]

Same here.They cheap out this go round n fuck em.I'll have my Sundays free finally.Im not wasting time and money anymore if the owners are too cheap n stupid to do what MUST be done for Herbert and us long suffering fans(the few of us left).

There are some very good head coaching candidates beyond Harbaugh.
Some will never get the opportunity to be an NFL head coach.

If these guys go the cheap, hot, young, squeeky clean coordinator route .... it would betray more than a lack of financial commitment;
most importantly, it would demonstrate once again a lack of imagination, daring and a willingness to change.

And then there will be the nice young man, with no dirt under his finger nails, from the reputable organization as their GM.

That's where we are at right now .... a wait and see.

[NOrvMeNow]

I don't know how many of these posts I've read, but I do know that none of you have been a part of the decision-making team. Some find it convenient to blame John Spanos, some blame TT, others blame the HC. In truth, we don't know how much John Spanos says about the draft. If the scouts and the GM and the coaching staff all like some players above the player J Spanos likes, does he say "pick the one I like, end of discussion"? I don't know and neither do you.

Aside from some internet gossip, all we can do is speculate.

Officially, John Spanos was Telesco's boss. Never, as far as I know, has there been a clear description of what exactly is his role in the organization.

After the firings, John Spanos said that he's deeply involved in the football operations side: personally evaluating the state of the team, conferring with the head coach/GM on a daily basis.
He implied that he is a conduit between the GM and the head coach - but I doubt he's a blank slate, & if need be, Telesco can always pick up a phone and reach the head coach directly.
He's also, no doubt, in constant communication with the various Charger directors of personnel, to get another perspective. Who hired them, and to whom do they hold allegiance: Telesco or John Spanos? Was Telesco given leeway to organize the entire front office and scouting departments?

John Spanos did say that he never scuttled a draft selection for his choice, and I believe him on that. Still, there is the potential for having tremendous influence over the process.

We'll never know exactly what type of influence John Spanos exerted, if he was just a fly on the wall, or if Telesco just considered him a nuisance.

We do know that the Chargers operate on the principal of fealty to organizational consensus.
On draft day, Telesco has often said that they operate by consensus with draft picks: everyone must be on board;
and we do know how slowly they operate with mid season acquisitions and with moving around the draft board: those immediate changes require one to be spontaneous and take control.

I think this is where John Spanos has set his mark on the organization and its operations. Amicable consensus builders are brought in, each and everyone.
And the principal player who directs the meetings and conversations, and invites the participants that eventually shape the consensus, over the many months,
it probably is John Spanos .... and in that he exerted a lot of influence and control. Consensus does not crop up organically, you need a governing hand to arrive there.

That's the Spanos managerial philosophy .... others have voiced it before.
Why did they reject Brian Dabol, with Herbert in the fold, and Telesco having worked with him before?

He was the natural choice.
But then you started hearing about how he was a little rough around the edges.

A consensus failed to be reached: probably one of the Spanos rejected him, but we'll never know.

[NOrvMeNow]

unfortunate truth, I think that the Spanos' lasting legacy is going to be the complete annihilation of what used to be a thriving and proud fan base, Alex was and dean grew up a diehard raider fan so aside from investing in a lucrative league that has made them a ton of money, maybe there was already a well engrained disregard for us charger fans from the very beginning, I mean, what other ownership group has done more to alienate and destroy their fan base in the last 50 years?

Well, at least they accomplished something in life.

[dmac_bolt]

there is a ton of innuendo, rumor, gossip, fantastic imaginations, and speculation. The Spanos history has not earned positive belief, but rampant negative statements exceed all verified facts. I have no evidence to refute the excessive speculative condemnations, i'll just go with the facts I know and then my personal belief.

TT was a bad hire promoted by a HOF-recognized "expert" Ron Wolf, who apparently got it from Polian. Spani "tried" to do it right but whiffed. TT is responsible for his roster and his picks, if he failed to manage John, that is his failure.
"Hot Coordinator" hires are not just a Spanos thing - the majority of coaches across the league were "Hot Coordinator" hires. Chargers did not pick great ones - repeatedly. I don't know how much TT weighed on selections, I would expect Owners are more involved in HC decisions than roster decisions.

Bottom line - they repeatedly made mistakes and the dominant theme here is they therefore can never learn from them and make a good decision. I personally am not sold on this eternal failure destiny. I think:
- John passionately wants to develop a winning team - I guarantee he does not love the Raiders, those are silly accusations about the Spani but definitely do not apply to him. He grew up wearing bolts. I'd bet he has a bolt on his car.
- Dean is no longer involved in much of anything outside of business deals and cocktail parties
- John was too young when he began his team involvement - Dean was in charge and was incompetent. I do not discount the possibility John could grow and learn. It is possible. Those that expect him to itemize his mistakes to the press are naïve, that is not a common behavior to expect.

The next two hires are going to say a lot about their future direction. Until then - nobody here knows. its just rinse and repeat blah blah bashing, its boring for me.

I still think odds of landing Harbaugh are long, I won't decide based on just his name, i'll wait to see how it all plays.

[Boltgang74]

The more I read here the more I get the sick to my stomach feeling the spanos ilk don't have the balls and brains to pull a Harbaugh hire.We will most likely end up with another dud,one of many.These guys just can't run a successful football team and are too arrogant or stupid to bring in real football men to do it.