Drew Brees, Michael Turner and Darren Sproles. What do these men have in common? Well in a day and age when football has the least player movement amongst the major professional sports leagues, Brees, Sproles and Turner were allowed to walk away from the San Diego Chargers for next to nothing in terms of compensation.
The brain behind both botched transactions was none other than long-term Chargers GM AJ Smith. He took a team that were a perennial contender in the AFC, riddled with talent, and made them into a club that struggles to make the postseason in one of the weakest divisions in the league.
Despite Smith’s best efforts, San Diego has managed to field a fairly talented team in the past few years. While the reason that Norv Turner took over for Marty Schottenheimer after a 14-2 season in 2007 is still a mystery, the fact that the Chargers have played significantly worse under Turner is clear.
So how does team President Dean Spanos allow both Smith and Turner to keep their job while Brees, Turner and Sproles are busy tearing up the league and playing in the playoffs? That is an excellent question. I wish there was an answer that made sense.
Laying Blame Where It’s Deserved
Since Marty Schottenheimer was forced out by Smith after a 14-2 regular season ended (again) in playoff disappointment, the Chargers have not had a losing season under Norv Turner. But then again, neither have they met expectations. Charger fans can argue about whether Turner’s dead-fish demeanor or AJ Smith’s iron fist rule deserves more of the blame, but they can agree that one or the other (or both) should have gone.
The Chargers reached the conference championships in Turner’s first season, but haven’t been close to returning since. Wallowing in their own mediocrity, they have allowed themselves to be eclipsed by minor upstarts from their own division in each of the last two years (Jamaal Charles in 2010, Tim Tebow in 2011), missing the playoffs both times.
Should all of the blame be placed on Turner and Smith? On one hand Smith’s over-inflated opinion of his own drafting acumen has led him to undervalue the players he already has, and has gone out of his way to alienate many players during contract negotiations. On the other hand injuries have depleted their roster so badly over the past few years that it is actually surprising that they have played as well as they have.
Antonio Gates, after dominating the league for years, has struggled to find his old form as he battles through foot injuries. The superfreak wideout tandem of Vincent Jackson and Malcolm Floyd cannot stay on the field for a full season to save themselves. And the team struggled on offense after losing several linemen, including All-Pro LT Marcus McNeill. Then there was concussion-gate.
Four-time Pro-Bowl offensive guard Kris Dielman suffered a serious concussion against the Jets in Week 7, and then suffered a seizure on the flight home. Much was made of how the team dealt with the injury, or rather failed to deal with it. It is tough to lay blame directly at the feet of either the coach or general manager in this situation, but it showed a shockingly cavalier attitude toward their player’s safety in an era of heightened concussion awareness.
Shawne Merriman and Antonio Cromartie were dominant players for the Chargers once upon a time, but they have both been shipped out of town for spare parts. Ryan Mathews seems incapable of holding onto the ball, putting it on the turf ten times in his short career. 2011 first rounder Corey Liuget was a classic 3-technique DT misdrafted to play 3-4 defensive end, and struggled rather predictably in limited snaps.
Moving Forward In San Diego
For some reason there continues to be hope in San Diego. Vincent Jackson is a free agent this year, as is stud center Nick Hardwick. Why would either of them want to stay around such a dysfunctional franchise where players are perceived to be disposable? That is something that every Charger faithful needs to ask themselves.
Takeo Spikes led the team in tackles this year. That in itself should be evidence enough that the team lacks anything resembling a solid core of players to build around. Philip Rivers seems to always be hobbling around with enormous knee braces, and the inevitability of a low hit taking his knee out is constantly hovering around the pivot.
Swirling around in the background are rumors of the Chargers moving to Los Angeles, after being unable to rally enough public support around a new stadium in San Diego. It’s hard to see this move building more bridges than it burns with the local taxpayers.
Turner cannot lead his team in the postseason for the life of him. AJ Smith enjoys nothing more than messing up the draft and his own free agents. But President Spanos is going to continue down this path for at least another year. The Chargers pick 18th overall in this years draft, so the odds of a playmaker being able to step in from day one is unlikely. A tweener outside backer who never lives up to his expectations is the likely pick.
All hail the dysfunction that are the Chargers.
