Next Chargers coach, G.M. will report to owner’s son, John Spanos

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ch-g-m-will-report-to-owners-son-john-spanos/

Well then, that should sort out the chaff from the wheat at least ....................

Any coach with half a clue has just scratched the San Diego job off their "Want to apply list" ..........

I'm still yet to see a damn thing to convince me that Little Johnny can tell a football player from a Ham sandwich.

Certainly couldnt be from his scouting/evaluating days, he's been an absolute dud at that career choice, so what exactly is it that could make anyone think he is worthy of overseeing a GM and Football Coach ?

Some dark days ahead folks, buckle in tight.

"Nepotism rarely works out well."

-- Qusay & Uday

Piss.

I actually don't hate this quite as much as I would outright making him the GM...on the premise that they're insistent on putting him into the mix one way or another.

Obviously I don't like it in general, but if there's at least a real football GM running the personnel moves and we only have to deal with J Spanos having to give the go-ahead I think that's a little more tolerable than him being the one actively trying to make the moves.

And, even though his scouting training isn't quite as impressive as someone working their way up the ranks, at least they gave it to him instead of just putting him in there cold.

Anyway, this is just me trying to take the glass-half-full approach since I have no real control over what they do.

Again, there's nothing that says this change will happen next season...... "looming" isn't exactly a date.

That actually makes me a tad more optimistic on the matter.

I mean, I still don't like the notion of them trying to push their family into the mix, but at least I get the impression they're trying to do it right. (ie, make sure he's trained and not just blindly throwing him in their willy nilly).

Of course, the negative spin on the "looming" aspect of it is the uncertainty that brings. Whatever GM takes over will be left wondering when he'll suddenly have another superior inserted into his chain of command.

Come on this is PFT enough said. NFL's media version of the National Enquirer

Which is why it will be Jimmy Raye..... he's already used to working with John Spanos.

EXCEPT...
PFT cited an NFL.com piece that also says the same thing.

Who are repeating the same thing we've known for ages, and that was the plan was for AJ to stay through 2014, and then turn things over to John Spanos.

Obviously, that plan has been altered, since AJ is being let go. That means Jimmy Raye will be the stopgap, or he may do well enough to last awhile...... we'll have to wait and see.

I like the idea of an experienced exec running the GM show and just reporting to J Spanos over the idea of J Spanos being the full fledged GM.

Well, "like" isn't the right word. I should say "prefer".

I can't see how John making football decisions can be worse than his father. At least, John worked his way up in the FO and has experience at all the levels of scouting, as well as contracts under McGuire.

Unless they sell the club they're going to be running it sooner or later. Might as well let little Johnny get into the deep shite now rather than later on down the road. Who knows, he may do a better job than his old man.

Hopefully he'll be the type of guy who just lets the GM have the freedom to run it how he wants to.

If we are to assume that the new GM is Jimmy Raye, there is no reason why available coaches would not want to come and work here, of course excluding the supposed reluctance to pay top dollars.

Considering Norv supposedly makes 5m though, you'd think 6m or so wouldn't be such a problem if it meant a clear upgrade, especially when you consider that Jimmy Raye may not be paid as much as AJ was.

I also think that this makes Jimmy Raye a 100% lock to be the new GM.

As far as coaches are concerned, all this does is scratch any coach for whom 100% personnel control was a prerequisite.

Hmmm, not sure thats how I'd call it BLEW ....

OK, his Father was simply handed the reins by his Ol man, right ?.................. no real "work your way up the ladder" type apprenticeship for memory, like Little Johnny has had to endure.

So at least The Deaner has that excuse to fall back on ........

Now LJ on the otherhand HAS been working within the organisation for sometime, exactly what is it he has achieved that makes anyone think he is capable of handling the job of "overseeing football operations" ???

Anyone aware of who exactly he has recommended to be drafted while he was the "Director of College scouting" ???

From what I've seen take the field since about 2006, can't say too many of those draft picks have worked out in making the Chargers a better team up till now, so if he has failed in that capacity, what on earth should make anyone of us think he can handle the far more difficult job of running the entire football program ???

Just because the guy has worked for the "Family business" in the past, doesn't auomatically guarantee he knows what he's doing and should be promoted, lets face some facts here, the guy is being groomed for lack of a better word, based simply on the fact he's a Spanos, nothing more, nothing less.

And "looming" in Spanos talk BLEW, means as soon as AJ vacates the office, that you can bet your left nut on mate.

See some very lean seasons ahead I'm afraid, oh well, not like quite a few of us haven't endured them before.

Jimmy Raye will be a Spanos puppet. Things get ugly then fire the GM and bring in another puppet. Spanos will still be the one calling the shots. I see years of mediocrity ahead.

I believe Norv makes $3mil, not $5mil, at least from what I have seen when they were reporting how much it would cost Dean to fire him and AJ

This is a good point, I suppose

Things have to go through Dean for the most part right now anyway. At least if he's somewhat replaced with his son with some amount of training as just the guy the GM reports to with moves it'd actually be better than now.

I've never been too keen on the idea of a HC/GM anyway.

This may be slanted perception but most of the cases I can think of offhand like that never really seem to work out that well.

I'd rather have one guy focused on personnel moves and the other focused on coaching.

They just need to be able to work together, of course.

RE: For fans of the Chargers, that’s not necessarily good news. John Spanos has spent several years working in the team’s scouting department, but getting a scouting job handed to you because your dad owns the team isn’t quite as impressive a credential as working your way up through the scouting ranks.

Hey MDS,
Don't let facts get in the way of a good smear piece. 10 years in the scouting department is more than "several" and working with the team for 18 years from assistant to scout to director of scouting IS working his way up through the scouting ranks. From the Boltz web site, which I trust more than PFT and SDUT combined:

Spanos first started working for the Chargers in 1995. While in high school, he worked summers as an assistant in the team's football operations office. From 1998-00 he worked under the direction of Ed McGuire, who schooled him in contract negotiations and managing the salary cap.
From 2001-03, Spanos served two stints in the NFL's Management Council office in New York, learning a wide range of league procedures, reviewing new player contracts and assisting in the League's salary cap reconciliation process.
He spent the 2003-05 seasons as a pro and college scout and 2006-07 seasons as assistant director of college scouting.
(Director of College Scouting) John Spanos coordinates the team’s scouting efforts in preparation for the NFL Draft. He also assists in contracts and managing the salary cap.

Who knows, maybe JS is a big lazy dull slacker owner's son who "real football people" avoid in the lunch room, roll their eyes to each other when he talks at meetings, and smirk at after he passes in the hallway.

But maybe he's the only Spanos who knows diddly squat about football.

Just my opinion, but since it appears we're going to be saddled with one Spanos or another, and JS obviously is being groomed to take over the organization, and that Dean's tenure has the led Chargers organization to its present state of decay, I'm open, and maybe a bit optimistic, about giving the young gun his shot.

Here come the young Spanos groupies.

I feel the same way about this as I did about Kaeding and Mathews. Fact is baby Spanos will be calling the shots for a long time and it is disgusting. He had some BS scouting title and I am curious about what players he was responsible for.

Soon you will know how Raider and Cowboy fans feel. Dean and Mini Me at the wheel of the SD Titanic.

I'm not so much of a groupie as I am not the cynical type, especially not over something I have no control over.

You'll always see the Chargers' glass as half empty....... that's just the ornery old bastage you are.

The GM makes the picks, you know that very well. There's no way for the fans to know what players John may've preferred to AJ, since they don't let that info out. My point was simply that there's no reason to expect Jon to make worse decisions than his father. There's the real possibility that with his football training that he may make more informed decisions.

I certainly see no reason to be overly pessimistic about "looming" changes. Replacing Dean would be a move in the right direction as far as I'm concerned.

Letter to Acee:

Hello,

I wanted to get in touch with you before you wrote your next romantic article on John Spanos. I am sure that you have the outline almost complete. You will tell us again how he has earned his new role and how good this will be despite our disapproval. Will you also include these talking points in the article??

1) Director of College Scouting -

- Please define this role for us.

- It seems like this title may have something to do with all of the recent brilliant draft picks. Which players was young John high on?

2) Will Jimmy Raye really be a GM or just a puppet/mouthpiece/eventual scapegoat for the Spanos hierarchy?

This should be a good start and I am sure there will be more questions to follow.

Thanks!

Surprise PFT was wrong again in their attack on the Chargers and their fans