Acee: Tom Telesco's past bodes well for Bolts' present Tom Telesco was named as the Chargers General Manager on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. — K.C. Alfred Make no mistake, current Chargers Personnel Director Jimmy Raye was the favorite to become the team’s general manager when the Spanos family’s Gulfstream left Lindbergh Field this past Thursday.But the first stop for Spanos & Co. was Indianapolis, and that is where the thinking began to shift.Tom Telesco blew the Chargers search team away that first meeting and continued to do so right through his second interview on Tuesday night.“He came in and went through our roster, every player on the team," Chargers President Dean Spanos said of that initial conference. "He did a player evaluation. He knew everyone, and he did it without notes ... He also presented his vision for going about building our team over the next year or two. It was pretty compelling. He didn’t have to think about it. That to me said a lot.”The Chargers execs – Dean and John Spanos, vice president Ed McGuire and consultant Ron Wolf – looked at each other afterward and said something along the line of, “That was pretty impressive.”Look, based on the things I heard over the past week, I like this hire. Put me down as saying that. Light me up (as if you need invitation) via e-mail and Twitter if it turns out Telesco stinks. We’ll see when he’s the guy stopping the buck.It’s the immediate portion of Telesco’s background that should stoke you.He spent last year as Vice President of Football Operations for the Indianapolis Colts. He was among the few holdovers left after a gutting of the Colts’ coaching and personnel staffs. People in Indianapolis say he was an active right hand man to first-year Colts GM Ryan Grigson.The Colts underwent an almost complete facelift in 2012 – even more drastic than the massive retooling the Chargers undoubtedly will embark on this offseason – and yet became just the second team in NFL history to follow up a two-win season with 11 victories the following year.How much of a makeover was there? By this past season’s end, just 17 players on the 53-man roster were left from 2011.Indianapolis started 42 different players on offense and defense in ‘12. They had a really good rookie quarterback, yes, but also 13 other rookies on the roster.And get this: The Colts absorbed more than $38 million in dead money from contracts of released players. By my rough estimate, I see as much as $26 million in dead money ahead for the Chargers if they can find a way to replace the subpar performers on their roster.“We had players that fit an old scheme,” Telesco said yesterday. “You can’t turn over a roster in one year. You have to pick and choose your spots. It was a daily grind.”It will be here too. Telesco’s first significant move will be to hire a head coach. Then he will get to fixing up this roster.Spanos said this: “To me, what this GM has to have is the ability to build this team for the future. He’s got to get us back in that cycle where we depend on the draft and not free agency.”The owner specifically said he does not want to go the route the Chargers deviated into this past spring. Of course, every NFL personnel man speaks of building through the draft. What gives Telesco’s vision veracity is his football upbringing. Note that while the Colts had Peyton Manning in his prime they also went to the playoffs nine consecutive years with an overwhelming majority of homegrown players. Telesco got his start as an intern for the Buffalo Bills when Bill Polian was running that organization's football operations. Telesco's first full-time gig was as a scout with the Carolina Panthers when Polian was there. Telesco moved to Indianapolis in 1998, the year Polian changed that franchise’s fortunes by drafting Manning. “Everything I’ve learned in how to build a football roster and a football organization is from Bill,”Telesco said yesterday. Nice. Because finding a way to field a good team around Peyton Manning’s gigantic salary cap drain all those years was a feat by Polian that I will never stop admiring. “Look at where he’s been and how teams have done it where he’s been,” said John Spanos, who will work closely with (but under) Telesco. “It’s not just talk. He’s been a part of executing it before.” Now if he can do it again when he's the main part.
I mean, so many people have said this is a great hire. I bashed it, because I feel like Telesco = Arians. But thats not locked in place, but Arians does have an interview Monday. I just hope, Greg Roman and Mike McCoy will be interviewed before we make a decision, I feel like if the Broncos and 9ers win this weekend we won't get the chance to do that, and I feel Arians will be the coach. I don't know, ask me how I really feel about this hire next week when the coach is announced..
I'm surprised that Arians would be dismissed as a good HC candidate because, prior to this year, he was not on anyone's radar. If past NFL coaches have taught us anything it's that teams are pretty piss poor at identifying which coordinators would make good HCs (see Wannstedt, Dave; Tice, Mike; Gilbride, Kevin).
Arians was on the radio yesterday afternoon and said as far as he knows, the Chargers haven;t even asked for permission. He said the only interview he has scheduled is with the Bears on Sunday. He said 3 other teams have filed the paperwork with the Colts to interview him, but he didn't know who they were.
I don't get it either. He was probably on radar but maybe he never pushed for a HC gig. Maybe this year he got a taste and liked it. Who the hell knows. All I know is that we can have some kind of cohesiveness between the guys coaching the players and the guys picking the players we are at least ahead of where we left off. Norv pretty much told us that he coached what he was given. I know I don't want that.
Well, usually, a guy will appear on the "radar" before they reach the age of 60. Guys who want to be a HC are generally driven to reach that goal at a much younger age. It's rare that a person wants to take on the most challenging job of their carrier at that age.
I'm pretty sure someone on these forums was clamoring for Arians when he was still OC at Pittsburgh and we were in our usual "fire Norv" discussions.
Raye was reportedly their favorite as we all suspected but Tobasco blew them out of the water with his interview.
Yeah I just saw that on the article. I'm okay with the hiring it's the HC concern with. What happen to T. Gamble didn't we interview him in the end? I thought he might have gotten the nod.
Beyond a good HC hiring and a good Draft I am waiting too much for Tom Telesco resign David Chao GO TT!!!
This is something i really like to hear... Basically saying that he will evaluate the guys tape, he has no loyalty to anybody, and will get the best players on this team, its a good thing to get outside opinions
1st order of business after the head coach, should be extending Butler "I hope," Butler said recently of a new contract. "I want to stay here. I definitely want to stay here. Time will tell."
Telescopio, is not now a GAWD and never will be. Just let the man do his job and allow the pieces to lay where they fall.
Possibly. Just the same, I'll wait to see how my crops do, after sacrificing those two doves and that (uppity) lamb.
