I've been pretty silent on this whole firing of those two idiots who ran our organization into the low end of mediocrity. Mostly, because it's anti-climactic at this point, and there isn't much to say that hasn't already been said.
I guess I could note that Norv couldn't help but let the fans know that the next guy probably won't turn it around too quickly (Why? Did Norv leave a bomb somewhere in the locker room?) in a mishandled effort to tell us angry villagers to give the next guy the benefit of the doubt. Seriously, does eveybody in Chargers Park actually buy into that Canepa schtick?! It's like none of these people can understand why all of the villagers were so angry. Is there any greater proof that these people were too stupid to be in charge of anything?
AJ took it much better, actually taking blame for the collapse. In fact, he went back and retroactively took the blame for last season's collapse and the one before that too. Basically, he said-and I'm paraphrasing here, of course-"I was the problem all along. I can't believe the idiot fans didn't see that."
I don't really know who our next GM and coach will be. I was actually surprised to see that Dean hired Ron Wolf-as respected a front office guy as there's ever been- as a consultant in his search for a new GM. That indicates he is actually considering trying to turn the team around here in San Diego, rather than later on in L.A. That also means that if L.A. isn't already in the works then there really does appear to be a chance this team stays in San Diego. Of course, if he just ends up promoting Jimmy Raye anyway, then Wolf is probably just a cosmetic move by Dean to appease the NFL by showing that he at least is not going door to door and telling the fans to get bent right to their faces.
As for a coach, well their's no shortage of capable replacements this time around, so I don't want to hear the local UT die-hards complaining that no one can fill Norv's genius jock. Whisenhunt, Lovie Smith. Those guys have been to Superbowls in the modern era. I wouldn't mind either one. And there are plenty of others. Jim Mora's out there, and I have been pretty up front about how I feel about that guy. There are several coordinators still playing that could fit the bill (I will say that a lot of people are talking about the Broncos Offensive Coordinator, and to those people I have to ask, "You do realize the Broncos signed Peyton Manning, right? That's him under center. He's the one running the offense. Just so you know."). Anyway, it's a magical time right now. That time when anything is possible. The time right before Dean hires Denny Green and we all become soccer fans.
I actually think the most interesting thing will be to see what becomes of Norv and AJ after SD. I'm sure they will both land gigs. As my father says, the NFL is a club. Once you're a member, your usually a member for life. It's why it's so hard for bright up-and-comers to crack the ranks and it is why the idiots over in the UT forums were all so certain keeping Norv and AJ was the right thing to do last off season. Norv is still a respected offensive coordinator, presumably because Troy Aikman keeps telling everyone he's a genius without also reminding anyone that Norv got his genius card during the uncapped era of free agency that allowed big market teams like Dallas and Frisco to farm out all of your favorite players and create juggernauts that looked like all-pro teams as they beat down the rest of the league like it was full of Division II high school squads. There should be an asterisk on that era. It was worse than the steroid era in baseball if you ask me. And it is the reason Norv Turner continues to be awful after awful and still land a job. There's talk he could even end up back in Dallas and that would be poetic indeed. Perhaps no other team in the league is better designed to run Norv's unimaginative, mistake heavy, they'll-never-see-it-coming offensive scheme than Dallas.
As for AJ, I imagine AJ would love to go to a division rival like KC, thinking he could then get back at all of the angry villagers for running him out of town just because he turned a monster of a team into a 3 time failure in the course of a few short years. Yeah, yeah, he built it. He built it if you don't count the contributions of LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates and Drew Brees. Then yeah, AJ totally built that awesome team we were all sure would have 2 or 3 rings by now. Anyway, I'd welcome beating up on an AJ twice a year. And KC would be a good landing spot for Smith because there aren't any ex-Chargers there that I can think of, and I have to imagine that anywhere Smith goes, all ex-Chargers would just quit. Alas, The Chiefs haven't gotten around to firing Scott Pioli yet, so that looks like a longshot. And Denver and Oakland aren't hiring Smith, so he'll probably need to go peddle his brand of evil outside the division. I'd love to see him go to New Orleans and finally finish Drew Brees' career like he should have done years ago, but that's unlikely too. If there's any justice in the world, AJ will end up in Buffalo or Cleveland, where there is no hope at all. Or under a bus.
Wherever Norv and AJ go, I want to wish them the worst of luck. Hard feelings, y'know. I am bitter. Take Acee and Canepa with you.
Anyway, enjoy this wonderful time in Chargers history. You've all earned it by continuing to care about a team so ugly that it should be buried upside down in the snow. Happy stinkin' New Year, Charger fans!
BTW, I have to give credit where credit is due. I got that picture off of KSK where it was attached to this great piece.
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