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“Chargers Bye Week–No Bye Week From Controversy”

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Chargers Football.

Dateline: Bye Week-Helluva lot of controversy for a team that didn’t even play.

Some two weeks for owner Dean Spanos.

It started with the ill-founded rumor, that became a media wildfire report, the NFL was discussing the Chargers as a possible full-time team in London, England.  Spanos unleashed a fury of obscenities denying there was any truth to the rumors.  That was followed by his henchman Mark Fabiani and Fred Maas following up with their own criticisms, trying to tell everyone how good things were in LA.  They were the guys who conducted the ‘scorched earth’ policy in San Diego.

You know, LA, or rather Carson, where they play their road games designed as home games,  played before throngs of fans wearing the other teams jerseys.

The Chargers then proceed to turnover a game to the Raiders, a crushing defeat in a game they had dominated for a chunk of time.

That’s followed by the trip to Mexico City for the Monday Night game with the Chiefs.

Spanos shows up at a Chargers fans function in Mexico City and gets booed at his own party.  He spoke for less than :45 to the assemblage and left.

The Bolts then proceed to self destruct under a flurry of Philip Rivers turnovers, as their playoff hopes die under a siege of Rivers forced throws, fumbles, quarterback sacks, and hits.

That is then followed by the ESPN investigative report into the team’s business problems, the failing  selling of season tickets and PSL’s for the move into the new Stadium they will share with the Rams in Inglewood next year.

The story is devastating to the already failing Spanos legacy.

The Rams have sold 60,000-season tickets for next year and raised in excess of 300M in PSL tax money, to help finance their share of the stadium.

The Chargers have sold less than 20,000 season tickets and with reduced prices, have taken in less than 60M in PSL funds, a far-cry from the announced goal of 400M for their share of construction costs.

To add insult to injury, salt to the wound, the ESPN report quotes Cowboys owner Jerry Jones:

“There is no market for Chargers PSL tickets in the LA market”.  Ouch, and that coming from the man who helped create the idea of the Rams-Chargers shared stadium.

Or how about this nugget from an anonymous NFL owner as part of that NFL report.

“The Chargers move to LA-the rationale made no sense.”

The allegations that the Spanos decision to drastically discount PSL prices, stung the Rams and insulted other owners who had supported the owner’s move to LA.  The Rams-Chargers feud over the handling of the ticket sales continues.  Even with the input of Jerry Jones “Legends” marketing group, in the handling of PSL deals, has not helped.

The club wasted 3M in trying to market the “Fight for LA”  campaigned by AG Spanos, the owner’s empty suit son, who is President of Business Operations.

Nothing has changed from the moment the Chargers moved, but now it seems even worse, this atmosphere they have to work-live in..

From day one to now-wow, what a mess.

You can check off a lot of boxes of mistakes.  The team’s logo, the marketing campaign, the bogus introductory Spanos press conference, where he was cursed by San Diego fans who showed up, the lousy fan support in Carson, the anemic TV ratings in LA, to the losses, the bad games, and fading star status of Philip Rivers.

On Sunday, more damaging intel, even without a game scheduled.  Published reports this weekend about the demise of trust in Rivers from the people in the front office, and insinuation the relationship with the star quarterback has become frayed.  Damaged by his eroding productivity, crippling turnovers, but the fact he does not seem to have ‘bought in’ on the team’s moved to LA.  Add in the report, no contract extension talks, and a possible thought he might move to the Tennessee Titans as a free agent next off season to move closer to his Alabama home.

And then starting CB-Michael Davis was suspended on Friday for violation of the NFL drug program.  A mistake he made, or stupid move, doesn’t matter, it’s all one and the same to put yourself into a position for not showing up on time for random drug test, or smoking a joint of marijuana, or not doing paperwork properly, whatever it was.

It’s life with the Charges, that the owner created when he decided to screw 55-years of Chargers loyalty in San Diego to search for the gold in the LA market.  Fools gold.

The Union Tribune columnists started referring to Dean Spanos, as “Fredo”.  You remember him, the actor ,  the son in the movie ‘Godfather’, and the comment he made in the movie.

Fredo tells his brother Michael Corleone, “I’m not stupid-as everyone says.  I’m smart. And I deserve respect”.  Dean Spanos walks around portraying himself to be one thing.  Reality says something very different.

Look at the Chargers situation right now, and tell me with everything that is happening up there and has happened since the move, go ahead, compare Fredo to Dean.

Injuries have destroyed this season.  The ownership leadership is destroying the franchise.

Might have been a bye week, but the Chargers problems-controversies-criticism haven’t ceased.

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