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CHARGERS & BLACK HOLE”
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This is unique.
This is surprising.
This goes against history.

Lots of ways to describe this NFL exec going into the Black Hole, leaving earth to venture to the Dark side.

In the 13-years I was the Voice of the Chargers, the relationship between the Silver & Black and the Lightning Bolt was historically strained.

Yes it had alot to do with the rivalry on the field.
The Holy Roller game and all.
The dominance of the Raiders during a down cycle by the Bolts.
The war between Al Davis and Gene Klien.
The influence Davis played in the Chargers hiring of Steve Ortmayer.
The wars between the sniping fans of both teams.
The dusty-dented Super Bowl trophies from decades ago.

That’s alot of bad history and big time disappointing football games.

And now the just departed Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco going to the Raiders as their new General Manager, a most surprising development.

No one I know saw that coming.

Telesco spenta decade running the Bolts, in San Diego and in Los Angeles.

He inherited a great QB in Philip Rivers.  Drafted the heir apparent, who may turn out to be a great QB in Justin Herbert.

He drafted well, changed the chemistry of the roster, changed the athleticism of the roster, signed some short term rental free agents.

But the team never got to NFL-power status because of injuries across both lines and virtually every other spot on the roster.

A career record of (86-95).  Only 2-playoff wins in an 11-year run as GM.

Add on the complicated-controversial move to Los Angeles.  The anger, hurt, resentment left behind in San Diego.

The challenge of renovating new facilities.  The fact they are still viewed as an outlier in the LA market, down the popularity list behind the Lakers-Dodgers, and what UCLA-and-USC used to be, and what the Clippers are becoming.

The Chargers never got to be what people expected them to be after they turned their back on 55-years of loyalty in San Diego.

It will be unique to see Telesco wearing those colors, what I refer to as the Silver & Bleak.  Hope he doesn’t show up in all-black or the all white jump suits.  No bad fashion statements please.

He won’t be the enemy, and it is stunning, his style compared to the swash-buckling approach the Raiders always seem to take.  Gone should be the helter-skelter ‘devil may care’ approach the Raiders have lived by, thru lots of bad years.

Bad drafts, bad citizens, bad mistakes at quarterback, bad salary cap problems.

Scoreboard does not lie.  The late Al Davis era ended with a franchise with a record of (90-182) over the years in Oakland.  Mark Davis has had 2-winning seasons in the 11-years since he took over, the non-football son replacing the Hall of Fame father.  How has that worked out?

Telesco will bring credibility, class, football intelligence and a conservative approach to doing NFL football business. You won’t find those words in describing the more recent Raiders history.

Fun to watch for sure.  Telesco, a good man, going into a bad situation.

But wearing those colors-wow.  I will root for the man.  Not sure I can root for nis new team, yet !.

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