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“Chargers-Always a Crisis”
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Why does it always end up this way with any star who wore the Lightning Bolt on the helmet?
Always !
The surprising story weeks back, about QB-Philip Rivers selling his homes in Del Sur and Rancho Santa Fe, and moving the wife and those 9-kids to the Florida panhandle near the Alabama border, now comes to its conclusion.
The Chargers and the quarterback parting ways, they not willing to offer him a contract extension, and he possibly tired of losing, the turnovers, the lack of fan support, not interested in staying.
He has every right to relocate as he gets to the end of his career, especially closer to his beloved ‘Deep Home Alabama’. But it made no sense if he was considering a contract extension with the Chargers, to have the wife and the kids at the other end of the country while he spends July thru December living-playing in Los Angeles.
And maybe that is the real story, he is leaving the Bolts, in an ugly divorce after 16-dedicated, loyal years. You know how it works when you are around the Spanos family-you give them lots, they take it and then treat you badly.
This is deeper than Rivers 23-touchdown-23 turnover season. This is more than a lousy (5-11) record. This is more than the firing of Offensive Coordinator Ken Whisenhunt.
Sources say Rivers is ‘offended’ big time, that someone close to Dean Spanos would drop hints to the national media, that the organization was upset the quarterback did not move to LA, and “was not all in” with helping promote the team in the Los Angeles market, as they lost games, played in a stadium overwhelmed by fans of the other team, and missed the playoffs again and again.
Offended-you bet. I bet he said more than ‘dad-gummit’ too.
Whoever made the comment did not have the courage to put their name next to it. I doubt it was Dean Spanos. I doubt it was Tom Telesco. I don’t think it was John Spanos. It was not Anthony Lynn. They know what that QB meant to the franchise. Can you say the author of so many ‘scorched earth’ statements in the teams final days in San Diego (Mark Fabiani) might have been the source, at Spanos’ direction?
In a year in which his contract was expiring, they could have signed him to an extension last off season. Done it in season. Sat down and committed at the end of the season. Announced they were franchise tagging him to bring him back for next season. None of that happened did it?
Why does every Chargers relationship end so badly?
This is not just about Philip Rivers, his history, his legacy, his passion, his productivity. It’s about the Spanos team ownership history.
You think back at all the ugly contract holdouts and how it impacted the Bolts in recent times. Impacted them, key players sitting out games, and the team losing early season games, that killed their chances to make the plahyoffs.
Think about stars of the past and what happened in recent history.
Antonio Gates long holdout-missed the playoffs.
Vincent Jackson holdout-missed the playoffs
Joey Bosa-missed start of rookie season-missed the playoffs.
Take it a step farther, how stars were treated and dispatched.
Junior Seau-dealt to Miami.
LaDanian Tomlinson-exited to the NY Jets
Rodney Harrison-shipped to New England
Vincent Jackson-left for Tampa Bay
Darren Sproles-onto the Eagles
Eric Weddle-signed with Baltimore
And back in the day, Dan Fouts retirement press conference was held in his home, with no Chargers officials around.
And now we face Philip Rivers living outside Pensacola, Florida, and possibly becoming a Miami Dolphin for a pass happy coach (Bruce Arians). Linking up in Indianapolis, playing behind a good offensive line for a coach he trusts-his ex Bolts Coordinator (Frank Riech). Or maybe showing up across the border in Tennessee with the Titans, who have a power running back, a heralded offensive front and a pretty fiery coach (Mike Vrabel).
The Chargers loss would surely be someone else’s gain. Are the Bolts thinking they will open next season in a new stadium with journeyman Tyrod Taylor, or 3rd stringer Easton Stick at quarterback? Might they draft a bluechip rookie, but do they think Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert will sell tickets or win. The Fight-for-LA has already been lost.
I sat and watched the emotional farewell press conference for the retirement of Eli Manning of the Giants. Former head coaches like Tom Coughlin and Bill Parcells were there. So were legendary QBs like Phil Simms and others. Eli’s closing comment was impressive ‘Once a Giant-Always a Giant’. Not here in Boltville.
Never happens with the Chargers. Not with Dan Fouts, and likely not with Philip Rivers.
There is just something amiss with everything about the Chargers way of doing business.
Why do things that end this way with their stars. ‘Classless Culture’.
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