Tag: John Spanos

Spanos family makes franchise-altering decision in hiring Jim Harbaugh

This is more than a rebuild by the Spanos family. This is a franchise-altering moment.

The Spanos family saw the 63-21 loss to the Raiders in December. The Spanos family heard all the slander about their organization and at the end of the conversation, the finger usually always pointed back to them. But unlike previous years, the Spanos family wasn’t idle and instead, were aggressive in their search for the next Chargers head coach. They hired Jim Harbaugh on Wednesday and it’s easily the best decision they’ve ever made. 

The Spanos family has owned the Chargers since 1984 when Alex Spanos bought a majority stake of the team. Not including interims, the Spanos family has hired 11 coaches that, suffice to say, never quite worked out. 

Well, there was Marty Schottenheimer, who led the Chargers to a 14-2 record and the No. 1 seed in the AFC in 2006, but the Spanos family fired him after the team was upset by Tom Brady and the Patriots. A big mistake for a coach who led the Bolts to their best record in franchise history. 

Unfortunately, there were a myriad of mistakes that followed the firing of Schottenheimer. You don’t get the reputation for being a humdrum franchise without making some big mistakes. 

In the last 11 seasons in which Dean Spanos and their son John Spanos have been at the helm of the organization, the Chargers have never reached an AFC title game or brought a playoff game to Los Angeles. 

The Chargers have had Drew Brees, Philip Rivers and Justin Herbert as their quarterback. But they haven’t been able to make a Super Bowl. A shocking fact. 

When the Spanos family hired Brandon Staley in 2021, they missed out on Super-Bowl-winning coach Sean Payton. He was reportedly interested in coaching Herbert but Payton was expensive. 

The hiring of Harbaugh was an uncharacteristic choice for the Spanos family but it speaks volumes. It says that they want their franchise to be taken seriously. And it says that Dean meant what he said in “building and maintaining a championship-caliber program.” 

Dean is notorious for being one of the worst owners in the NFL. He’s been called cheap for his unwillingness to pay coaches. He’s been accused of nepotism by hiring his son John as president of football operations. 

Now, the Spanos family not only listened to their fanbase but, in many ways, made a decision that has already changed the reputation of the franchise. 

In a statement from John on Wednesday, he said, “Nobody has built a team more successfully, and repeatedly, in recent history than Jim Harbaugh. His former players swear by him, and his opponents swear at him. Jim is one of one.”

This is more than a rebuild by the Spanos family. This is a franchise-altering moment. I suppose it was lucky number 12 for the Spanos family.

Chargers general manager candidate profile: Terrance Gray

Get to know Terrance Gray, a potential candidate for the Chargers’ general manager opening.

The Chargers completed an interview for their general manager position with Bills Director of Player Personnel Terrance Gray on Wednesday. Adding in Jeff Ireland and Ed Dodds, Los Angeles is up to seven reported interview candidates for general manager.

Gray joined the Bills in 2017 and ascended to assistant director of player personnel in 2020. He was promoted to full-time director of player personnel in June of 2022.

Gray comes up through experience as a college scout. Before his time in Buffalo, he worked for the Minnesota Vikings as a college scout for 11 seasons. Before that, he was with the Chiefs for three seasons in various roles.

Along with Bills’ assistant head coach Eric Washington, Gray was selected to participate in the NFL’s accelerator program in 2022. The program promotes diverse candidates, getting more spotlight on their candidacies for future head coaching and general manager positions.

Gray has playing experience as a cornerback in college. He played at Oregon State for his junior and senior seasons in 1999 and 2000.

The rapid ascent of Gray in Buffalo overlaps with the selection of Josh Allen in the 2018 NFL draft, in addition to other moves. It’s not a surprise the Chargers are looking to the original college scouts from the league’s best teams, given their current cap situation with future drafts in mind. The same is true with Joe Hortiz’s interview and candidacy from Baltimore.

Following the Chargers’ interview with Dodds on Wednesday, we’ll have to see if there are more candidates for Los Angeles to look at in their first round of interviews. Or if they start to get serious about narrowing the field with their second round of interviews instead.

Updated betting odds for the next Chargers head coach

Jim Harbaugh remains the front runner.

Who is going to be the next Chargers head coach?

With the regular season ending in just a couple of days, oddsmakers still believe that Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is going to be the successor to Brandon Staley at +150 odds, per BetOnline.ag.

This means a $100 bet would get you $150 if you bet on Harbaugh to be Los Angeles’ new head coach and he is hired.

Here are the rest of the potential candidates and their odds as of Jan. 5:

Coach Odds
Jim Harbaugh +150
Ben Johnson +240
Bill Belichick +350
Kellen Moore +750
Frank Smith +1200
Eric Bieniemy +1200
Bobby Slowik +1200
Lincoln Riley +1600
Dan Quinn +1800

 

Betting odds for the next Chargers head coach

Who is the frontrunner according to the betting odds?

Who is going to be the next Chargers head coach?

While it’s still early, with three weeks left in the season, oddsmakers believe that Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is going to be the successor to Brandon Staley at +200 odds, per BetOnline.ag.

This means a $100 bet would get you $200 if you bet on Harbaugh to be Los Angeles’ new head coach and he is hired.

Here are the rest of the potential candidates after Harbaugh and their odds:

Coach Odds
Bill Belichick +300
Ben Johnson +400
Kellen Moore +500
Frank Smith +700
Eric Bieniemy +1200
Bobby Slowik +1200
Lincoln Riley +1600
Ryan Day +1600
Dan Quinn +1800

Report: Chargers interested in Jim Harbaugh for head coaching job

The experienced head coach is drawing interest from the Chargers.

According to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, the Chargers are interested in Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh for their head coaching job.

“It’s unclear if the feeling is mutual, as Harbaugh gets set to coach the Wolverines in their third consecutive College Football Playoff appearance,” Schultz added.

Harbaugh is heading into his third straight College Football Playoff appearance with Michigan, who will face Alabama on New Year’s Day.

Harbaugh has drawn interest from NFL teams in the last two offseasons. He had an interview with the Vikings in 2022 and the Broncos in 2023 for their head coaching vacancies. He returned to coach the Wolverines both times.

Harbaugh was the head coach of the 49ers for four seasons, finishing with a 44-19-1 record and leading them to a Super Bowl appearance in 2013.

Given his experience and success as a head coach at the college and professional level, it is no surprise that the Chargers are interested in Harbaugh.

It will come down to if Harbaugh is ready to leap back into the NFL. According to Sports Illustrated’s Richard Johnson, Michigan is working on a five-year contract extension for Harbaugh that is worth $11 million per year.

However, something could hold Harbaugh back from returning, as he could be facing a season-long suspension in 2024 for Michigan allegedly stealing signs in an illegal fashion through the use of advanced scouting and technology.

Should he decide to return to the NFL, Harbaugh will likely be at the top of the Chargers’ wish list. 

Chargers players vouch for Brandon Staley following loss to Jaguars

Chargers players showed their support for head coach Brandon Staley, who is currently under fire.

Following the third-largest collapse in NFL postseason history from a 27-0 lead to a 31-30 loss to the Jaguars in the Wild Card round, Chargers head coach Brandon Staley’s job status is not entirely secure.

Staley made some questionable decisions, including playing his starters for most of a meaningless game against the Broncos in Week 18. It resulted in wide receiver Mike Williams injuring his back and unable to play.

Then, Staley endured the playoff meltdown in Jacksonville.

Despite the many analysts and fans that think Staley could get the boot, players of the team are fully supportive of him and believe that he should remain as Los Angeles’ head coach, including quarterback Justin Herbert.

“Everyone would be lucky to have a coach like Staley. He’s been an incredible leader and has the respect of everyone on our team,” Herbert said. “He’s genuine, he’s himself and has been the same person for the past two years.

Herbert added that he has complete trust in the Chargers’ coaching staff and front office.

Staley has a 19-16 record, including the playoffs, in his two seasons. He led the Chargers to their first playoff appearance since 2018, despite dealing with a slew of injuries to key players, including edge defender Joey Bosa, who missed 12 games with a groin injury.

“I really do trust these coaches. He’s a fresh head coach in this league. To expect he’s going to know everything right away is kind of silly,” Bosa said. “I think we need to just keep building. It doesn’t happen overnight.”

The Chargers’ first-half efforts were near perfection, as they committed five turnovers and scored 27 points. But they struggled to match the Jaguars’ halftime adjustments in all phases.

Despite the second-half meltdown, star safety Derwin James says he 100% believes in the coaching staff.

“I don’t feel like it happens overnight,” James said. “I feel like what we built here and what we’ve continued to build every day it’s something special. And that first half definitely showed that.”

James added that he’s open to using his voice to make his case for Staley to return.

“That’s my guy. I feel like he’s put a lot into it, and a lot of the guys in the locker room believe in him. I definitely believe in him and we’re gonna get it right.”

Takeaways from Chargers HC Brandon Staley’s introductory presser

Chargers head coach Brandon Staley impressed during his long introduction.

The Los Angeles Chargers introduced Brandon Staley as their new head coach on Thursday.

Here are my top takeaways:

Vision for the team

Despite being the third-youngest head coach in the NFL, Staley talked like he’s been coaching in the league for well over 10 years.

The 38-year old started by saying that the foundation for the team will start with “relationships” and the second will be “competition.”

“Each and every day, the Chargers need to be on a mission. A mission to create something challenging, competitive, impactful where people within our team can become their best.

Staley has already talked to players Justin Herbert, Keenan Allen, Derwin James, Joey Bosa. But he also has reached out to Chargers legends like LaDainian Tomlinson, Shawne Merriman, and Dan Fouts.

Staley said the team needs to earn the respect of the fans and be proud of a team to cheer for this coming season.

Building system around QB Justin Herbert

Staley has only coached on the defensive side of the ball in his career, but having played quarterback in college and being around many coaches with an offensive background, he considers himself an “offensive coach.”

Staley plans to build a system around Herbert this season.

“My vision for the offense really fits Justin and what he can do well,” Staley said. “Creating a system for Justin and uniquely shaping it for his skill set, because he is unlike anybody in the NFL.”

Staley said he wants Herbert to get “a dual education” which means he will get coached up on the offense but on the defensive side, as well. He wants to show the him what he will face.

Planning on calling the plays on defense

The thought is that the Chargers will run the 3-4 defense that Staley has enforced. However, Staley isn’t entitled to it, at least for now.

He said they are not tied to one specific grouping or front and that players will be involved in the collaboration process.

“We want to shape it around our guys. The flexibility we have to match up is a hallmark of how we played. The way we play on defense is the exact way we want to play on offense. We want to put people in conflict.”

Staley said the plan is for him to call the plays on defense and build a strong coaching staff under him.

Staley said he can’t wait to start coaching his players on defense, specifically mentioning Bosa, James and Kenneth Murray.

Update on coaching staff

The Chargers have been hard at work constructing a coaching staff under Staley.

Staley said they are exploring the avenue of getting a coach on the staff with previous head coaching experience, adding the goal is to surround himself with coaches who can make him better.

“In time, you guys will see that this staff will become one of the elite staffs in the NFL,” Staley said.

General manager Tom Telesco added it may take a couple of weeks to put the coaching staff together.

Requirements of Chargers’ next head coach described

Change is coming for the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chargers won’t be so quick to hire someone to fill the head coaching vacancy.

According to NFL Media’s Jim Trotter, Los Angeles is expected to interview 10-12 candidates for their head coach job.

Trotter notes that owner Dean Spanos will be more involved in the hiring process. When Lynn was hired in 2017, he allowed his son, John and general manager Tom Telesco to oversee it while he was dealing with stadium situation.

The composition of the staff will be a vital factor with whoever they are set to hire. When Lynn was onboard, an issue was loyalty to his staff. He saw problems but was slow to make needed changes.

For example, the special teams unit was an ongoing problem dating back to the beginning of the 2020 season and Lynn didn’t make the personnel change of demoting coordinator George Stewart until the end of November.

L.A. will be looking for someone to continue to develop rookie sensation Justin Herbert. Along with that, the initial focus will be on someone who can oversee the team, not just one side of the ball or the other.

Report: Chargers won’t make decision on Anthony Lynn until after season

Even after the disastrous loss, Anthony Lynn is still safe.

Anthony Lynn said that he planned to remain the coach of the Chargers when he woke up following the team’s shutout loss to the Patriots on Sunday.

It appears that Lynn will resume his duties not only today, but for the remainders of the 2020 season.

According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the organization won’t make a decision on Lynn and his job status until after the season.

Despite the 45-0 loss to New England, Rapoport reports that there’s a ton of respect for Lynn’s leadership ability inside the building. Therefore, Los Angeles is allowing Lynn to run the team, at least for the final four games.

Sitting at 3-9, there’s no need to continue to evaluate the total body of work. The Chargers are already out of playoff contention and Sunday’s loss didn’t help his case to keep his job.

Fans want to see accountability now. Lynn is not the answer for L.A. and there’s nothing that he’s done the past two seasons to show that he’s worth keeping around any longer aside from some motivational speeches that aren’t even put to good use.