COSTA MESA, Calif. – Los Angeles Chargers president of football operations John Spanos met with local reporters Monday at the team facility.
The Chargers fired coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco on Friday in what amounted to a complete reset of the franchise.
Spanos answered questions about the layoffs. He also discussed many other aspects of the organization – past, present and future.
These are the most revealing moments from the hour-long session and what it all means for the Chargers as they begin the search for their next head coach and GM.
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Ownership interest
On several occasions, Spanos has made it quite clear what role he believes the owners should play in the day-to-day operations of the football team.
“You hire really good people and let them do their jobs,” Spanos said.
That's a sensible approach. But there is a difference between saying it and actually doing it.
According to Team Media Guide, Spanos, son of majority owner Dean, began working for the family-owned Chargers in 1995 as a seasonal assistant in the football operations department. In 2003, he moved to a full-time position as a scout. From 2003 to 2005 he was a professional and college scout. In 2006, he was promoted to assistant director of college scouting. In 2008, he took over as head of college scouting. In 2013, the year Telesco was hired, he was named Executive VP of Football Operations. In 2015, he was named President of Football Operations and has served in that role ever since.
Spanos “oversees all football-related functions of the team, including player personnel, coaching, player financing and salary cap, medical care, equipment, video, player engagement and security,” the media guide states.
On Monday, Spanos revealed exactly how involved he is and has been in football operations.
“I talked to Tom or Brandon almost every day,” Spanos said. “I think my background just helps me gauge where we are and really helps me work with the head coach and the GM. But I don’t decide, “Hey, coach, you have to use this player.” Right? I have never done that. My father has never done that. We've never gone in and said, “You've got to play this play.” Or, “Hey, you've got to draft this player.” Because I think when you start doing that, it's a sign that you probably don't have the right people if you don't trust them to do their job.
“I believe in working with them. I am very committed. Because of my background and I'm very fortunate to have been able to work at the lowest level of the organization where I am now, I think it helps me when working with people.”
In a statement released Friday, Dean Spanos said the owners will “re-evaluate” how they approach “building and maintaining a championship-caliber program.”
When John Spanos was asked on Monday what that word – “reinvent” – means, he said: “Step back and look at everything and be willing to consider all possibilities, which means construction, structure, qualities of coaches, Qualities of GMs, backgrounds of coaches, backgrounds of GMs – actually rethink the entire structure and structure. And rethinking doesn't mean making a dramatic change and saying, “Okay, we're going to go in this direction and do the opposite of what we did.” It's just about really reflecting and assessing yourself and making sure that we give ourselves the best chance of success.”
Leading the family-run Chargers from left are owner Dean Spanos, president of football operations John Spanos and vice chairman Michael Spanos. (Kirby Lee/USA Today)
It is important to re-evaluate these processes. As Spanos himself said, “What we did wasn’t good enough.” The Chargers have earned two playoff victories since 2013. They haven't been to a conference championship game since 2007. They have never won a Super Bowl. Something needs to change in terms of approach, and both Dean and John Spanos have expressed this in the past week.
The bigger question, however, is whether this realignment will also impact the way ownership works. Spanos was asked about it directly.
“Of course,” he said. “I think you always have to be self-reflective. … I think sometimes maybe the mistakes that help you grow the most are the ones you learn the most from. I think as owners we always have to push ourselves to do better, to get better.”
Could this mean less engagement?
“Well, we will never stop supporting our coach and GM,” Spanos said. “My whole goal is to help the coach and the GM be their best and I will never stop if that's what you mean. And that’s exactly my role.”
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The primary goal is to provide the necessary support for the trainer and the managing director. How an ownership group does this – day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute – can vary from franchise to franchise.
There is no solution. But real realignment will extend to all levels of the organization.
The stated philosophy is to hire good people and get out of their way. Will part of the assessment in the coming weeks focus on how close ownership is to this stated philosophy?
“I don’t want to limit anything during this time when we’re looking at everything,” Spanos said. “So the most accurate answer I can give you is that we will always do what we believe gives us the best chance of winning. Going back to that, our main goal is to support and work with the coach and the GM, so we will always do that. So if you're wondering, “What about your approach?” Sure. If there’s a way to get better there, sure.”
“Commitment to Victory”
Spanos' strongest statement came in response to the question of why fans should believe the Chargers will get this coaching and GM search right.
“The will to win and do whatever it takes to get there is as strong as it has ever been and it really won’t let up,” Spanos said.
The natural consequence: What does this commitment mean specifically?
“First and foremost is providing the resources, whatever they may be,” Spanos said. “We help every staff member and player here to do their best. Providing resources such as spending for players. We had one of the most expensive squads in the last few years. Our cash expenditures are (among) the highest in the league. Construction of a brand new, state-of-the-art facility. So committing to resources and then really doing whatever it takes to find the right people.”
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The Chargers will be at their new facility in El Segundo, California, before training camp begins next year.
According to Spotrac financial data, the Chargers have spent the seventh-most in the league over the past two seasons.
The investment did not produce results. But there was still a clear financial commitment on the part of the owner. Spanos said Monday that the owners are still financially able to maintain that level of commitment.
“I can tell you that I have never felt or seen any restrictions due to cash or any other reason,” Spanos said.
Player spending is governed by the league's salary cap.
There is no salary cap on coaching and front office spending. And here there can be a discrepancy between the teams. Some owners are able to spend more money building their soccer teams simply because of their wealth.
Spanos was asked if it was fair to say there will be no cap on how much the Chargers can spend on a head coach. Is it possible to spend $20-25 million on a coach?
“Anything is possible in this search,” Spanos said. “I can tell you that there has been no discussion internally about whether there is a maximum limit. We will always do what is in the best interest of the team.”
The last three head coaches the Chargers hired: Mike McCoy, Anthony Lynn and Staley. McCoy and Staley were both coordinators before being hired. Lynn served as interim coach of the Buffalo Bills for one game before taking the job with the Chargers.
“If you look at the last three coaching hires we've made, all three of them are coaches that were in such high demand that if we didn't step up and get them, they would get other jobs,” Spanos said. “So we competed for players, we competed for personnel, we compete for a new facility.”
The commitment to spend money on the players has happened. The commitment to modernize the facilities has been implemented. In the coming weeks, the Spanos family will have the opportunity to extend this spending commitment to their football team.
John Spanos, who chats with receiver Joshua Palmer during OTAs, says there is no cap on spending as the Chargers look for a coach and GM. (Kirby Lee/USA Today)
The search
Spanos chose not to elaborate on what specifically went wrong with Staley and Telesco. That's the most he had to offer: “There were a lot of factors at play and we weren't where we needed to be yet.” He noted the “respect” he has for both Staley and Telesco .
“In my opinion, it all starts with personal responsibility,” Spanos said. “That’s why I think ultimately we’re responsible for everything.”
The responsibility that owners now have is to nail down these coaching and GM hires.
As for timing, Spanos said the Chargers have not yet made a decision on which position they want to fill first: GM or coach.
“If you look at what has happened in the league over the last few years, there are some teams that have managed to take a parallel path where you interview both at the same time. So that’s certainly a possibility,” Spanos said. “We are not going to commit to any particular way or structure at the moment. We'll see how it develops as we get closer to the end of the year. But really open to everything.”
During Telesco's tenure, the organization had a fairly defined hierarchy. Structurally, the head coach operated under Telesco. Spanos said the structure could change with the next regime.
“Right now it’s up to us to cast a wide net and keep an open mind,” Spanos said.
When looking for a head coach, Spanos said, “If you say you want a great leader, there are all different types of leaders.” There are screamers and screamers. There is more calm confidence. There is the intellectual type. In this search we must ensure that we do not limit ourselves in this way. This can include not only the type of leader you are, but also first-time head coach, veteran head coach, offense, defense, or special teams. I think it would be a mistake to limit ourselves at this point.”
He added: “I think previous experience as a head coach is valuable. I think we all recognize that. It helps to have been through it before. I don't think it can be the be-all and end-all if you only look at experienced trainers. But we definitely take into account that if someone already has experience as a head coach, that’s an added bonus.”
In the general manager search, Spanos said, “All different types, styles and backgrounds.”
What looms over these two searches is a troubling reality: The Chargers have enjoyed one of the most stable quarterback situations in the league over the past two decades – from Philip Rivers to Justin Herbert – and they have very little to show for it.
Herbert is good enough to win a championship. Now it's up to the Spanos family to create an infrastructure – from the owners to the front office, the coaching staff and the roster – that harnesses this potential.
“Winning the Super Bowl is the ultimate goal,” Spanos said, “and every decision we make is aimed at that.”
(Top photo of John Spanos and Brandon Stlaey: Kirby Lee / USA Today)
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