Forget about the head coach.
Norv Turner is not going away.
Don't know any other way to say it and make the populace believe it.
Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith has decided Turner has not been the snag in the march to the Super Bowl. Smith knows who is to blame.
“I believe in Coach Turner and know what he brought to this organization and this team during the 2007 season and in particular what he accomplished in postseason,” Smith said yesterday. “Last year under his watch has been dismissed like yesterday's newspaper by many, but not me.
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“We know things have not gone well this season. I believe the bulk of the failures of 2008 so far falls clearly on my shoulders. Player personnel has been inadequate on many fronts, and I need to do a better job of adding the right players and carefully assessing the players we now have and have committed to for our future.”
Smith will watch tonight's game against the Oakland Raiders – perhaps the Chargers' last, desperate game as a possible playoff team – burdened but ready to move forward.
“I feel responsible,” he said. “It's a heavy load right now. All I can do is look at the Raiders game, address our problems and get back to winning.”
Regardless of what happens in the season's final four games, Smith will spend December assessing and then January reflecting.
Playoffs or not, this team needs some work.
“Even with the miracle,” he said, “my thinking is the same.”
Smith would not elaborate this week on his thinking, other than to say he has a lot more of it to do.
“There's a million things,” he said. “How to fix it? I've got to figure it out.”
Not that Smith asked – he never does – but here are some observations, suggestions and predictions based on a season of watching this mess and recent discussions with numerous sources.
The Condon conundrum
Since we're looking forward, this is the perfect place to start when assessing the Chargers.
Superagent Tom Condon represents LaDainian Tomlinson and Shawne Merriman, and the future of both is being assessed.
Tomlinson already has made it clear he is not playing beyond his contract, which expires after the 2011 season. The Chargers are not redoing his contract. Tomlinson is not pleased with the direction of the offense.
April is not too early for Smith to draft Tomlinson's heir.
The thinking is that Tomlinson will be the Chargers' running back in 2009, but his trade value is only going to decline as he gets older.
Tomlinson hasn't had a lot of room with the poor run blocking of the offensive line or a lot of opportunities with the Chargers playing from behind so much. But with all due respect to the future Hall of Famer, he is not the back he was in 2006, and there is no one who thinks he ever will be again.
He'll be 30 before next season, and it would not be the biggest shock to see him traded before then, with the facilitation of Condon.
While Smith will make the decisions, Condon also will likely try to smooth the transition of Merriman, who will not be getting a long-term contract from the Chargers before or after his current pact runs out in 2009.
It is highly possible Merriman could be franchised for 2010, a move by the team that keeps him a Charger for one year at a very steep price. Now, the Chargers could franchise Merriman with the intent of trading him, but that trade would be contingent on Condon working a long-term deal with another team.