I think he got pumped up a little high after the extraordinary handling of the Eli Manning thing (even though I’d rather have Brees and 2004 top 5 caliber pick instead of Rivers, I can’t argue with getting that extra 1st rounder that became Shawne Merriman). He’s competent enough to build a playoff caliber football and that’s saying something in the NFL. I like that for all his ego issues, once the season starts, he’s pretty hands-off unless the team needs something to help them get playoff bound (i.e. Chambers and McCardell trades). I figure that he’s good about handling the cap considering that we never have cap issues (although part of that is due to Cap Genious Ed McGuire and part due to the team’s financial constraints). I like that he signs backups who may become starters to smaller deals before they get to free agency in order to keep the Chargers deep on the cheap (As much as we criticize Wilhelm, Tucker, Cooper or Hart, I’d rather have them then some late round/undrafted rookie or free agent cast-off because we had to let them walk due to price). I’m also pretty sure that the hard line he takes with player contracts helps in some matters, but it sure seems like sometimes he’s just being an ass (see: Antonio Gates contract situation).

I haven’t yet seen a definitive miss from AJ. Buster Davis is working hard at becoming the exception. I generally like accumulating and using draft picks, rather than packaging them to move up. See the countless articles every year detailing the teams that have had the most picks in the last five years; it’s routinely the Patriots, Colts, Steelers, etc. The good teams. It must be more than coincidence. But the moves up for Weddle and Hester, I think, have proven to be good and could still prove to be great.

Unless and until he proves us wrong, I trust that AJ knows a lot more about personnel than I do and than a fair number of other GMs do. And he knows that he knows, and will be very happy to tell you that he knows, allegedly. I’m indifferent on the ego, only really have hearsay evidence to its existence and massiveness. If making shrewd business moves is a sign of ego, then I love my big-headed GM.

I think Wonko is right on the money. I like Rivers better than Brees; but there is room for disagreement there. AJs ego does occasionally get in the way; but not often enough for me to want to get rid of him. What I did like was mid-season he came out and admitted that he had made mistakes, that is a very good sign. He has more hits than misses; if he overestimated some of the talent, so did a whole bunch of people.

He has his pros and cons, but overall when they are talking about the best drafting GMs his name comes up. Time will tell if we overpaid for Weddle and Hester, but even at that this team has turned from a laughing stock into a perennial contender, granted John Butler gave him a good start on the process. In some ways he has become a victim of his own success; there is so much talent that the Chargers end up having to let some of it go free agency. Also he has such a reputation for being a shrewd trader I think potential deal makers demand more because they don’t want to end up being taken.