Chargers Fans Feel Doomed With Dean Spanos, But Why?

I know what you're thinking. There was a Doomed With Dean Spanos: Part 1? Well yes there is (notice I didn't use the word "was"?). I haven't written it yet but chronologically speaking the incident I will be writing about occurred prior to the quotes below. I'm trying to tell you that you have something to look forward to next week. It's a personal anecdote. Moving on . . .

Yesterday Richard posted a poll question asking, Whose fault is it? I believe that voting is a very private matter not dissimilar to a man's personal preference in [redacted].

Despite my feelings on voting, and [redacted] for that matter, I'm not keeping my vote secret -- I voted for Dean Spanos. I even owned up to it yesterday but my reasoning lacked reason. It was visceral -- the type of comment that gets destroyed at BFTB. Had I defended my position I would have done so by citing the quotes below. However, that would have made for an extremely long comment so I opted to turn it into a post.

I'll share my Dean Spanos anecdote with you next week but until then enjoy some of my favorite Dean Spanos quotes.

11/19/2008:

"We hired Norv because we believed in him," Spanos said. "He did an outstanding job last year. This year is not going how we hoped. I'm disappointed like anybody is. ... We're not in business to change coaches every year."

The 2008 campaign "is not going how we hoped". That was the year the Chargers got off to a terrible start under Norv Turner. It was like 2007, 2009, and 2010. Fortunately during 2011 and 2012 the bed-sh*ttings waited until the middle part of the season.

Belief . . . it's an interesting concept. A powerful concept.

12/27/2010:

"The easiest thing in the world is to start over. Who the hell do I go hire? Blow the whole thing up? We're a pretty good team but we have to make the right moves. We've fallen. It could have been our draft picks or our free-agent moves. But we have a good core, and I don't care what anybody says. I'm not afraid to make changes. If I thought it was warranted, I would do it. We have a good foundation here."

Who the hell do I go hire? If that one question right there doesn't terrify you then I want the kool-aid you're drinking because clearly mine was spiked with 3 milliliters of Visine. Seriously. I have terrible diarrhea right now. OK. I'm being figurative . . . but doesn't the uncertainty from a top executive give you pause as a fan? And diarrhea?

This is a damning quote. It makes me feel like I have no chance of ever experiencing a championship in the city of San Diego. Unless Craig Elsten spots me some free tickets to a Sockers' game.

1/3/2012:

"You have to decide which way your team is headed," Spanos said. "And if it's headed down, which ours clearly has been in the last couple years, for a lot of different reasons, what do you need to do to change that and how fast can you change it and what's the best way to effectively make those changes? I find ourselves in the middle (of the league).

"I still think we're a good team, we have a marquee quarterback with a great relationship with one of the best coaches in the National Football League, in my opinion, and I think that, you know, going forward next year, keeping this intact gives us the best chance to win and change this thing as quickly as possible."

This quote, given nearly 11 months ago, was made possible for one reason and one reason alone: Jared Gaither. Jared f*&%ing Gaither!

If that lazy human doesn't play out of his mind after crawling in off the streets of Kansas CIty with Gates BBQ stains all over his person, then the Chargers don't finish the season strong. And if the Chargers don't finish the 2011 season strong then Norv Turner isn't still the coach of the San Diego Chargers. And if Norv Turner isn't still the coach of the San Diego Chargers then someone else is. And if someone else is the coach then we, the fans, aren't complaining endlessly about Norv Turner and our (sporting) lives are very different.

But since Dean Spanos is in charge, how much different could our lives really be? The results are in amigos. What's left to ponder?