San Diego Chargers Daily Links: January 9, 2013

Jon Gruden is Such a Boss… - BP
What was the U-T San Diego’s endorsement as the Chargers next head coach doing during the National Championship BCS Title Game? Watching some live "WWE Raw," of course. The hell else would he be doing? It’s funny that people are giving Gruden tons of crap for this, because to be honest, I like him more now. He KNEW that BCS game would suck… and he proved by big-leaguing the sport he works in.

Calm Like a Bomb: The Finer Points of Manti Te'o's Search-and-Destroy Style - Chris Brown
Manti Te'o finished the 2010 season, his second in South Bend, as already one of the most decorated linebackers in Notre Dame history. A former five-star recruit, Te'o finished his sophomore year with 133 tackles (good for 21st nationally), was a finalist for both the Butkus and Bednarik awards, was named a second-team All-American by CNN/SI, and, against Stanford, had managed 21 tackles. There was just one problem: He could've played a lot better.

Saban Is Keen to Explain 'Process' - Greg Bishop
"Eliminate the clutter and all the things that are going on outside and focus on the things that you can control with how you sort of go about and take care of your business. That’s something that’s ongoing, and it can never change." Saban added, "So it’s the process of what it takes be successful, very simply."

Matthews, Joeckel headline OT class - Kevin Weidl (Insider)
A trio of Aggies who headlined the game could all be first-round picks, and right tackle Jake Matthews (Grade: 87) is the most intriguing of the three. Matthews (6-foot-5, 305 pounds) is a junior and has not yet declared for the 2013 draft, but some scouts believe Matthews is an even better pro prospect than Aggies LT Luke Joeckel (96).

Top 5 playoff bounceback teams - Herm Edwards (Insider)
Although the Chargers are still without a coach, whoever takes over will inherit a talented team. San Diego needs another CB opposite Quentin Jammer (EDITOR'S NOTE: Jammer is a free agent), but this 3-4 defensive front is strong and the Chargers drafted well in recent years along it (Corey Liuget, Kendall Reyes, Melvin Ingram). Plus, Eric Weddle is one of the best cover safeties in the league on the back end.

Vote: Spurlock Punt Return vs. Kickoff Return - Ricky Henne
Round One of Bolts Madness continues as we pit Micheal Spurlock against….Micheal Spurlock. Vote for either his punt return for a touchdown vs. the Jets or his kickoff return for a TD against the Raiders to move on to Round Two. The winner will face off against yesterday’s winner, Antonio Gates’ record breaking touchdown catch.

Chargers need winner, not name - Kevin Acee (Paywall)
A coach will excite enough people enough that they’ll buy tickets. But it won’t result in a cash infusion that would single-handedly eradicate blackouts or, say, offset the cost of such a big-name coach. And, certainly, such a bump would be temporary without the right results. Winning is what will alleviate apathy, get people to spend money on the team again, maybe even get them to hug a Spanos.