MacAddict104 Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 First of its been reported that Chargers owner Alex Spanos will fire both Norv Turner and probably AJ Smith as well. My question us, how awesome would it be to have AJ back in Buffalo? Either as an assistant GM or even to take over for Buddy Nix at the end of the season. AJ has an ego and would command a large paycheck but still, he has a proven record of finding Pro Bowl talent. Also props to Alex Spanos for being an owner who gives damn about his franchise. If only we had an owner with a winning mentality. Maybe someday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SageAgainstTheMachine Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Also props to Alex Spanos for being an owner who gives damn about his franchise. If only we had an owner with a winning mentality. Maybe someday If firing coaches and GMs merits congratulations, you should have no problem with Ralph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cincinnati Kid Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I'm happy with Nix and Whaley. Wouldn't want to jeopardize Whaley's interest in Buffalo by bringing in a big name guy to be Buddy's #2/Successor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacAddict104 Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 What makes you think Whaley is going to be any better than Nix? If the talent on this team is a problem, then he's partly responsible too If firing coaches and GMs merits congratulations, you should have no problem with Ralph. Clearly you don't understand. Spanos is so concerned that Turner/Smith killed their fan interest that he's wiling to fire these two clowns and eat millions of dollars to become successful again. That's a commitment to winning. No way, Ralph would do this. Like with Nix, he'd only hire internally or bring back Marv Levy as GM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkady Renko Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I don't think AJ left on good terms and I doubt Buddy Nix wants his old boss to come in and take all the credit if the Bills somehow turn things around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
217014170 Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 No chance...John Butler would roll over in his grave. John Butler and AJ Smith were a package deal. Now, if you want to speculate, I could see Bill Polian hiring him in Indianapolis to handle the draft and mentor young Chris Polian at least short term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VanCity Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 What makes you think Whaley is going to be any better than Nix? If the talent on this team is a problem, then he's partly responsible too Clearly you don't understand. Spanos is so concerned that Turner/Smith killed their fan interest that he's wiling to fire these two clowns and eat millions of dollars to become successful again. That's a commitment to winning. No way, Ralph would do this. Like with Nix, he'd only hire internally or bring back Marv Levy as GM Just to recap...First you state your desire to bring in AJ, then you quickly determine that he is a clown. Hmmmm....methinks we have a dilemma here. I don't think AJ has as much to do with what has happened in SD as do Norv and Rivers. Rivers brain seems to be fuzzy. Gunslinging is fine, but when you get picked off more than 20 times through 8 games, you might consider re-thinking that mentality. Instead, he has continued to get picked off at a prodigious pace. I find AJ to be brash and ego-centric. That being said, the GM of my favorite hockey team (Go ahead and bash away here) Brian Burke is the same personality type and has a similar eye for talent. I'd take his skillset at OBD in a heartbeat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmohawk Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 First of its been reported that Chargers owner Alex Spanos will fire both Norv Turner and probably AJ Smith as well. My question us, how awesome would it be to have AJ back in Buffalo? Either as an assistant GM or even to take over for Buddy Nix at the end of the season. AJ has an ego and would command a large paycheck but still, he has a proven record of finding Pro Bowl talent. Also props to Alex Spanos for being an owner who gives damn about his franchise. If only we had an owner with a winning mentality. Maybe someday Spanos let all that talent walk out the door and the team fell apart bc his cheap ass wouldn't pay anyone, the team went to crap bc of the owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bama18 Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 he has a proven record of finding Pro Bowl talent Really? So thats why they are firing him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan89 Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Be interesting for sure I would bring him in as assistant GM but still have Nix be the guy, and Whaley still be the heir apparent. To me AJ can stack a roster with pro-bowl talent. Look at how stacked the Chargers were for years. Its clear that he can find good players. Although the Chargers choice of coach after Marty ball was fired leaves me questioning his ability to find a coach (Really with that roster Norv Turner). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuSeYiN1978 Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Hey whatever happened to players playing? I understand the importance of coaching (example Eagles, have all the talent in the world but can't win ball games) but, whatever happened to players stepping up and making plays... Look at the Bills this year. We have a bunch of undrafted players and 7th and 6th round players making big names for themselves and yet our 1st and 2nd round talent are either not on the team anymore or are just not panning out or just get injured. I agree that GM's and coaches are important in "finding" talent but we need these damn players to start playing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Hindsight Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Be interesting for sure I would bring him in as assistant GM but still have Nix be the guy, and Whaley still be the heir apparent. To me AJ can stack a roster with pro-bowl talent. Look at how stacked the Chargers were for years. Its clear that he can find good players. Although the Chargers choice of coach after Marty ball was fired leaves me questioning his ability to find a coach (Really with that roster Norv Turner). You can thank Archie and Eli for stacking the Chargers with talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 You can thank Archie and Eli for stacking the Chargers with talent Well, they certainly made the most of the picks and still got their qb. Even without that trade it's a good team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAWNDO Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I don't think AJ left on good terms and I doubt Buddy Nix wants his old boss to come in and take all the credit if the Bills somehow turn things around. Yes, didn't Smith ask the NFL to let him out of his contract early so he could go with Butler? I think NFL granted his wish since the contract was up in a few months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Yes, didn't Smith ask the NFL to let him out of his contract early so he could go with Butler? I think NFL granted his wish since the contract was up in a few months. And he doesn't seem like the type to swallow his pride and come back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papazoid Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 A.J. Smith hasn't looked so good since Buddy left... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timstep Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 (edited) AJ Smith might be the most overrated GM in professional sports. Sure, he finds "pro-bowl talent," but rarely, if ever, has his teams met or reached expectations, developed any sort of chemistry, established an identity or made a significant impact in the post-season? He actually might be perfect for the Bills because he's shown the same questionable decision making tendencies. Remember back in 2007 when Michael Turner was signed to a 1-year restricted free agent deal? The Chargers should have done one of two things - resign the guy to be the successor to LaDanian Tomlinson, or trade the guy for draft picks. So what'd they do? Let Turner play out the year, leaving him to sign a free agent deal with Atlanta in the offseason in 2008. Let's keep in mind that between 2001 & 2007, Tomlinson had rushed over 300 times every year, and he got hurt in the 2008 playoffs. The following year, with Turner gone, Tomlinson missed games, had the lowest yards per carry average and total yards of of his career. If you watched Tomlinson that year, you knew the guy was not the same runner. So what does Smith do? In 2010 Tomlinson becomes a free-agent, and they have to draft Ryan Matthews to fill the hole, who has been an incredibly average for a first round pick. If Smith had held on to Turner and kept Tomlinson, they could have used the 2010 pick on a Jason Pierre-Paul or Sean Witherspoon. Or they could have dealt Tomlinson when he still had value. This isn't hindsight being 20/20, there were plenty of smart football folks questioning his decision making at the time, and this is just one example, and ignoring the fact he fired a coach after a 12-4 season. Edited December 3, 2011 by timstep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spun Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Firstly, Alex Spanos has been ill for some time and is not running the Chargers in any capacity. When is the last time you have seen A. Spanos on TV? It is a sad story. Dean Spanos has a lot of pull these days and the rumor is that the Chargers may be grooming a younger Spanos for future roles in the front office. As for the Chargers, their window has closed. Talent aged and/or departed. The Chargers were very good for a number of years with solid lines and some explosive players. But in their way stood the Pats, Steelers and the nemesis Jets. And even though the Chargers had some success aginst the Colts, Indy's winning ways certainly impacted the Chargers. Just like when the Bills had their rise in the eighties and nineties, there in the way stood the Giants, Redskins and Cowboys. Very few teams can sustain their winning ways for very long. Pittsburgh and N.E. are exceptions. The Charger fans and S.D. media are having a hard time accepting the reality of their fall. They want some firings and I think that is what is going to happen. As for the Bills, they don't need A.J. Smith. No explosive front office drama is needed right now. Recognize the weaknesses and address them (pass rushing lineman, monster linebacker, deep threat receiver and as always stalwart offensive linemen. Depth is in very short supply but the team has finally turned the corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcbillsfan Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 First of its been reported that Chargers owner Alex Spanos will fire both Norv Turner and probably AJ Smith as well. My question us, how awesome would it be to have AJ back in Buffalo? Either as an assistant GM or even to take over for Buddy Nix at the end of the season. AJ has an ego and would command a large paycheck but still, he has a proven record of finding Pro Bowl talent. Also props to Alex Spanos for being an owner who gives damn about his franchise. If only we had an owner with a winning mentality. Maybe someday you Buddy has a track record of finding pro bowl talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ganesh Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 First of its been reported that Chargers owner Alex Spanos will fire both Norv Turner and probably AJ Smith as well. My question us, how awesome would it be to have AJ back in Buffalo? Either as an assistant GM or even to take over for Buddy Nix at the end of the season. AJ has an ego and would command a large paycheck but still, he has a proven record of finding Pro Bowl talent. Also props to Alex Spanos for being an owner who gives damn about his franchise. If only we had an owner with a winning mentality. Maybe someday Not gonna happen. Smith talked some bad stuff about Ralph when left the building. Plus talent acquisition in SD in the past seasons have been horrible. What we need is a super DC to run thus defense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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