The San Diego Chargers has always been a team I pulled for. From Hall-of Famer Dan Fouts lighting up the league with Charlie Joiner. From the great Stan Humpries that led the Chargers to their only Superbowl appearance with Natran Means running over people with a nice rushing attack that season. Then you wondered why the Oakland Raiders fans always had more fans in Chargers at their home games. Even with the move to LA visiting fans outnumbered Charger fans the last two years in their soccer stadium. Chargers fans are like extinct from the football world. They may have a small cult following. Chargers should be compared to the Tampa Bay Rays or Florida Marlin fans of the baseball owner.  Marlins it was the way ownership ran that team. Even though they won some World Series titles, Marlin fans have had less happy years and more painful years. Ownership has changed for the Marlins so times it may change for them. The LA Chargers times have “It’s still business as usual” for their ownership. If you look closely at the Chargers organization, you can see they have left a stench so bad to irritate fans and sour their stomachs for good. You completely understand why they don’t have a following. They Chargers deserve the results every year regarding what takes place on the field because of how the ownership runs things .

Chargers arrived in LA and played one season in 1960 in the AFL. After one season Chargers picked up and moved to San Diego. They say San Diego is one of those cities with the best climate. All year around great weather. Laid back people enjoying beautiful beaches and enjoying life. The Chargers and their owner Alex Spanos could not get a deal done to build them a new stadium. The talks have been going on with the city of San Diego and the Chargers for a very long time. After decades in San Diego, Chargers move once again back to LA. The Chargers joined the Rams in LA and instantly became the second fiddle of that town. Rams obviously moved back to LA from St. Louis and had bigger roots in LA for decades which were established. Chargers have been playing at a soccer stadium since 2018 and get outdrawn by the opposing fans and can never even fill up a soccer stadium. These are two cities now that the Chargers have fans that are just turned off by their existence.

I thought about Eli Manning and my first opinion on that was, “What is this primadonna doing?” In 2004 Eli Manning was originally drafted by the Chargers. Manning’s agent said he does not want to play in San Diego. Manning would rather sit out the entire season than put the bolt helmet on. The Chargers ended up getting Phillip Rivers who was drafted after Manning by the New York Giants. Manning went on to win two Superbowls for the Giants. Rivers has been a main staple behind center since but after a horrible 2019 season Chargers released perhaps their second best quarterback of all-time.  I give Dan Fouts the edge over Rivers. Would Rivers have won a Superbowl with the Giants? Some franchises have the luck and turn anything into gold while the Chargers are still evaluating scrap metal they collected on their roster. That year Chargers blamed Archie Manning for Eli not wanting to go to San Diego. Archie played in the small market of New Orleans. I think Archie Manning knew the owner of the Chargers is not worthy of his son’s talents because of way things were ran. Which now you think about it, now he was very correct.

That year when the Chargers were drafting Eli Manning and settled for Phillip Rivers, they had a starting quarterback. They had a guy better than both Eli Manning and Phillip Rivers. His name was Drew Brees. Why were they drafting a quarterback that year in the first place?  Brees ended up hurting himself so that helped the Chargers justify their release of Brees back then. Rivers would play 16 seasons with the Chargers and never reach a Superbowl. Rivers played in only 11 playoff games through his career as a Charger. Rivers would pass for 59, 271 yards with 397 touchdown passes and 198 interceptions. Last season it was rock bottom for Rivers. 23 touchdown tosses but 20 interceptions is what people will still talk about. Rivers went 123-101 as a starter. I remember some great playoff games Rivers had. However Rivers could not beat Peyton Manning and Tom Brady with consistency and those two were the kings of the AFC conference .While Rivers won nothing for the Chargers, Drew Brees resurfaced in New Orleans and won a Superbowl. The Saints have been a powerhouse almost every year with Brees behind center. Rivers might be better off with a new organization. Perhaps he looked and will do well in a Colts uniform.

Now the Chargers in 2020 are talking that Tyrod Taylor will be their starting quarterback. The same Tyrod Taylor who got benched in Cleveland after only three games in that city. Taylor is just a game manager who can make plays with his legs. Taylor can not throw the ball downfield if the team gets behind. Taylor is more of a dink and dunk type of guy in the passing game. All safe throws. Taylor had success in Buffalo helping them get to playoffs a few years ago that broke a very long drought in Western New York for the Bills. Taylor is just two games over his career record as a starting quarterback at 23-21-1. With all the quarterbacks available this off season you are putting your faith in Taylor. This is what the Chargers do. These are reasons fans just give up on Charger football.

Former Charger Eric Weddle was fined ten grand because he wanted see his daughter perform at halftime. No wonder it was a blessing for Weddle when he signed with the Ravens after his career with Chargers came to an end. They traded away Junior Seau thinking he had nothing left in the tank. Seau went on to Miami and the Patriots and was very productive after his Chargers days. No wonder the Chargers drafted Ryan Leaf. The way the Chargers do things they need to get socked in their face with picks like Leaf. Chargers remind me of the LA Clippers when they had David Duke aka Donald Sterling running things. Alex Spanos has passed away but the Spanos family still run the Chargers. Not sure how long this team will last in LA. If you don’t have a following and you’re putting Tyrod Taylor in as your starting QB next season, it does not sound like a good business move. I see the Chargers moving again sometime in the future where they escape LA after the new LA XFL team draws more interest than Charger football. Any city desperate for an NFL team they need to be aware of this Charger ownership. Maybe London, England will be the way to go if the Queen can buy them out. CHEERIO CHARGERS!!! You have a future Monarch name change coming your way.