Maybe it started as an inside joke. A title to mock San Diego Chargers GM A.J. Smith that takes the name of a successful trilogy and puts an insulting twist on it. Maybe it was said among the owners and GMs and it was overheard by a player. But like many inside jokes, they don’t stay inside for long.
Lord of No Rings.
That’s what they call Smith. It’s an unflattering moniker that highlights the lack of championships despite regular season success.
The Chargers are considered one of the most talented teams in the NFL and have been for years, yet all that talent never leads to playoff results. They’re better known for choking over and over again despite having stellar records in the regular season.
Since Smith became San Diego’s GM in 2003, S.D. won 67 regular season games and won the AFC West five times. But they are just 3-5 when games really matter.
Maybe it’s not fair to blame Smith for the Chargers coming up short in the playoffs because A.J. is not on the field for games. But he is the man that put the team together. He could find players with mental toughness. Or maybe he should keep more veterans on the team for leadership.
Smith made the call to keep QB Phillip Rivers over Drew Brees because Brees suffered a torn labrum and partial rotator cuff tear in the 2005 season finale. That and Rivers was hand picked by Smith in the 2004 NFL Draft after trading QB Eli Manning for Phillip. While statistically they’re equal, Brees remarkably recovered from the injury and led the New Orleans Saints to a 2009 Super Bowl Championship while Rivers came up short against the New York Jets.
With the offensive focus on the passing game, Smith let RB LaDanian Tomlinson leave because after nine years, it looked like Tomlinson didn’t have his quickness anymore. Well L.D.T. is on pace for 1,300 yards and is averaging 5.3 yards per carry with the New York Jets.
No decision has been as influential as changing head coaches, from Marty Schottenheimer to Norv Turner. Marty Ball was 0-2 in the playoffs and Turner’s pass-first offense has been better at 3-3. What’s maddening is the inconsistency of the Chargers under Turner’s rule as S.D. went from 11-5 down to 8-8, climbed to 13-3 and now is listless at 2-4 through six weeks.
How the Chargers have a losing record is baffling. They have the league’s best offense, best defense, and ranks first in pass offense and pass defense. But they fail at ball security, tied at 23rd with a -3 plus/minus. No team has more fumbles lost (nine), including dropping the ball in the red zone a couple of times. S.D. doesn’t protect Rivers either, allowing 18 sacks, tied for fourth worst in the league. Hopefully a happy Marcus McNeil (the Pro Bowl OT missed the first five weeks while holding out for a long term contract) will help in that department.
If things don’t turn around on the field quickly, the Chargers will suffer a losing season and will go another year without winning an NFL Championship and the jewelry to symbolize the feat. It would mean another year A.J. Smith carries the insulting nickname that still rings true.
A few things I’m looking for:
Watch Brady’s Back: The Chargers get more sacks (21) than they give up. The protection has to hold up.
Aerial Assault: Bend but don’t break won’t be good enough as the pass defense faces possibly their challenge this season thus far.
Out of Time: N.E.’s defense spends the sixth most time on the field in the league, S.D. 31st. New England has to turn the tables.
Great stats won’t matter because the Chargers will lag where it matters most: on the scoreboard. The Patriots stay hot.
Question? Comments? Send to talktome@randolphc.com.
Keywords: A.J. Smith, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, LaDanian Tomlinson, Marcus McNeil, Marty Schottenheimer, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, Norv Turner, Phillip Rivers, San Diego Chargers, Tom Brady
