Harry Beanbag
Sausage King of Chicago
San Diego Chargers GM AJ Smith interviewed with Scott and BR on XX Sports Radio in San Diego. Pretty much verbatim. I recorded it and thought I might share it with the FBGs that are out of the reach of the So Cal radio airwaves.
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Hosts: Good Morning AJ, welcome to the show. Pretty crazy week for you, huh?
AJ Smith: Yeah, it started last week with the draft meetings so we just finished up the offense. Right now we are moving forward with the defense and should wrap that up Wednesday afternoon. We always leave ourselves Thursday and Friday to shut down and come up a game plan.
Billy Ray: AJ, so you guys meet position by position and rank what you think is the finest tackle and the finest guard and finest running back and so on and so forth?
AJ Smith: Right, that is what the readings are and most of the teams in the league do it that way. We’ll start with the first running back all the way down to the 75th. Everyone has an opinion and we move all the way through. That’s the first thing you have to do so you have a pulse of what is going on around the league. Then you shut it down and make a determination. Right now we have eight picks in the draft. That could be less, that could be more depending on the wheelings and dealings on draft day. You decide what is the best football player is the best to go after and add to our football team. Then you have those calculated moves where you have heard me say where you cluster up maybe four or five guys at any position or maybe a couple of them might be at the same position where you would put down there at pick number 30. You then say, ‘any of these five guys we anticipate that we would be interested in them’. Then we wait for all the fun games to happen during the draft. If someone filters in there that adds more to the cluster, that means, someone that you thought wouldn’t be there and then you make your pick.
Scott: So AJ, when you say you will spend the first part of this week going though and ranking players by position and then Thursday sort of shutting it down and create a game plan, what happens on that Thursday and Friday?
AJ Smith: That means we are all done with our readings and it would be myself, Buddy Nix and Norv Turner and I would come up with some suggestions on what type of game plan of what players I think will still be there. What strengths should we be going for if there is an either or situation. If these two guys are there or if this guy is there and we have a game plan. We really like to wake up Saturday morning and have that over and done with. Are there a few surprises along the way? Yeah, but not that very many. We can’t anticipate bizarre things that could happen. Suppose someone calls and offers you these guys and all these kinds of picks for this year and next year, would you do it or wouldn’t you do it. We might do it for THIS particular guy. We call is scenario time and game plan time and it is all day and maybe into the evening on Thursday. Friday we don’t go so late. Then you feel pretty good about your plan and you get up and you are ready to go.
Billy Ray: What are the odds of Michael Turner staying with this team through the draft? Do you think someone is going to make a real play for him and you will have to take them up on it?
AJ Smith: You know, I really don’t know where that is going to go. In my opinion, everyone just laid their cards on the table. It’s what I call ‘the bluff situation’ or it will pass. That means, we know that is it a one and a three, that time has passed and no one ever gets that because it cripples your draft. I have said to teams that were interested that we are flexible, meaning this year AND next year. Split it up if you want to. If you don’t want to, present a package to us. If the package is advantageous, meaning a package of players and draft picks we would entertain that. If it would be beneficial to the Chargers, we would execute it and Michael wouldn’t be here. If it’s not, we are perfectly happy to have him here and pay him the salary that we have agreed upon as a kickoff returner and GREAT running back as we all know and as an insurance policy for us. He would leave next year, as he should, he’s a great kid and he will be a great back in the league. Where he will go is anywhere based on the information I have based on his contract would be compensatory that the league handles and awards, and I think we would get a third round pick if he should leave via free agency. We kind of know our scenarios here but I don’t know how it is going to play out.
Scott: If you were on the other side and you were trying to get Michael Turner, would you evaluate him based just on his backup role as being the next superstar, starting running back?
AJ Smith: It’s difficult for all these teams that have all these evaluations. It’s the mystery of our business where everyone has to evaluate players coming out of college and you go for them. Obviously I think he is a terrific back. We got him in the fifth round and his value is much higher than that. I think he is a starting running back in this league. I think he will be very, very successful and in saying that, what would be the value I would be willing to give up if I was a GM of another team. I think he is worth a first rounder in my opinion but it doesn’t matter what I think. Really it matters what those other teams think and they are weighing that right now.
Billy Ray: AJ, after the disciplinary actions taken by commissioner Goodell with Pacman and Chris Henry, has it changed anything you guys do as far as evaluating these guys as citizens before a draft?
AJ Smith: It really hasn’t changed a thing. I have been asked that a lot by a lot of people, national guys calling and asking me that during the owners meetings. I am very comfortable with the set-up we have here and how we check, character check. We go all the way back to their high school days and get that total package. The incidents that we have had, the first thing I will do is I will go back and revisit our reports and look at what background we had to see. If there is something we didn’t know or if we had mistakes, things of that nature. We really didn’t. I am really comfortable with that. There are two sides to this. Once you come in to the NFL, even if you come in clean from high school and college, it starts all over again for you. These guys are young, they got a lot of money, they run with the wrong crowd, go down the wrong roads or get influenced and loose their focus. If you are going to do that, you are going to be held accountable. I have been on record as saying, you are a San Diego Charger one year at a time regardless of your contract. We had some problems. We are embarrassed by them. We’ve moved on and cleaned up our house so to speak. Now hopefully we will have a terrific year. And if we don’t we’ll address it.
Scott: AJ, I don’t know if you have been looking at this thing or not but USA Today says they have been covering the draft for 25 years and they have come up with their best moments. No. 12 is when you drafted Eli Manning in 2004. I just wonder, as you think back to that time now, what might you have done had things not worked out the way they did? In other words, if the Giants were not willing to make the trade, what would Plan B have been? You ever think about that?
AJ Smith: Well, we didn’t have a chance to get into Plan B, Scott. To be honest with you, the minute we found out when we were looking at four players to decide as you do when clustering up players in different rounds and entertain what guys we would take at different positions, immediately I was told, ‘forget us, take Eli out of the mix, we don’t want any part of you’. Right then and there, at that moment, I knew exactly what we were going to do. I just did not know how we were going to work it out. I just didn’t know what team or what the outside interests were. It took a little bit of time to gather all of that information such as that party or parties that gathered information on why they made their decision. We are wasting time in revisiting this, but since you asked Scott, we gathered some information and right then and there we knew that we were going to select him and parlay that into something that was advantageous and move on with our lives. It worked out pretty good for us right now.
Scott: You say it is a waste of time but that is probably the defining move in terms of this team’s current and future success. Would you agree with that?
AJ Smith: I just think it is part of the process. Obviously some very good players have come in here for right now but we are always evaluating players from year to year. There is no question that it jump started a lot of what is going here which is trying to build a championship level team at all levels and at all positions.
Scott: So as we get ready to heads towards Saturday, most of the experts, if you will, say receiver or safety are the two main Charger needs. Would you agree with that?
AJ Smith: I don’t know what the main thing is right now. I read all the books and hear everything. Everyone has an opinion on it. We’re still in our readings but we will make that determination on Thursday and Friday. All I will tell you is this, Scott this is for you, we are not going to draft a kicker or a punter, (hysterical laughter from the hosts) or a quarterback, so there is another position. Every other position is wide open. We really like Calvin Johnson a lot but we don’t expect him to be there at pick number 30.
Scott: I dunno AJ, I heard he might be slipping down the draft boards. Hey thanks AJ for the time and coming on the Show.
AJ Smith: No problem guys. Take care.
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Hosts: Good Morning AJ, welcome to the show. Pretty crazy week for you, huh?
AJ Smith: Yeah, it started last week with the draft meetings so we just finished up the offense. Right now we are moving forward with the defense and should wrap that up Wednesday afternoon. We always leave ourselves Thursday and Friday to shut down and come up a game plan.
Billy Ray: AJ, so you guys meet position by position and rank what you think is the finest tackle and the finest guard and finest running back and so on and so forth?
AJ Smith: Right, that is what the readings are and most of the teams in the league do it that way. We’ll start with the first running back all the way down to the 75th. Everyone has an opinion and we move all the way through. That’s the first thing you have to do so you have a pulse of what is going on around the league. Then you shut it down and make a determination. Right now we have eight picks in the draft. That could be less, that could be more depending on the wheelings and dealings on draft day. You decide what is the best football player is the best to go after and add to our football team. Then you have those calculated moves where you have heard me say where you cluster up maybe four or five guys at any position or maybe a couple of them might be at the same position where you would put down there at pick number 30. You then say, ‘any of these five guys we anticipate that we would be interested in them’. Then we wait for all the fun games to happen during the draft. If someone filters in there that adds more to the cluster, that means, someone that you thought wouldn’t be there and then you make your pick.
Scott: So AJ, when you say you will spend the first part of this week going though and ranking players by position and then Thursday sort of shutting it down and create a game plan, what happens on that Thursday and Friday?
AJ Smith: That means we are all done with our readings and it would be myself, Buddy Nix and Norv Turner and I would come up with some suggestions on what type of game plan of what players I think will still be there. What strengths should we be going for if there is an either or situation. If these two guys are there or if this guy is there and we have a game plan. We really like to wake up Saturday morning and have that over and done with. Are there a few surprises along the way? Yeah, but not that very many. We can’t anticipate bizarre things that could happen. Suppose someone calls and offers you these guys and all these kinds of picks for this year and next year, would you do it or wouldn’t you do it. We might do it for THIS particular guy. We call is scenario time and game plan time and it is all day and maybe into the evening on Thursday. Friday we don’t go so late. Then you feel pretty good about your plan and you get up and you are ready to go.
Billy Ray: What are the odds of Michael Turner staying with this team through the draft? Do you think someone is going to make a real play for him and you will have to take them up on it?
AJ Smith: You know, I really don’t know where that is going to go. In my opinion, everyone just laid their cards on the table. It’s what I call ‘the bluff situation’ or it will pass. That means, we know that is it a one and a three, that time has passed and no one ever gets that because it cripples your draft. I have said to teams that were interested that we are flexible, meaning this year AND next year. Split it up if you want to. If you don’t want to, present a package to us. If the package is advantageous, meaning a package of players and draft picks we would entertain that. If it would be beneficial to the Chargers, we would execute it and Michael wouldn’t be here. If it’s not, we are perfectly happy to have him here and pay him the salary that we have agreed upon as a kickoff returner and GREAT running back as we all know and as an insurance policy for us. He would leave next year, as he should, he’s a great kid and he will be a great back in the league. Where he will go is anywhere based on the information I have based on his contract would be compensatory that the league handles and awards, and I think we would get a third round pick if he should leave via free agency. We kind of know our scenarios here but I don’t know how it is going to play out.
Scott: If you were on the other side and you were trying to get Michael Turner, would you evaluate him based just on his backup role as being the next superstar, starting running back?
AJ Smith: It’s difficult for all these teams that have all these evaluations. It’s the mystery of our business where everyone has to evaluate players coming out of college and you go for them. Obviously I think he is a terrific back. We got him in the fifth round and his value is much higher than that. I think he is a starting running back in this league. I think he will be very, very successful and in saying that, what would be the value I would be willing to give up if I was a GM of another team. I think he is worth a first rounder in my opinion but it doesn’t matter what I think. Really it matters what those other teams think and they are weighing that right now.
Billy Ray: AJ, after the disciplinary actions taken by commissioner Goodell with Pacman and Chris Henry, has it changed anything you guys do as far as evaluating these guys as citizens before a draft?
AJ Smith: It really hasn’t changed a thing. I have been asked that a lot by a lot of people, national guys calling and asking me that during the owners meetings. I am very comfortable with the set-up we have here and how we check, character check. We go all the way back to their high school days and get that total package. The incidents that we have had, the first thing I will do is I will go back and revisit our reports and look at what background we had to see. If there is something we didn’t know or if we had mistakes, things of that nature. We really didn’t. I am really comfortable with that. There are two sides to this. Once you come in to the NFL, even if you come in clean from high school and college, it starts all over again for you. These guys are young, they got a lot of money, they run with the wrong crowd, go down the wrong roads or get influenced and loose their focus. If you are going to do that, you are going to be held accountable. I have been on record as saying, you are a San Diego Charger one year at a time regardless of your contract. We had some problems. We are embarrassed by them. We’ve moved on and cleaned up our house so to speak. Now hopefully we will have a terrific year. And if we don’t we’ll address it.
Scott: AJ, I don’t know if you have been looking at this thing or not but USA Today says they have been covering the draft for 25 years and they have come up with their best moments. No. 12 is when you drafted Eli Manning in 2004. I just wonder, as you think back to that time now, what might you have done had things not worked out the way they did? In other words, if the Giants were not willing to make the trade, what would Plan B have been? You ever think about that?
AJ Smith: Well, we didn’t have a chance to get into Plan B, Scott. To be honest with you, the minute we found out when we were looking at four players to decide as you do when clustering up players in different rounds and entertain what guys we would take at different positions, immediately I was told, ‘forget us, take Eli out of the mix, we don’t want any part of you’. Right then and there, at that moment, I knew exactly what we were going to do. I just did not know how we were going to work it out. I just didn’t know what team or what the outside interests were. It took a little bit of time to gather all of that information such as that party or parties that gathered information on why they made their decision. We are wasting time in revisiting this, but since you asked Scott, we gathered some information and right then and there we knew that we were going to select him and parlay that into something that was advantageous and move on with our lives. It worked out pretty good for us right now.
Scott: You say it is a waste of time but that is probably the defining move in terms of this team’s current and future success. Would you agree with that?
AJ Smith: I just think it is part of the process. Obviously some very good players have come in here for right now but we are always evaluating players from year to year. There is no question that it jump started a lot of what is going here which is trying to build a championship level team at all levels and at all positions.
Scott: So as we get ready to heads towards Saturday, most of the experts, if you will, say receiver or safety are the two main Charger needs. Would you agree with that?
AJ Smith: I don’t know what the main thing is right now. I read all the books and hear everything. Everyone has an opinion on it. We’re still in our readings but we will make that determination on Thursday and Friday. All I will tell you is this, Scott this is for you, we are not going to draft a kicker or a punter, (hysterical laughter from the hosts) or a quarterback, so there is another position. Every other position is wide open. We really like Calvin Johnson a lot but we don’t expect him to be there at pick number 30.
Scott: I dunno AJ, I heard he might be slipping down the draft boards. Hey thanks AJ for the time and coming on the Show.
AJ Smith: No problem guys. Take care.
