Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith is a busy man this time of year as he prepares for free agency and the draft. When he does have free time, what does he like to do away from football? He recently sat down with Chargers.com to let us know. When youre not watching practice or breaking down film, where are we most likely to find you? If its a beautiful day, Id probably be by my pool listening to the radio and making notes about our football team or just reading a book. What are you currently reading? For Christmas, I got The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Super Power by Christopher Price. Ive read all the books put out on the New England Patriots organization. There arent trade secrets, but just general thoughts on why theyve been successful. Do you read fiction? No. I do read a lot of books on leadership and management. I just finished Rules of Management: A Definitive Code for Managerial Success by Richard Templar. Do you follow other professional sports closely? Not really. I follow the Red Sox, but not religiously. I was a fan as a kid in Rhode Island. I follow the Celtics as well, but Im not a guy thats by the television all the time. I was ecstatic to see the Red Sox win the World Series, but I dont invest a lot of time there. Is there one television show you record if youre going to miss it? Im a big Seinfeld fan and watch the reruns a lot. My daughter got me into Friends years ago and I have to admit I was kind of hooked. Your wife Sue is cooking dinner and youre placing the order. Whats on the menu? My favorite meal is the old fashioned turkey dinner with all the fixings - mashed potatoes, corn and cranberry sauce. Next would be a big steak with a baked potato. When you jump in the car, whats on your radio? Ive got a little bit of everything on my iPod. I like Motown and Ive got Four Tops, Marvin Gaye and the Temptations. That kind of reminds me a little of my college days. The Beach Boys take me back to high school, as do the Rolling Stones and Rod Stewart. For the last several years Ive really listened to a lot of Jimmy Buffet. You like Jimmy Buffets music? That goes along with how you like to wear Tommy Bahamas shirts. Yes, I like the islands and Jimmy Buffet and his whole mentality. Youve been fortunate to work under some strong mentors. Whats the biggest lesson Marv Levy taught you? Coach stressed that organization wins. Putting the pieces together may take some time, but make sure you surround yourself with good, competent, hard-working people. Loyalty was big with Coach Levy. Surround yourself with people you trust. He also believes in both talent and character. If you have players who are talented and of high character, youll have a greater chance to be successful. What about Bill Polian? He gave me some insight on agents. Professor Polian gave us a mini-course in Buffalo called The Inner Workings of an Agents Mind 101. I found it very beneficial then and more so now. You worked under George Allen in your USFL days. What did he teach you? Hed always say that players who have great athletic ability are great, but first look at a players production. Does he make plays? Hed say, I can go down to the local YMCA and find guys who look like great athletes, but can they play football? What is your fondest memory of John Butler? I always loved sitting in his golf cart on the side of the practice field and talking in great depth about our players. Wed sit there and talk about our roster. We made a lot of decisions on that golf cart. Ive got a photo of us together in his golf cart that sits in a prominent place on my desk. Whats your favorite thing about your job? I love the chase of winning a world championship. The thing thats great about it is every year it begins all over again. The happiest day of the year for me is the Monday after the Super Bowl. Then it begins again with a brand new year with new hopes and dreams. Thursday, Feb 14, 2008 By Casey Pearce, Chargers.com
It's funny. He actually sounds a lot like us! What I mean is that he sounds like a common, regular dude, minus the one mention of shitty music. Jimmy Buffet blows... Seriously, this guy sounds ready to roll for the coming year. None of us are going to have a clue what kind of rabbit he will pull out of his hat until Draft Day. Nice to have a GM where Draft Day is fun. Not like the Jets fans that boo EVERY first round pick they get. Whining maggots in those faggy green and white fireman helmets! (They are usually one beer away from becoming "The Village People!) I gotta say I believe in A.J. He has done us right. '08 is gonna great!
For Christmas, I got The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Super Power by Christopher Price. Ive read all the books put out on the New England Patriots organization. There arent trade secrets, but just general thoughts on why theyve been successful. Do you read fiction? Yeah, I just told you one of them.
The All Ex-Chargers Team: A.J. Smith Version A.J. Smith earned his reputation by identifying talented players and locking them up to long-term deals. But what about the ones who got away? Michael Lombardo rolls out his All Ex-Chargers Team, featuring the best players Smith helped bring to San Diego -- as either GM or assistant GM -- who failed to demonstrate staying power. OFFENSE QB: Drew Brees The drafting of Philip Rivers sealed his fate. RB: Jesse Chatman Big skills and an even bigger appetite. FB: Joey Goodspeed A blue-collar blocker with an ironic last name. LT: Leander Jordan How Marty Schottenheimer saw him as a left tackle is baffling. LG: Toniu Fonoti He makes Chatman look like a light weight. C: Jason Ball Better at blocking nose tackles than negotiating contracts. RG: Kelvin Garmon Powerful lineman lacked agility and stamina. RT: Courtney Van Buren This tease of a prospect was talented but injury prone. TE: Justin Peelle Good at everything, not great at anything. WR: David Boston Looks better in a mirror than on the field. WR: Terry Charles Early knee injuries derailed a promising career. DEFENSE LDE: Marcellus Wiley Never as talented as he thought he was. NT: Jason Fisk He became expendable in the switch to the 3-4 scheme. RDE: Dave Ball Lacked the ability to anchor at the point of attack. OLB: Steve Foley Police officers on power trips always spell trouble. ILB: Sam Rogers Followed the initial migration to Buffalo West. ILB: John Holecek Another former Bill who was merely a stopgap in San Diego. OLB: Ben Leber Was understandably beat out by Shawne Merriman. CB: Ryan McNeil Had eight picks in 2001 then fizzled from there on out. CB: Tay Cody A bust in the NFL is now a star with the CFLs Hamilton Tiger-Cats. SS: Terrence Kiel Legal troubles hastened the end of an unspectacular career. FS: Bhawoh Jue He was never the same after microfracture surgery in 2006. By Michael Lombardo SDBoltReport.com Posted Feb 15, 2008
