When team owner Dean Spanos announced the firing of Chargers general manager Tom Telesco and coach Brandon Staley on Dec. 15, he said the franchise needed “new vision” if it hoped to meet the lofty expectations placed upon it from outside and from within during recent seasons.
Clearly, the promise of a consistent contender was not met during the regime of Telesco and Staley, whose middling 24-24 record while working together during two-plus seasons underscored the need for change in leadership. So, Spanos and his son, John, the director of football operations, made those changes.
Bold ones, in fact.
One half of their moves was made last Wednesday, when they lured Jim Harbaugh back to the NFL after he coached the University of Michigan to the national championship earlier this month. The second half was completed when they hired Joe Hortiz as their new general manager Tuesday.
Hortiz, 48, spent 26 years in the Baltimore Ravens’ organization, including the past five seasons as the team’s director of player personnel. He worked closely over the years with Ravens coach John Harbaugh, Jim’s older brother, so the connection to the family seemed like a natural fit in L.A., too.
If nothing else, for better or worse, the Chargers are a family-run business.
“Joe is one of the most respected player evaluators and personnel minds in the league, whose contributions to the Ravens’ front office over the past two decades cannot be overstated,” John Spanos said in a statement. “When you consider his football IQ, eye for talent, ability to think both short and long term as it pertains to roster construction, organization, thoroughness and ability to be creative within the confines of our collective bargaining agreement, it’s hard not to be excited about the future.”
John Spanos praised Hortiz’s depth of experience, rising through the ranks of the Ravens’ scouting department over the years while working with current GM Eric DeCosta and his…
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