BYE Week stuff: San Diego's front office tells fans to "Take a chill pill"

[KevinJames]

this is direct from the official website

http://www.chargers.com/news/article...e-6de3bd0c1c74

Originally Posted by Director of Public Relations

What’s with you people?

Yes, Monday night’s loss was bad. Horrible. Embarrassing.

Ok…enough already. No mas. I get it.

Now get over it. It was a loss. One loss.

Listening to some of you out there, you’d think Monday night was “win or go home” and the Chargers are now packing their bags.

“The Chargers are finished. Done,” said one scribe.

Another wrote, “Bye, bye Chargers. Put a fork in them.”

Sometimes I think Twitter was invented to give people a chance to puff out their chests and talk big, saying things they never would say to someone’s face.

And talk radio … don’t get me started. The old adage your mom used to preach – “If you don’t have anything good say, don’t say anything” – seems to have evolved to “if you don’t have anything good to say, call sports talk radio.”

Some of those folks are probably the same ones who called for former Head Coach Bobby Ross’ job when his first Chargers team started the 1992 season 0-4. I still remember the self-proclaimed experts saying Bobby was “in over his head”. The Chargers went on to win 11 of the next 12 games that year, along with a 17-0 victory in the first round of the playoffs.

A few of the more recent Chargers teams have been declared dead by quacks, only to awaken in good health. The 3-3 Chargers of 2004 won nine of their final 10 games. The ’06 Chargers won their final 10. The ’07 Chargers started 1-3 before winning 10 of their last 12. The ’08 Chargers won their final four in a row and the ’09 team won its last 11 games.

Time to take a chill pill. No one knows what will happen this season, yet alone the next game. That’s the beauty of the National Football League. I don’t know, you don’t know, no one knows what’s going to happen.

If you want these players and coaches to succeed, then support them. Don’t tear them down. What you want and what we all want, including your team, is to know people believe in them.

Look at it this way. We want our loved ones to succeed, and we’ll do whatever it takes to help them. But when they make mistakes, like we all do, we would never criticize or belittle them publicly.

Your team is 3-3, tied at the top of the division, and has 10 games to play. If the Chargers are your team, get behind them and stay behind them. We’re all at our best when we know others believe in us.

how horrible is this lmao

[canadianbroncosfan]

I agree with someone saying it, whether it be a fan, sports writer, whomever. I don't think the "Director of Public Relations" is the right person.

[HAT]

That dude is fired before Norv.

[baja]

He's right through

[maven]

Was the "director of public relations" drunk when he wrote this?

[gunns]

To an extent he's right. That's why they play the game. But I think at this point in time, when the team the people have been supporting have blown leads two weeks in a row, an organization that has failed at almost every opportunity, I'd show some humility. Show some appreciation for the loyal fan and let them know they will do their best to put a better product on the field.

[Swedish Extrovert]

And I thought it was bad when Pat Bowlen sent a letter to season ticket holders apologizing for Josh McDaniels.

[BowlenBall]

Wow... completely inappropriate for that to come from the organization itself.

I actually feel sympathetic towards the Chargers fans now, you're in an abusive relationship with your own franchise. Perhaps this is their not-so-subtle way of disengaging from the fan base before moving to Los Angeles?

[Doggcow]

Originally Posted by BowlenBall

Wow... completely inappropriate for that to come from the organization itself.

I actually feel sympathetic towards the Chargers fans now, you're in an abusive relationship with your own franchise. Perhaps this is their not-so-subtle way of disengaging from the fan base before moving to Los Angeles?

I don't want them to move. This **** is ****ing hilarious.

[menonite]

But when they make mistakes, like we all do, we would never criticize or belittle them publicly.


If Philip Rivers was my son, I would punch him in his mouth on national television if he threw six picks. Then I would punch myself in the crotch until my testicles fell off for siring such a loser.

[Doggcow]

Originally Posted by menonite

But when they make mistakes, like we all do, we would never criticize or belittle them publicly.


If Philip Rivers was my son, I would punch him in his mouth on national television if he threw six picks. Then I would punch myself in the crotch until my testicles fell off for siring such a loser.

Realistically? Honestly I'd be proud of my son if he made it to the NFL, no matter how bad he played in one game.

[menonite]

6 turnovers? I'm disowning him after the 4th one. I'm changing my name and moving to a different town after the 5th one. After number six, it's crotch punching time.

[Nwp-Apap]

I'd be kind of offended if I was a Charger fan.

[BroncoMan4ever]

Originally Posted by baja

He's right through

I agree, it is too early to write off a season, but Monday was a brutal loss. That was the type of loss that eats at a franchise. The belief that, "even up by 24 and dominating we still lose" just gnaws at the minds of players and coaches. The season isn't over, but that loss could very well be a season killer.

Subsrquently, our Broncos now have the belief that they can do anything and no obstacle is too much. A great feeling that can propel a team forward

[SportinOne]

I think somewhere along the line he had the right idea but when he started writing his frustration with the team and the fan response effected what should have been strictly a "lets band together" message and turned it into "i can't stand you all how dare you get down on the one thing you look forward to all week after it ****s all over you, and now you have to go to your **** job and think about it until they play again which, i think, isn't for almost two weeks.. now let's all band together, eh? come on, unless you're a ****ing loser."

[extralife]

The best part is where they pretended that the chargers have fans

[spiralism]

Meanwhile, AJ Smith also chips in:

"We cannot play as a team," Smith said. "We appear to not be able to handle adversity or finish games. Individual and team confidence appears to be going south."

The organization seems to be sending two messages here. Smith also called the Chargers "a mess" and said the team will either rise from "the ashes to a division championship" or will have to start a "new era" next year.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap100...e-a-chill-pill

Nice front office there guys. What a ****ing joke of an organisation. After some of the **** they put us through in recent years, i'm loving every ****ing minute of this.

[BowlenBall]

Looks like the national media has just picked up on this as well -- here's an excerpt from Shutdown Corner at Yahoo!:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-sh...3412--nfl.html

"It's not the job of the media, local or national, to show the Chargers that we believe in them. It's our job to report what happened as objectively as we possibly can, hopefully with enough color to keep readers from falling asleep halfway through the articles.

The fans have the right to say whatever the heck they want about the teams they support with their time, money, and passion, as long as they're not going after players with death threats on Twitter and other moronic things like that. And it's the job of talk radio to talk about the team in ways that will involve listeners so that they become potential callers and willing buyers of the products advertised on the stations.

And as long as we're talking about jobs and responsibilities, it's the (often thankless) job of PR directors to disseminate information to the media and be a liaison to the players, while trying to deflect the angry missives coming from this coach or that general manager when someone in the front office doesn't like what was written or said. That's understood and respected. But this article crosses the line.

Was Johnston's piece forced and endorsed the team, or was he going rogue here? Whatever the case, Johnston is far out of line. It's an enormous failure of the public relations concept when a team sends out a "Love it or leave it!" blast at the best of times -- never mind doing it just a few days after perhaps the worst collapse in team history."

[BowlenBall]

From the National Football Post:

"The article might draw the ire of some fans who feel it is their right to be critical of the players, Coach Norv Turner and GM A.J. Smith when their favorite team disappoints with a poor performance. But at least the Chargers have found their slogan for 2012. "Take a Chill Pill."

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/charger...4650--nfl.html

[Smilin Assassin]

"This pill could be my last chance."

[Kaylore]

Originally Posted by canadianbroncosfan

I agree with someone saying it, whether it be a fan, sports writer, whomever. I don't think the "Director of Public Relations" is the right person.

This.

He's right in that they are a .500 football club and most of the season is yet to be played out. And the Chargers have come back before. So reminding people of this isn't a bad idea. But the Director of PR for the organization using words like "take a chill pill" is pretty inappropriate.

The other problem is the collapse does feel like it could send the team into a tailspin. You could see in the Charger's eyes they knew they were going to lose. Especially after the third TD. In fact after the fumble return for the TD, they were still up ten, and Rivers face looked like a man knowing he was staring at his doom. I don't know what his problem is, but he's lost confidence in himself. The team has lost confidence in themselves, and probably Norv. And AJ is the shot caller.

Can they turn it around? Yes. Does it feel like they are going to implode like a neutron star instead? Yes. And having the PR director for the team release a statement that reads like a Bill Paxton monologue from Aliens is bush league.

[Navy Broncos Fan]

I don't know how Norv Turner still has a job. The radio is pretty good to listen to. They even had trouble selling out that Monday night game, so I doubt they sell out again this year.

[mwill07]

The reason the fans are disgruntled isn't that they are 3-3,;as has been mentioned, the Chargers have been there, done that, recovered from worse. The problem is that they surrendered leads of 17 and 24 in back-to-back games. That has got to be cause for concern.

[baja]

Originally Posted by BroncoMan4ever

I agree, it is too early to write off a season, but Monday was a brutal loss. That was the type of loss that eats at a franchise. The belief that, "even up by 24 and dominating we still lose" just gnaws at the minds of players and coaches. The season isn't over, but that loss could very well be a season killer.

Subsrquently, our Broncos now have the belief that they can do anything and no obstacle is too much. A great feeling that can propel a team forward

Absolutely agree that was a brutal game and the memo said that but SD fans should try an remember they are tied for first place with ten games remaining as was pointed out.

Another thing is I doubt that was written by a anyone of an official capacity simply because it was so poorly written. That was not the type of statement an organization would put out, more like a fan's work.

[baja]

Originally Posted by mwill07

The reason the fans are disgruntled isn't that they are 3-3,;as has been mentioned, the Chargers have been there, done that, recovered from worse. The problem is that they surrendered leads of 17 and 24 in back-to-back games. That has got to be cause for concern.

True. I watched fans pour out of the stadium when the score became 24 29 (i think that was what the score was when Denver went ahead) and there were almost 5 minutes left to play. Down by less than 7 with five minute to play and I'd say 25% for the fans headed for the exits.