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Franklinnoble · 01-19-2004, 05:27 PM

San Diego
One Week Later...

The FBI had been spoken to. The Chargers had issued a press release welcoming their new owner. The family was shopping for real estate in southern California. The NFL had agreed to approve the new team ownership for a trial period of three years. Everything was in place.

Franklin's new office was modestly appointed, with a window overlooking the Chargers' practice fields. A meeting was scheduled with Russell Winston and Gene Perkins this morning to discuss the Chargers financial situation. Franklin suspected it wasn't very good. San Diego had the least-valuable franchise in the NFL, according to Forbes. The books from the Spanos era were incomplete and nearly incoherent. Nobody really had any idea what the team budget looked like. Hopefully, Perkins would be able to sort it out.

The two men arrived, and Franklin began. "Gene, what's the situation?"

Perkins passed him a plastic-covered brief. "It's a mess. We know this much - we have about $10 million in cash, and I'm working on our credit line. Season ticket sales are poor, and our ticket prices are already one of the lowest in the league. We've sold 50,900 of the 71,600 seats at Qualcomm Stadium, and we have a little over $18 million in cap space this year."

Franklin nodded. "We'll need to take a hard look at the roster and trim things back. I want spreadsheets made up that have everyone's contract numbers on them, as well as our current scouting reports. We're going to cut or trade a lot of players, and re-negotiate a lot of deals, plain and simple. It's too late to make any coaching or scouting staff changes, but I suspect that will be necessary at the end of the season."

Winston spoke up, "Mr. Brown, with all due respect, you really should hire a cap specialist to handle this, as well as a general manager. You have no idea how to manage personnel on an NFL roster, and the press will crucify you for making too many changes on your own in such a short period of time."

Franklin scowled. "Here's a reality check, Russel: I am the sole owner of the worst franchise in the NFL. I have to immediately make it profitable. I don't have the time or the money to hire a bunch of people to do my dirty work. I can read a scouting report as well as anyone else, and perform an impartial cost-benefit analysis on the entire roster. I'm willing to retain you to assist with the technicalities of drawing up player contracts, but the bottom line is that I will decide who works for this organization and how much they get paid. If you are unwilling to support this policy 100%, then I must ask you to leave."

Winston nodded. "Hey, you're the boss."

Perkins spoke up, "So, where do we start?"

Franklin replied. "Get me that spreadsheet and scouting report. Today. I also want a report of available free agents that can come in immediately to replace the player's we'll have to cut. I want phone numbers for every other GM in the league, so I can work on making trades where possible. Pre-season starts in one week. I want the roster set by then."

Winston asked, "Have you told the coaches this? They're gonna be ticked if you make such large changes to the roster this close to the season."

Franklin replied, "I don't have time to do it any other way. I have the coaching staff coming up here in about 45 minutes, and I'll fill them in. Unless there's anything else, I suggest you gentlemen get to work."

***

Franklin looked over his summary report on his core staff. He had a brief on his key personnel, and he would have to decide who to keep and who to let go.

David Fulcher
Lead Scout

Fulcher was hired by the team last season, and had 5 years left on his contract that paid him a modest $170,000 - one of the lowest in the league. He was an average scout, with a talent for evaluating receivers and defensive linemen, but not terribly gifted with young player evaluation. He was 52 years old, and unless someone better became available at a comparable salary, he would likely remain on as the Chargers lead scout.

Donovan Moore
Head Coach

Moore was in the second year of a three-year deal to coach the Chargers. He was a defensive-minded coach and a decent motivator who excelled at keeping his players healthy. His salary was also very reasonable by league standards, at $1.6 million.

Tommie Jamison
Offensive Coordinator

Jamison had four years left on his deal with the team. He was a pass-oriented coach who wasn't very good at coaching his offensive linemen, but did an excellent job with the young talent on his squad. His salary was $1.6 million.

Mack Holtz
Defensive Coordinator

At only 37, the best hope for Holtz was that he was bound to improve. Decent with most of the squad but awful with linebackers, Holtz had 3 years remaining on a $630,000 deal.

Overall, the staff wasn't too bad, and wasn't overpaid. There would be limited room for improvement in this department. All four men arrived at Franklin's office not long after Perkins and Winston left.

Franklin began. "Gentlemen, I'll be direct. The Chargers are financially desparate, and I am not personally wealthy. I am going to be making widespread roster changes to bring the finacial situation back within the realm of profitablity, and I expect your support during this process."

Moore spoke up. "Just how widespread are we talking about here? I thought our cap situation was pretty good."

Franklin replied. "It is pretty good. But the previous ownership left the rest of the books a mess, and until we have a year or so to sort out what our revenues and operating expenses are going to look like, we need to cut it to the bone. I won't lie - it sucks, and it will be difficult to remain competitive under these circumstances. I expect you all to conduct yourselves in a professional manner and with a winning attitude regardless, and I will do the best I can given the limited financial resources at my disposal."

Jamison asked, "Are we going to have any say on who stays or who goes?"

Franklin handed him and the other two coaches a scouting report. "This is the scouting report that Mr. Fulcher has prepared. Feel free to add to it as you see fit. E-mail your input to me by this evening, and I will take it into consideration. However, money is going to be the deciding factor here, gentlemen. If we have talent making high dollars that isn't willing to re-negotiate, they will be traded or waived. Period. There will be very few exceptions to this rule."

The other men nodded, and stood up to leave. Franklin sat back down and began going over the scouting report. It was going to be a long day.

01-19-2004, 05:27 PM	#7
Franklinnoble Banned Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Placerville, CA	San Diego One Week Later... The FBI had been spoken to. The Chargers had issued a press release welcoming their new owner. The family was shopping for real estate in southern California. The NFL had agreed to approve the new team ownership for a trial period of three years. Everything was in place. Franklin's new office was modestly appointed, with a window overlooking the Chargers' practice fields. A meeting was scheduled with Russell Winston and Gene Perkins this morning to discuss the Chargers financial situation. Franklin suspected it wasn't very good. San Diego had the least-valuable franchise in the NFL, according to Forbes. The books from the Spanos era were incomplete and nearly incoherent. Nobody really had any idea what the team budget looked like. Hopefully, Perkins would be able to sort it out. The two men arrived, and Franklin began. "Gene, what's the situation?" Perkins passed him a plastic-covered brief. "It's a mess. We know this much - we have about $10 million in cash, and I'm working on our credit line. Season ticket sales are poor, and our ticket prices are already one of the lowest in the league. We've sold 50,900 of the 71,600 seats at Qualcomm Stadium, and we have a little over $18 million in cap space this year." Franklin nodded. "We'll need to take a hard look at the roster and trim things back. I want spreadsheets made up that have everyone's contract numbers on them, as well as our current scouting reports. We're going to cut or trade a lot of players, and re-negotiate a lot of deals, plain and simple. It's too late to make any coaching or scouting staff changes, but I suspect that will be necessary at the end of the season." Winston spoke up, "Mr. Brown, with all due respect, you really should hire a cap specialist to handle this, as well as a general manager. You have no idea how to manage personnel on an NFL roster, and the press will crucify you for making too many changes on your own in such a short period of time." Franklin scowled. "Here's a reality check, Russel: I am the sole owner of the worst franchise in the NFL. I have to immediately make it profitable. I don't have the time or the money to hire a bunch of people to do my dirty work. I can read a scouting report as well as anyone else, and perform an impartial cost-benefit analysis on the entire roster. I'm willing to retain you to assist with the technicalities of drawing up player contracts, but the bottom line is that I will decide who works for this organization and how much they get paid. If you are unwilling to support this policy 100%, then I must ask you to leave." Winston nodded. "Hey, you're the boss." Perkins spoke up, "So, where do we start?" Franklin replied. "Get me that spreadsheet and scouting report. Today. I also want a report of available free agents that can come in immediately to replace the player's we'll have to cut. I want phone numbers for every other GM in the league, so I can work on making trades where possible. Pre-season starts in one week. I want the roster set by then." Winston asked, "Have you told the coaches this? They're gonna be ticked if you make such large changes to the roster this close to the season." Franklin replied, "I don't have time to do it any other way. I have the coaching staff coming up here in about 45 minutes, and I'll fill them in. Unless there's anything else, I suggest you gentlemen get to work." * Franklin looked over his summary report on his core staff. He had a brief on his key personnel, and he would have to decide who to keep and who to let go. David Fulcher Lead Scout Fulcher was hired by the team last season, and had 5 years left on his contract that paid him a modest $170,000 - one of the lowest in the league. He was an average scout, with a talent for evaluating receivers and defensive linemen, but not terribly gifted with young player evaluation. He was 52 years old, and unless someone better became available at a comparable salary, he would likely remain on as the Chargers lead scout. Donovan Moore Head Coach Moore was in the second year of a three-year deal to coach the Chargers. He was a defensive-minded coach and a decent motivator who excelled at keeping his players healthy. His salary was also very reasonable by league standards, at $1.6 million. Tommie Jamison Offensive Coordinator Jamison had four years left on his deal with the team. He was a pass-oriented coach who wasn't very good at coaching his offensive linemen, but did an excellent job with the young talent on his squad. His salary was $1.6 million. Mack Holtz** Defensive Coordinator At only 37, the best hope for Holtz was that he was bound to improve. Decent with most of the squad but awful with linebackers, Holtz had 3 years remaining on a $630,000 deal. Overall, the staff wasn't too bad, and wasn't overpaid. There would be limited room for improvement in this department. All four men arrived at Franklin's office not long after Perkins and Winston left. Franklin began. "Gentlemen, I'll be direct. The Chargers are financially desparate, and I am not personally wealthy. I am going to be making widespread roster changes to bring the finacial situation back within the realm of profitablity, and I expect your support during this process." Moore spoke up. "Just how widespread are we talking about here? I thought our cap situation was pretty good." Franklin replied. "It is pretty good. But the previous ownership left the rest of the books a mess, and until we have a year or so to sort out what our revenues and operating expenses are going to look like, we need to cut it to the bone. I won't lie - it sucks, and it will be difficult to remain competitive under these circumstances. I expect you all to conduct yourselves in a professional manner and with a winning attitude regardless, and I will do the best I can given the limited financial resources at my disposal." Jamison asked, "Are we going to have any say on who stays or who goes?" Franklin handed him and the other two coaches a scouting report. "This is the scouting report that Mr. Fulcher has prepared. Feel free to add to it as you see fit. E-mail your input to me by this evening, and I will take it into consideration. However, money is going to be the deciding factor here, gentlemen. If we have talent making high dollars that isn't willing to re-negotiate, they will be traded or waived. Period. There will be very few exceptions to this rule." The other men nodded, and stood up to leave. Franklin sat back down and began going over the scouting report. It was going to be a long day.