[Franklinnoble]

Kansas City
September, 2011

The Chargers were set to open their regular season on the road against their divisional rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs. Franklin was in town for the game and had agreed to meet with ESPN Magazine sportswriter Melvin Brock for an interview a few hours prior to kickoff.

10 Questions With Chargers Owner Franklin Brown
by Melvin Brock

From his mysterious installment as the owner of the San Diego Chargers seven years ago through his guidance to the team's back-to-back Super Bowl titles, Franklin Brown has taken a hapless team and transformed it into a powerhouse, both on the field and on the balance sheet. We sat down with him prior to the Chargers season opener and asked him a few questions.

Brock: To this day, no one really knows why Bruno Triveri gave you the San Diego Chargers. Can you give us some explaination as to how someone with no football experience whatsoever ends up as the owner and general manager of an NFL franchise?

Brown: Now, that's not really fair, Melvin. I was a pretty good special teams player on my high school varsity squad.

Brock: I assume you're still maintaining your silence with regards to your relationship with Mr. Triveri. Why did it take so many years for you to start investing money in the franchise?

Brown: I didn't have any money to invest in it from the beginning. I took over an organization that was nearly bankrupt, and until we secured the commitment for the new stadium, there was no way we could secure the investment capital to improve the team.

Brock: Isn't that what every owner says? "Build me a new stadium, and THEN I'll put a winner on the field."

Brown: Are you saying I haven't put a winner on the field?

Brock: Fair enough. Did you ever consider moving the Chargers away from San Diego?

Brown: Absolutely. At the time, we had an aging ballpark that was 75% empty. The Chargers are my only business and my only means of income. If they weren't going to be financially viable in San Diego, we would have immediately found someplace else to turn a profit.

Brock: Once the stadium plan was approved, the Chargers spent two years fielding a terrible team. Why did it take so long to start bringing in quality talent?

Brown: Well, for starters, the plan was approved right before the start of the 2005 regular season. There was no time to re-tool the roster that year. Prior to 2006, we were unable to find the key pieces we needed to build around in the draft or in free agency, so we waited to implement the re-building plan for another year.

Brock: You're referring to quarterback Alvin Lane, correct?

Brown: Correct. We knew that we couldn't have a championship team without a great quarterback. Until Lane came along, there was nothing to build around.

Brock: To many fans in San Diego, Lane was the savior of the franchise. How do you respond to criticism over your decision to trade him to Miami in the offseason?

Brown: Alvin Lane is a great quarterback, and he's going to make Miami a better team. However, we had to make a decision based upon financial constraints that every team in the NFL has to deal with. Derek Williams came off the bench last year and played very, very well for us. In fact, his numbers and his QB rating was vastly better than those Lane produced. We could not afford to keep two franchise quarterbacks on the roster, and Lane's contract expires this year. The decision was pretty obvious.

Brock: Is the same thing in store for Ricky Williams? You've just spent a fortune drafting running back Bubba Pierce in the off-season.

Brown: Ricky has played 12 years in this league, and his best years have been the last three that he's played for us. But he's also 34 years old, and has taken a lot of punishment. It would be foolish of us not to prepare for the inevitable need to give him fewer carries.

Brock: You had to cut nearly every backup player from last year's roster and sign a dozen undrafted free agents to get under the salary cap this year. Can this team make it through a 16 game season, and how much longer can you keep this core of veterans together?

Brown: It's not unusual for NFL teams to have high turnover these days. The salary cap demands it. A lot of our second-string guys will get a shot to start on other teams. Others will be out of work altogether. It sucks, but there's no way around the veteran minimum salary, and you have to sign younger players to stay in line with the salary cap if you're going to keep a handful of superstars on the team. I honestly don't know if we have enough depth to be successful this year, or how much longer we'll be able to keep it together. I run this team one week at a time.

Brock: Many experts say that you can't be a good owner and general manager at the same time. What is your opinion on the subject?

Brown: When I took over this team, I couldn't afford a general manager, so I had to learn to do the job myself. Since we've had the money to bring in good talent, we've managed two world championships. I know a lot of owners and a lot of GM's in this league who've yet to accomplish half as much. Can everybody do it? No. But then again, this is all I do. I don't spend time playing golf or vacationing in Europe. Football is my business and my job, and I'm determined to be the best I can be at it.