Spanos Says Saunders’ Job Is Safe This Season
Charger Coach Al Saunders will keep his job through the end of the season, team owner Alex Spanos said Thursday. But Spanos emphasized he is not pleased with his team’s performance in recent weeks.
“I want to see the offense come in and do a lot better,” he said.
The Chargers (2-8) have have lost 6 in a row and are tied with Dallas for the longest losing streak in the league. Their offense has produced 2 touchdowns in 5 home games this year.
Asked Monday if Saunders would coach the Chargers the remainder of the season, Steve Ortmayer, the team’s director of football operations, said, “I’m not going to discuss that.”
Spanos’ comments Thursday were seen as an attempt to head off growing speculation that Saunders won’t last the season. The Chargers play the Falcons (3-7) Sunday in Atlanta.
Asked how many victories would be satisfactory for the Chargers from this point onward, Spanos said: “All 6 of them.” In the next breath, he tempered his expectations a bit and said, “The important thing is to see improvement.”
Spanos also said the prospect of finishing with the worst record in the league, and thereby acquiring the draft rights to UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman, held little appeal for him.
“Who wants to be at the bottom?” he said.
Two weeks ago, Spanos said he was behind his coaching staff “100%.” But he also said the team’s 2-6 record at that time “disappointed” him.
At that time, he refused to give Saunders a vote of confidence, saying instead, “A lot can happen between now and the end of the season.”
Spanos made it clear Thursday that Saunders’ reprieve doesn’t mean he’s satisfied.
“We expect a lot more from our players than what we’re getting,” he told The Associated Press. “And we expect a lot more from our coaches. Quite frankly, they haven’t done the job. But we have the talent. Let’s get out there and do something with it.”
Spanos reportedly was upset last week when Saunders compared the Raiders roster and its three Heisman Trophy winners to the understocked Chargers’ roster and asked, “Who would you choose to go to war with if you had to feed your family?”