Chargers expected to make a decision on L.A. soon
By Vincent Bonsignore, Los Angeles Daily News
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20160125/chargers-expected-to-make-a-decision-on-la-soon
While the Rams continue the arduous process of moving back to Los Angeles, the San Diego Chargers are still deciding whether to join them or not.
The agreement between the two teams to go silent while the situation unfolds has left the rest of us in guess mode.
On the other hand, if the Chargers had any trust issues dealing with the Rams beforehand, the silence over the last week has to bode well. It means everyone is keeping their word about respecting the information blackout.
That said, there is an ominous clock ticking in the background. The Chargers have a schedule to market, a staff and roster to either move or keep in place, and a deadline to inform Qualcomm Stadium whether they are opting out of their lease or not.
Ideally, their decision will come sometime this week. Waiting any longer really puts them behind the eight-ball, not only in Los Angeles, where they will share the market with a Rams brand that just lined up more than 45,000 season-ticket deposits over just 48 hours for the 2016 season, but also San Diego, where they’d have to make up with a scorned fan base.
The consensus is, the Chargers will pull the trigger on a decision this week. They’ve spent the last seven days digging into the Inglewood stadium partnership with the Rams, seeking a comfort level they will be protected over the long haul of the relationship.
The Rams have insisted from the beginning they would be willing partners, a message owner Stan Kroenke and CEO Kevin Demoff delivered to the rest of the NFL two weeks ago in Houston, when they were approved for relocation to Los Angeles with the understanding a second spot was open to either the Chargers or Oakland Raiders.
The Rams understand the eyes of the NFL are upon them, and promise they will uphold their promise to be good partners.
Now it’s up to the Chargers to decide whether that comfort level is with the Rams in Los Angeles, or in San Diego, using the leverage of L.A. to spur local leaders into approving a stadium deal.
It’s been quiet on that front for a week now. But after seven days of silence, expect some action at some point this week.
In the meantime, the Rams are laying the foundation for their return, and could soon be closing in on a temporary headquarters site for staff to work and players and coaches to work out. Among the locations they are looking at is Oxnard, where the Dallas Cowboys hold training camp.
RAMS MAKE MOVES
As expected, the Rams have lifted the interim from Rob Boras’ title as offensive coordinator and added Mike Groh as wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator.
The move to make Boras the permanent offensive coordinator was expected after he ably handled the job over the final four games of the 2015 season upon replacing Frank Cignetti.
But with Boras more apt in the running game and Rams head coach Jeff Fisher wanting to also tap into more passing game expertise, Groh was a logical candidate. He spent the past three seasons as wide receivers coach with the Chicago Bears and previously worked at the college level at Virginia, Alabama and Louisville.
LONG OPEN TO PAY CUT
As the Rams make their way back to L.A., one of the pressing questions is how many of their current players will make the trip with them from St. Louis.
And for some, that might mean adjusting their salaries to help ensure they will land in Los Angeles along with the Rams.
Veteran defensive end Chris Long is already bracing for that reality. Long is entering the final year of his contract and is set to make a team-high $14.25 million. That is a significant hit to the Rams’ salary cap, especially for someone who missed 14 games over the last two seasons and managed just four sacks between 2014 and 2015 after recording 33 over the previous three seasons.
As a result, Long’s future with the Rams could mean having to adjust his salary to fit his current level of reliability and production.
Long expressed a willingness to ESPN.com to do just that in order to play out the final year of his Rams contract.
“Of course,” Long said. “But I’m not a guy that, I mean, the last two years I have been paid more than I’ve performed. That’s just the bottom line. It’s a business. Sometimes teams win and sometimes teams lose with that stuff, so you’re certainly not rushing to give the money you earned back.
“You can’t control certain things with injuries and such, but of course I’m open to doing something like that. It’s not about the money at this point for me.”
