Chargers President Dean Spanos retained Ron Wolf, the former Green Bay Packers General Manager, as a consultant to advise the Chargers throughout the general manager and head coach hiring process. Spanos and Wolf will be joined by longtime Chargers executives Ed McGuire and John Spanos on the four-person working group that will be responsible for conducting all general manager and head coach interviews. Here is a transcript of Wolf’s conference call with the media from earlier today.
On thinking that there are certain guys who are more qualified to coach certain teams than others:
“I believe that’s been the case down through the years. There are certain people for some reason or another who have the ability to do that, some don’t. One of the great things about this opportunity that I have now as an advisor to Dean Spanos and the Chargers, is that through the interview process you find out who these diamonds are, so to speak.”
On times when you miss (and hire the wrong person):
“It’s kind of like baseball. If you get ten at bats and three hits, you’re a .300 hitter and you qualify maybe for the Hall of Fame. You don’t get that leeway here.”
On being hired to expedite the process by narrowing down the candidates:
“No, I’m strictly an advisor. That’s it. I’m not a policy-maker. Hopefully that clears that up.”
On how desirable is this general manager job in the league:
“When it was announced that I was going to come on as an advisor, my phone hasn’t stopped ringing. I think that’s an indication of how the people within the league view the opportunity to go to work for the Chargers.”
On having a GM in place before hiring a head coach:
“That’s the playbook that’s been designed by Dean Spanos and that’s exactly what we’re following.”
On any concern about having to hire two people at once, that by hiring a GM first you may lose quality coaching candidates in the process:
“I think that there’s always that concern, believe me, because you don’t want to miss a really good coach. However, with a job like the Chargers available, I would think that it would be foolish for someone—if they’re on the list—not to at least wait and see.”
On how many people he would like to interview:
“The fewer the better, as far as I’m concerned. But again, I’m not calling those shots. I think that what’s going to happen here—and I’m just speaking for myself—I had to do this three times and the one time that I really fouled it up was when I put limitations on a number of people that I was going to interview, or the qualifications of the number of people I was going to interview. I really screwed that up. I have stressed to Dean Spanos that the more people you interview, the better your opportunities are of finding that gem.”
On how many calls he’s taken since he was named as a consultant:
“Ballpark figure would be over 50.”
On whether he is saying there isn’t a timetable:
“No, I’m not saying that at all. There’s a big timetable to getting it done. You have to get all the ducks in line. This is a new part of it since I’ve been out of the league. There’s a certain time period now or timeframe in which you can work, as you guys are well aware. It’s something that I wasn’t aware of, with teams that are in the playoffs. That’s kind of the holdup here as I understand it. But no, you have to charge. You’ve got to be out there getting to it.”
On the consent form playoff rule applying to team personnel in addition to coaches:
“I understand that it does, yes.”
On when the interview process will begin and confirming the four names that are not already with the Chargers organization:
“I think that Dean Spanos has already set the guidelines for that. He doesn’t want to discuss any names, which of course now being an advisor and a consultant, I have to go with that. The interviews have already started…Yes, it was yesterday.”
On the interviews taking place in Florida or wherever he is:
“No, they’re not. They’re going to take place all over. Essentially what they’re going to do is have them at the disposal of the person who we’re talking to, which is very difficult with these rules and the timeframe that you have to go into.”
On any specific profile that he’s looking for:
“No specific profile, but again, when that guy sits in there and responds to the various questions that are presented to him by Dean Spanos, then I think everyone in the room who is part of this process will realize who the quality guys are and who the quality guys are not.”
On being in the room with the candidates during the interview process:
“I will be in that room, yes.”
On any benefit to hiring someone that has already been a part of a championship organization:
“I would think at any time you can get a person like that, assuming we’re talking about a recent contender and not way back when, is a person you would have to explore and take into strong consideration. Because you’ve been a member of that doesn’t necessarily mean you have been a play-caller so to speak. It depends where you are on the tree. I think that helps but I don’t think that is basic criteria. I think the criteria is the best person available at each position and that is what we’re trying to do.”
On asking potential general managers about their preferences for coaches:
“Yes. I don’t know how else to respond to that. It is part of the whole thing.”
On being a part of the head coach interview process too:
“I will be in both as it stands right now.”
On the new general manager choosing the next head coach:
“That is the plan.”
On general manager interviewees’ suggestions for head coach impacting whether they are hired:
“No I don’t think so. I think the first thing has to be that everybody is in tune with the person who is going to be selected to become the general manager. Then it is a matter, again, there is one man that is making this determination. That is Dean Spanos. It is how that’s all arrived at.”
On potentially advising that he is the best candidate:
“That would not happen. The game has gone by me from a standpoint of endurance. I don’t have that anymore like I used to have. You would not have that situation with me, no.”
On his past experiences and who he has consulted with on the hiring process and what he learned the most from those experiences:
“The thing I learned is that by going through the interview process at some point you are going to come across a guy that just knocks your socks off. When that happens you know you’ve reached the person you want to hire. That happened to me a couple of times. It should have happened to me one more time, I had the guy right there, and I was too stupid to realize what I was hearing. That to me is the essence and key of having as many people interview as you possibly can. Somewhere in there is a guy that can pick it up and run with it and make it happen. You just have to do your due-diligence and make sure that you leave no stone unturned.”
On who he consulted for:
“I’ve done this with one other team and I’d rather not say.”
On which head coaching candidate previously knocked his socks off and he was too foolish to not hire:
“At that time it was Andy Reid.”
On yesterday’s interview being with Jimmy Raye:
“Again, I hope you understand that we are bound by the wishes of Dean Spanos and I would rather not say.”
On his son being good enough to be a general manager:
“Hopefully at some point. Not right now. He has had a pretty good rise. He likes what he is doing and it is very important to him. They’ve had a lot of success and he’s done a pretty good job of filling in some spots where they needed players. I think at some point, yes.”
On the Rooney Rule applying to both the general managers and head coaching vacancies:
“Yes it does.”
On any outside general manager candidates interviewing in San Diego yet:
“Not to my knowledge.”
On the top man on his list regardless if it is the Chargers or anybody else:
“I can’t do that because I’ve reached an agreement with the Chargers and I am going to assist them. When that is over I can do almost anything. Not until that is over with.”
On yesterday’s interview being in San Diego:
“Yes.”
On what led him to hire Mike Holmgren in Green Bay:
“Number one was the success of the San Francisco 49ers at that time. Number two, he won 10 games as an offensive coordinator with a quarterback by the name of Mike Moroski. Number three, he had such a passion for the game of professional football. Those three ingredients…I would say number four, he was very bright.”
On flying all over the country to conduct the interviews:
“I’m going to be. I’m right now in Florida and I’m going to be back there. Again, I am waiting for directions. That hasn’t been finalized.”
On where in Florida he lives:
“I live in Jupiter, Florida around West Palm Beach area. On the East Coast.”
On a few common denominators of individuals who have knocked his socks off in the past:
“It is obviously Mike Holmgren. I had to interview Bill Parcells. There was another that was just an incredible interview. Mike Sherman who had wonderful success early as a coach with the Packers; it was an exceptional interview. He was handed the general managers job and it was kind of his swan song. Those are a couple.”
On why he thinks he was brought in and why they needed him:
“I’m not so sure they needed me. I think the deal is that it is another ear, another voice and another thought process. They have been through this a little bit and they would like to hear something new. When I went to Green Bay in 1992 they had the poorest record in the National Football League. I think if you’ll check it out now from 1992 right to this day, the team with the best record in the NFL is the Green Bay Packers. That might have had something to do with it too. To me, despite all of the other stuff that goes on, there is one statistic that matters: winning over losing. That is the only statistic that matters. That might have had something to do with it.”
On what role the current personnel (the players) have in the general manager and head coach search:
“No it sure shouldn’t. What should play into the factor is getting the best possible person we can to take the next step forward. There is a pretty good situation there in San Diego. Certainly with the defensive unit and the quarterback; it is a pretty good deal. Somebody once told me to never take the ‘foot’ out of football. That is also an area where San Diego seems very well equipped, the kicking game. Those are all part and parcel. Really and truly what we’re trying to do and what Dean Spanos and the rest of the Charger family is trying to do is find that guy to lead the Chargers. That is our focus and that is what we are doing.”
On the coach’s preferred offensive scheme fitting in with the current personnel’s style of play:
“Certainly that matters.”
