Chargers fire A.J. Smith and Norv Turner

After ten years, it's time for change in San Diego as team president Dean Spanos fired longtime general manager A.J. Smith after a disappointing 7-9 season. Joining him in the unemployment line is head coach Norv Turner. Summing up the A.J. Smith era in San Diego is hard. After succeeding to the top job after the death of John Butler, he built one of the most talented rosters in the league as a 14-2 season in 2004 kicked off a remarkable run of success. That success was due largely to the great job Smith did drafting in his first couple years as general manager. As the years went on, though, talented players left in free agency, and Smith's draft touch disappeared, resulting in too many picks and a roster increasingly held together by baling wire and string. Oh, and when he wasn't letting talented players leave, Smith was feuding with them, including standouts like left tackle Marcus McNeill and wideout Vincent Jackson. Norv Turner was hired after Smith fired Marty S...