Chargers G.M. A.J. Smith is well known for coming off as upset, even when he’s happy.
This time around, he ain’t happy.
In the wake of Sunday night’s not-as-close-as-it-seemed 38-28 loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh, Smith sounded off about his team’s performance through the first four weeks of the season.
“Absolutely embarrassing,” Smith told the media on Tuesday, via Nick Canepa of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “Everything is wrong with it right now. I’m not the least bit happy in a lot of areas. I’ve seen us be tough and physical to soft and bewildered.”
To his credit, Smith resisted citing a rash of injuries as an excuse -- a wise move since it allows the players and the coaches to rely on injuries as an excuse, too.
“Everybody gets hurt in the National Football League,” Smith said, “if not early, then late, or in the playoffs. You do the best you can. Deal with it.”
Smith also realizes that, as to the current composition of the roster, he has no choice but to “deal with it.”
“Everything bothers me right now and there’s not much we can do,” Smith said. “You can make trades or go on the street, but all you can do is tweak in football -- during the season. You can lose your job and the players are still here.”
The first portion of his last sentence bears repeating, with a minor twist. “You might lose your job.”
And that applies to coach Norv Turner, and to the guy who hired him.
So, basically, the most intriguing game the Chargers will be playing over the balance of the season involves Smith and Turner looking for ways to lay blame internally on each other, with Smith surely hoping that, in the end, he’ll get yet another chance to hire a head coach before ownership decides to hire a new G.M.