Report: Chargers down to two GM candidates
The San Diego Chargers reportedly are close to filling one of their two key vacancies.
According to the UT San Diego newspaper, Chargers director of player personnel Jimmy Raye and Indianapolis Colts vice president of football operations Tom Telesco are the finalists to replace A.J. Smith as San Diego's general manager.
If a new GM is added soon, he could participate in the team's search for the successor to head coach Norv Turner. Smith and Turner were fired after the Chargers completed a 7-9 season.
The newspaper reported that Chargers president Dean Spanos, director of college scouting John Spanos, vice president Ed McGuire and consultant Ron Wolf also interviewed New York Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross.
On the coaching front, the Chargers interviewed Syracuse coach Doug Marrone, who subsequently accepted the Buffalo Bills' head coaching job.
The Chargers also reportedly are interested in Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians and UCLA coach Jim Mora.
Arians helped lead the Colts to the playoffs this season by guiding them to a 9-3 record while filling in for head coach Chuck Pagano, who was undergoing leukemia treatments.
Mora was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2004-06 and of the Seattle Seahawks in 2009. He has a 31-33 NFL record. In his first year at UCLA, he guided the Bruins to a 9-5 record this season.
Both Mora and Raye have fathers of the same name who had lengthy NFL coaching careers. Jim E. Mora, father of Jim L. Mora, was head coach of the New Orleans Saints and the Colts. Jimmy Raye II, father of Jimmy Raye III, served as the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers.
