Chargers coach Mike McCoy yesterday credited his team on how they "handled a unique home atmosphere" in a 19-16 loss at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday, where Raiders fans far outnumbered Chargers fans, according to Michael Gehlken of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. Players "had a sense of what to expect before the game." Sources said that on the previous Monday, the "potential atmosphere was discussed during meetings behind closed doors." McCoy: "We understood the environment going into the game of what it was going to be like, and we did a nice job of handling it. From my perspective, the players and coaches have all done an outstanding job of handling both situations." Chargers DE Joey Bosa said, "It was different, nothing I’ve ever experienced before." Gehlken notes to the team's credit, for "all the crowd noise Sunday, the Chargers were crisp" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 12/20).
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: In San Diego, Kevin Acee notes Chargers Chair Dean Spanos claims that Measure C "getting a majority of the vote would have swayed him into giving San Diego another year is just the latest outrageous twist in this tangled mess." All the other things going against a proposal for a downtown stadium "could have been wiped out by the Chargers football team having fewer L’s before Nov. 8." Measure C "was never going to pass, in that it needed two-thirds approval." However, a winning team "would have meant 5-10 points at the polls, which would have pushed it close to or well above the majority that Spanos says would have made him buoyant about pressing on." Acee: "Put another way, the team could be here for the long haul if it was good. But it's bad, so it could be leaving. Is anyone else getting how crazy this is? Anyone? At Chargers Park? On Park Avenue?" Acee writes he remains "unconvinced the Chargers are leaving," but admits that his is a "voice shouting in the wind" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 12/20). Spanos over the weekend admitted he is closer to moving the Chargers to L.A. than staying in San Diego, but the UNION-TRIBUNE's Mark Zeigler writes, "Here's a one-finger, two-letter suggestion: Go. Move. Do it. Dare you." Zeigler: "It’s all so predictable, the threats, the bullying, the crying wolf." Spanos let it "slip Sunday that 'I'm waiting for the city of San Diego,' that if it somehow doesn't act now ... if it doesn't accede to his demands, he's moving." Zeigler: "Call Deano’s bluff. Tell him the people have spoken, or 57 percent of them have at least. Tell him a stadium full of 75 percent fans from the visiting team has spoken." If Spanos leaves, he was "probably leaving anyway." Zeigler: "Good luck, good riddance. If he doesn’t, he crawls back to the negotiating table with a more realistic, more humble approach" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 12/20).
FURIOUS FANS: In N.Y., Ken Belson writes after "another dispiriting loss, Chargers fans had little to cheer for and must have felt like visitors in their own stadium." In moving to L.A., Spanos "would risk alienating fans in San Diego, where the Chargers have played for more than a half-century." It is "unclear how many of those fans would pay thousands of dollars for seat licenses and tickets, which would undoubtedly be more expensive" in L.A. Spanos "will need to find new fans" in L.A. should he decide to move. Belson: "The Chargers might be a breath of fresh air compared to the Rams, who are 4-10." NFL owners "understand why Spanos might abandon" San Diego for L.A., a "much larger market" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/20). In San Diego, Abby Hamblin notes what had Chargers fans "all riled up" yesterday were the reports that followed saying if the team goes, they will "rebrand as a new team." There is even a whole Reddit thread "dedicated to fighting over the idea of rebranding" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 12/20).
ONE WAY OR ANOTHER: PRO FOOTBALL TALK’s Mike Florio writes it will be "difficult if not impossible for the NFL to get nine owners to oppose" the Raiders relocating to Las Vegas. While Raiders Owner Mark Davis and Las Vegas Sands Chair & CEO Sheldon Adelson reportedly are having trouble reaching an agreement, a source said that Davis "will find someone else (or multiple someones) to stand in Adelson’s shoes, if Adelson doesn’t want to do a deal." Florio notes the Raiders "could spend up to two more years in Oakland as their new stadium is built in Las Vegas" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 12/20).
