Maybe.

Here's the problem: you're still the Chargers that Peyton Manning dislikes.

At the time, he didn't really know one way or the other, but when it was clear they would draft Eli, Peyton went out there and talked about what a disaster the Chargers were. He encouraged Eli to not play there and it's not for no reason. Because the Chargers are a dysfunctional franchise.

The way I imagine it, Peyton goes there for a few years, gets fed up and forces a trade and we all see him quite differently. Rather than Eli be the one that San Diegans hate, it's Peyton.

Look, I'm not saying Jim Irsay is a great human being, either. He's not. But he was at least smart enough to let Manning do whatever he wanted until he decided to take Luck and get rid of him. The reason the Mannings don't like the Chargers is the meddling and the acrimony with the city.

The Chargers are a confusing franchise because they do spend a lot of money, but they seem more interested in being profitable than they do winning. And if you think I'm wrong, just look at their move to LA. It's because it's more lucrative for them. Ralph Wilson wanted the Bills to be in Buffalo because he loved Buffalo. He could have moved elsewhere and made more money, but that wasn't important to him.

Whatever the balance is between making money and winning, the Chargers are one of those teams who've never cut enough from the "making money" part to transfer it to the "winning" part. It's the same with the Bengals and the Oilers/Titans. Art Modell did it with the Browns until Bisciotti put money into the Ravens that Modell would never do.

I don't like how Peyton did you guys, I thought it was pretty low class, but he wasn't wrong. The Chargers have never put winning on a high enough level and he would have been frustrated. Just because the Spanos' have Manning, do you think they're going to change their money grubbing ways? Give me a break!