Chargers, At Least So Far, Paying Price for Schottenheimer Firing
It's looking more and more like the worst move of the offseason was the decision by San Diego Chargers President Dean Spanos to fire Marty Schottenheimer as the team's coach because Schottenheimer couldn't coexist peacefully with General Manager A.J. Smith.
The Chargers initially decided to retain Schottenheimer on the heels of a second-round playoff defeat at home to the New England Patriots that followed a 14-2 regular season. But after Schottenheimer lost several members of his coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, and wanted to interview his brother Kurt as a possible replacement for Phillips, the tensions resurfaced and Spanos sided with Smith, ousting Schottenheimer.
Smith and Spanos hired Norv Turner as Schottenheimer's replacement, believing there would be a seamless transition because Turner formerly had been the club's offensive coordinator and Cameron was running the same system. The Chargers thought they had a Super Bowl-ready team and Turner's previous shortcomings as a head coach while with the Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders wouldn't matter.
It appears they were wrong.
Today's loss at home to the Kansas City Chiefs dropped their record to 1-3. The Chargers are in disarray, and ridding themselves of a head coach with a history of postseason failure (Schottenheimer) in favor of a head coach with a history of all-around failure (Turner) isn't exactly looking inspired.
Is it too late to ask Schottenheimer to return?
By Mark Maske |
September 30, 2007; 7:19 PM ET
| Category:
Chargers
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Posted by: Fingerman | September 30, 2007 9:39 PM
I think that most people knew that San Diego made an error in hiring Norv. I lived in DC when he coached the Redskins and they were mediocre at best. The Raiders would have been happy being just mediocre. He's just a really bad head coach because he doesn't inspire the players. All of Jimmy Johnson's coordinaters have failed even though they were pretty good coordinators. But their best success came when Jimmy called the shots, infused emotion, and picked the best players. Turner and Dave Wannstadt can't claim to have any of those traits.
Posted by: MiamiMan | September 30, 2007 10:25 PM
This is the truth - more losses in September than all of last year.
You have my sincere sympathies, Bolts fans -- plus I'll be rooting for you to beat the Donkos.
Posted by: RaiderFan | October 1, 2007 10:01 AM
Wow, people can't be suprised by this.
Norv is a great offensive mind but does not have any leadership or people skills.
What did you think as going to happen?
Posted by: mriley0223 | October 1, 2007 2:27 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
Yeah, what a shock. Who would have expected that Norv Turner would be a poor head coach? Those previous 140 games or so that he coached--those obviously weren't enough evidence. I just can't believe so many football "experts" (Peter King, for instance) claimed when he was hired that he was the right choice for the job, and so many of those same experts picked San Diego as a playoff and possible Super Bowl team this year. Did they not pay attention to those six years he coached the Redskins? This was the most predictable development of the NFL season.