Chargers head coach Schottenheimer fired

ESPN.com ^ | February 12, 2007 | Unattributed

[Terpfen]

SAN DIEGO -- Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer was fired Monday night in a shocking move by team president Dean Spanos, who cited a "dysfunctional situation" between the coach and general manager A.J. Smith.

The move was first reported by ESPN's Chris Mortensen.

Less than a month after San Diego's NFL-best 14-2 season was wrecked in a playoff loss to New England, Spanos cited the exodus of both coordinators and other assistants in firing Schottenheimer, who had a year left on his contact.

"This decision was so hard because Marty has been both a friend and valued coach of our team," Spanos said in a statement. "But my first obligation is always to do what is in the best interest of our fans and the entire Charger organization. I must take whatever steps are necessary to deliver a Super Bowl trophy to San Diego. Events of the last month have now convinced me that it is not possible for our organization to function at a championship level under the current structure. On the contrary, and in the plainest possible language, we have a dysfunctional situation here. Today I am resolving that situation once and for all."

[GOP_Raider]

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[My2Cents]

Brutal. Thanks.

[GOP_Raider]

I do what I can. You're welcome. :)

[misterrob]

The Jets are a well coached team, the Bills are an inept franchise and the Dolphins are starting over with a new coach and system.

Pats have 2 1st rounders and a second to play with on draft day. I like their chances the next two years.

[Terpfen]

The Bills as a franchise are inept. The Bills as a football team are not to be discounted. They're the AFC East version of the Titans, IMO.

The Dolphins are only "starting over" on offense. Capers is still running the defense, and still running Saban's hybrid system. Jason Taylor will continue to introduce himself forcefully to Tom Brady, and Zach Thomas will continue to forcefully introduce himself to Lawrence Maroney. There's a rumor that Corey Dillon is going to retire, which is why I'm leaving him out.

I'm not discounting the Patriots, especially with the draft picks Belichick has stockpiled this year, I'm simply saying you no longer have the luxury of overlooking your division.

[Perdogg]

I wouldn't be surprised if Jimmy Johnson or Bill Parcells were interested in the job.

At their stages in life, I think they would be willing to coach (Jimmy Johnson said he left the Dolphins because he didn't think the team he had could win a Super Bowl) if they had a pretty good shot of winning it all.

[Terpfen]

(Jimmy Johnson said he left the Dolphins because he didn't think the team he had could win a Super Bowl)

And whose fault is that? I'm sorry, Jimmy, if your tried-and-true method of getting an insane amount of draft picks in exchange for one player (*cough*Herschel Walker*cough*) didn't work in Miami.

Back to the topic at hand... I think Parcells is done, at least as a coach. I can see him as a GM somewhere, but as a coach, he's done. Johnson is probably happy doing whatever it is he does now. I bet he saves a fortune on hairspray now that he doesn't have to stand on the sidelines and wear a headset.

[Terpfen]

Don't worry about LT's numbers. San Diego uses the Air Coryell system, and LT still racks up incredible numbers.

[foreverfree]

Re post 121...

LMFAO!!!!

ff

[MattinNJ]

Agreed.

[MattinNJ]

I wish him well and will miss him. I was hoping he would stick around one more year but Coughlin drove him crazy. The G-men schedule was brutal this year-how do ou open up with Indy, @ Philly, and @ Seattle. It was amazing they got to 6-2. There season turned around when Pettigout went down and Eli lost confidence in his blindside. The schedule is much easier next year and if they had known Schottenheimer was going to be available Tiki would have stayed because they have Super Bowl talent. Tiki was special. Coughlin's droning over and over about plays and execution was sapping him. He understood it the first time. Tiki's a bright guy. You tell him 34 dive he gets it. He doesn't have to run the play over and over. Parcels didn't have LT pratice and the G-men accepted it because they knew he would produce on Sunday. Coughlin should have done the same with Tiki.

Too late now, by cutting Pettigout and Arrington , and with Tiki retiring, they are in a rebuilding stage.

[MattinNJ]

Couhlin is done. They would have hired Schottenheimer if he was available and Tiki would have stayed. The new GM is 20 million under the cap know that he cut ettigout, Arrington, Emmons, awith more to come. They will get younger and healthier (although I would have kept Pettigout).

Next year some big time coaches will beavailable and the Giants will be their first choice.

Good luck with the Bears-they should have picked up Collins. He would have thrown as many picks as Grossman, but he always gave you 300 -350 yards.

[Wycowboy]

The Cowboys won that third title in the nineties despite Switzer, not because of Barry (and Neil O'Donnell). I think that if Johnson had stayed, they would have won a couple more. They were that talented and deep. Alas, Jerry Jones had to screw it up! And now look at them..... Phillips will get what, one year?

Couldn't have said it better myself. Two extreme buttheaded bozo's, Switzer and Jones.

By the way, did you see Swizzer before the Oklahoma, Boise State Game? Swizzer was lamenting the fact that it was the men against the boys, and Boise State was going to be annihilated. Yeah....Swizzer knows football, you bet.

[Richard Kimball]

Cowher has a year left on his contract, and I think Mama put his testicles in a lock box and told him to move to NC. I don't think he could coach at NY now, and if he wanted to coach, weren't the Steelers about the best gig he could get? Lots of job security, even if the pay wasn't the highest, it was very good.

Why would Parcells leave one T. O. to get a whole team of bipolar players?

I agree with you about getting some new coaches in. Head coaching is an entirely different gig than it was a few decades ago. Coaches, like Lombardi, Paul Brown, and Landry, were pretty much masters of all they surveyed. Today, with salary caps and signing bonuses, players know they don't have to worry about the coach, because he can't cut them. If he can't cut them, what power does he actually have?

[ABG(anybody but Gore)]

I think Marty is waiting for Coughlin to totally screw the pooch in New York, then rides to the rescue with lots of regular season victories and early playoff exits...