Word on the street is that Schotty stays, but without a contract extension. Meanwhile, all the assistants will get new contracts. There you have it. Everything old is new again. Look forward to another strong regular season capped off with a cherry-colored shit. Fuck this noise.
10 comments:
Multiple people have said to me, "would you rather have Wade Phillips over Marty Schottenheimer?" My initial response is "relevence?" and then when I realize they mean that the ONLY alternative the chargers have to Marty is Bum Phillip's son, (rome moment.), my next response is the proverbial "of course I don't want Wade Phillips but you are comparing rotten apples to rotten oranges. Isn't there a possible scenario that does not include Wade or Marty at all? Is that so OUT THERE? MC, I remember how I felt after the Jets game and after the Dolphins game and the Ravens game and the Cowboys game and most recently the Patriots game. I get to look forward to that same feeling again. I guess there is one silver lining. Marty is not Wade Phillips. YIIIPPPPEEEE!!!
One final comment concerning Marty's brilliance. Can anyone name one game in the last six years the Charger's had no business in winning? You know, like the game the Patriots had last weekend or the Jets two years ago or the Patriots in the Ram's superbowl or the Steelers agains the colts last year or the Patriots against the Raiders. Don't respond with the Bengals because that would go in to the category of "the games we had no business in losing." My point? Marty wins about 90% of the games he should. That is why he has a winning record. However, Champions win the ones they don't belong in.
Re: Marty.
1. I don't know of an available candidate who would represent a clear upgrade.
2. The importance of continuity for the franchise can't be underestimated. Keeping the same system and coaching staff (meaning coordinators and assistants, not just the HC) in place is huge, especially for a relatively young team that is still maturing in some ways. Now they can focus on the draft, resigning key guys (keep Dielman!) and oh yeah, finding a new stadium site so we can get San Diego back in the Super Bowl rotation and keep the team from leaving for LA or Vegas or San Antonio.
Of course I realize the value of continuity, but the probably is that the continuity Marty provides includes continued disappointment in the post season. I don't want to be like the Houston Oilers or the Minnesota Vikings in the '90s were, flailing year after year in the play-offs. For some reason Marty can't find a way to win in the big games, and I don't want to waste the rest of TBE's career hoping next year will be the year he finally gets that monkey off of his back. Twice now under Marty the Bolts have lost in their first playoff game when they were considerd fairly heavy favorites. How many more chances do we give him?
Stuart, what continuity are you speaking of? What does keeping Marty have anything to do with the stadium? A.J. Smith is charge of contracts, Jim Steeg (sp) is in charge of the stadium. The two can operate concomittanly without hurting the other.
Not to speak for anyone here, Ryan, but as far as continuity it seemed to me that Stuart was speaking strictly of the team and coaching and not about the stadium. He appeared to make two seperate points to me.
I'm at a loss. I don't think that firing him would have done any good for the 2007 campaign. But, I'm a bit afraid that this may happen again 360 days from now and I'll want to hang myself in a burning rainforrest.
If they were to dismiss him, I'd have wanted a clean house. Everyone gone, Wad and Cam, and everyone who didn't help lead us to victory. But they clearly couldn't have gone that route.
Let him coach 2007. If I have to take the wrath of all the "I told you sos" so be it. I'd be even more miserable with Wad in charge. If it happens again, we can welcome Cowher in with open arms.
Ok- My thoughts have been all over the place on this one. Of course, for the first 24 hours, and then every random hour since, my reaction has been "get him OUT of here!!" This loss stings more than the Jets one from 2 years ago (maybe it has to do with the fact that after that one I was still in Cabo San Lucas drinking tequila and hanging out by the pool). But anyway, yes, I put the loss on Sunday on Marty. When the team is THAT keyed up, after waiting for 2 weeks and riding all that momentum and emotion, probably the head coaches main job at that point is to temper and focus the team, so that all that adrenaline doesn't turn into mistakes. Well, he failed at that and I put it on him.
Now... after some cooling off (again, there are still random fits of frustration), I am starting to think it would be ok if he stays. The main reason is that I don't see a replacement that I prefer. I think back to the carousel that we had for a while during some "lean" years, and what a nightmare that was. Unless there is a proven postseason winner out there, I shudder to think about revolving coaching door for a few more years.
LT is taking up for Marty too, and what LT thinks carries quite a bit of weight with me.
I agree that continuity is important here. The head coach and the assistants and the chemistry- it's key. If you remove the HC, then there will be waves of change- it's inevitable. Which would you rather have next year if you could pick one right now: 1.) A divisional title, a sweep of the broncos, and another home field playoff game to watch tensely with Marty coaching? or 2.) A new coach and a 9-7 record that may or may not get you a wildcard berth depending on what other teams do? Ok obviously they are both hypothetical situations, but in that hypothetical situation, I would probably pick #1.
So there you go- I guess I'm ok with Marty staying. I'll likely have another momentary angry relapse in a little while and want to get the firing stick out, but overall, I think that if he stays I'll be ok with it. Give me the best chance at more playoff games, and if that means I have to listen to all the monkey talk, so be it.
I've watched every game of seasons when this team stunk so badly and it's an unfamiliar feeling to have high expectations now. I love it and hate it, but I prefer it.
I'd like to add that coaching can only take you so far. Should Marty be responsible for the idiots that were wearing our uniforms this past Sunday? You might be able to make a case for that, but coaching is only coaching if the player receives it.
Remember Igor? Yeah, I know Nalen cut him, but he punched him in the head in the last two minutes of a close game and took a 15 yard penalty. All the coaching in the world won't overcome stupidity in the moment.
Dammit! I don't want to be an apologist!
Ryan's right; my first comment was not perfectly clear. I was thinking along these lines.
The stadium search is an issue that has been and will continue to be a large time suck for the front office (meaning Dean, Steeg, Fabiani and others), and for all of our sakes, I'm hoping they get something done here in San Diego and soon. I'm glad that Dean chose to keep Marty, because doing so makes the head coach issue go away (at least internally - the media is still going to be all over Marty's postseason record) and frees up the front office to focus on a stadium deal. It also lets A.J. focus on the draft and free agency. Marty gets one more year, which is fine by me, and Dean doesn’t have to pay Marty a $3M buyout. I'm really not angry at Marty so much as I'm disappointed in the lack of discipline and execution on the players' part. Yes, you can pin that on the coaching staff if you prefer, but the players have to be smart. On Sunday, they weren’t.
I read that all the assistants got extensions – does that mean Cam and Wade are out of the mix for head coaching jobs with other teams?
Diego – I completely agree on being unused to having high expectations. It’s maddening but it sure as hell beats looking forward to being 6-10, again and again.
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