I haven't had a good rant in about six months, so here goes:
I've been so angry about the "Nick Saban Incident" that...well...the quoted phrase is the only way I can describe it without going into an expletive-laden tirade that ends with me stating that I want to set fire to the entire state of Alabama.
And...I'm not that kind of guy. And I happen to like most of the people in Alabama. Anyway, I've been interested in the coaching search thus far, but I've about had it with the public denunciation of one of the classiest individuals in football who has been unjustly villified, and immediately becomes the best candidate for the job if something stupid happens.
If the Chargers are stupid enough to fire Marty Schottenheimer, we need to hire him. Immediately.
The analysis of his playoff record has gotten a bit tiresome, and I really think that the "he can't win the big one" thing has been seriously overblown. He's been in 18 playoff games, and he's lost far more than he's won. Granted. Before you pass judgement on those playoff losses, however, you should look at something. A remarkable number of those playoff losses have been by VERY close margins, and a remarkable number of those playoff losses have come to teams that went to the Super Bowl.
Also, there's a flip side to that coin, and I think it bears mentioning here: He gets the most out of his players, and may very well have gotten teams to the playoffs that would have been sub-par under a different coach.
Here are a couple things to look at:
1) His continued excellence at turning around franchises, and continual COMPETETIVENESS in playoff games:
Cleveland
In 1984, Marty Schottenheimer took over for Sam Rutigliano when the Browns were 1-7. He finished the season 4-4. In 1985, the Browns made the playoffs, and lost by three points in the divisional playoff game to...the Miami Dolphins, following quite a comeback led by Dan Marino. The Dolphins went to the Super Bowl.
The following year he led the Browns to the best record in the AFC and the AFC championship game, where the Browns lost the game in the last two minutes to John Elway, and "The Drive." The Broncos (obviously) went to the Super Bowl.
Marty's last year with Cleveland was 1988. Record: 10-6 - made playoffs, then lost the AFC wildcard game by one point to the Oilers.
After he left?
Cleveland, 1989 - 9-6-1
Cleveland, 1990 - 3-13.
The Browns didn't make the playoffs for six years between 89-95, when some guy named Belichick finally got the franchise back together.
By 1990, Marty had taken the 4-11 Kansas City Chiefs he inherited and turned them into a playoff team. This playoff team again lost the AFC wildcard game by one point to...? The Miami Dolphins.
Marty peaked with KC in 1995-1997, leading the team to 13-3 twice after leading quite a few teams into the playoffs with questionable talent (more on that in a second) in the early 90s. He lost in the first round of the playoffs with those two juggernauts...both times by three points. In 95 it was to the Colts team that nearly beat the Steelers to go to the Super Bowl. In 97 it was to the Broncos team that won the Super Bowl.
Marty's last year in KC was 1998, and the Chiefs missed the playoffs. After his departure, the Chiefs continued wallowing in medicrity and missed the playoffs until 2003.
The Chiefs have not won a playoff game since Schottenheimer left.
Marty took two years off, then returned to the Redskins for one uneventful year in 2001. The Redskins went 8-8 and missed the wild-card by one game.
After being dismissed/quitting/whatever, Marty was hired by San Diego in 2002, where he took the 5-11 in 2001 Chargers and went 8-8 with them. After a down year, he's gone 12-4, 9-7, and 14-2 with them over the last three years. The two playoff games he's lost have both been by...three points.
In those 13 playoff losses, the AVERAGE loss has been by less than six points. If you take out two blowout losses to the AFC Champion Bills in the early 90s (with teams that arguably shouldn't have even MADE the playoffs - again, more on that in a second), that average loss drops to...
...wait for it...
...just over three points (3.18). Almost every time, he puts his teams in a position to win in the playoffs. One could argue that he gets outcoached in the playoffs (and make a convincing argument)...but he certainly gets his teams in a position to win.
2) As stated above, Marty gets the most out of his players. In reviewing his coaching history, I noticed something interesting - Marty makes bad players play decent, decent players play like Pro Bowlers, and Pro Bowlers play like superstars.
Naturally, as any long-term coach would encounter, there are quite a few "natural talents" that come along exclusively under your tutelage. Marty has been fortunate in that sense, having had Pro-Bowlers Hanford Dixon, Frank Minnifield, Neil Smith, Derrick Thomas, Will Shields, and Christian Okoye among others.
However, he's also had quite a few players that had extended (read as: 10+ years) in the league with different coaches and/or different teams. Marty got the most out of those players, too. Here's a list of those players who ONLY went to the Pro Bowl under Schottenheimer: Bob Golic, Clay Matthews, Kevin Ross, John Alt, Dale Carter, Steve Bono (seriously? Steve BONO?), Kimble Anders, and Dan Saleaumua.
Special consideration is being given here to James "Toast" Hasty, formerly of the New York Jets, who actually made the Pro Bowl under Marty during his last year, as well as the year after he left...although it could be argued that Gunther Cunningham had quite a bit to do with that.
You want the most out of the "underacheivers" on the Dolphins? Marty's your guy.
He'll turn this team around, get the most out of them (Dear God...if he helped Steve Bono become a Pro Bowler, imaging what he could do with...nevermind...that's a whole other topic....), and TAKE THEM TO THE PLAYOFFS. And he'll put them in a position to win.
I, for one, would love to see what he could do if coupled up with Dom Capers and a decent OC. Don't want him here because he's a "loser"? Because the Chargers lost to quite possibly the most dominant football team in the last 30 years...by three points? Please.
This guy is a winner of the first order - he'll put the Fins in a position to win. A LOT. People say "we could do worse." I say we'd be hard-pressed to do better. If the Chargers fire him, we should snatch him up in a heartbeat - and we should all be freakin' ecstatic. He'd immediately bring a level of class and respect to the Dolphins; something they used to be known for - something they've been lacking, quite frankly for a very long time. He also bring back something that we've also been lacking for a very long time...winning.
Hey - at least we can be pretty sure he won't tuck tail and run to college if things get tough.
I've been so angry about the "Nick Saban Incident" that...well...the quoted phrase is the only way I can describe it without going into an expletive-laden tirade that ends with me stating that I want to set fire to the entire state of Alabama.
And...I'm not that kind of guy. And I happen to like most of the people in Alabama. Anyway, I've been interested in the coaching search thus far, but I've about had it with the public denunciation of one of the classiest individuals in football who has been unjustly villified, and immediately becomes the best candidate for the job if something stupid happens.
If the Chargers are stupid enough to fire Marty Schottenheimer, we need to hire him. Immediately.
The analysis of his playoff record has gotten a bit tiresome, and I really think that the "he can't win the big one" thing has been seriously overblown. He's been in 18 playoff games, and he's lost far more than he's won. Granted. Before you pass judgement on those playoff losses, however, you should look at something. A remarkable number of those playoff losses have been by VERY close margins, and a remarkable number of those playoff losses have come to teams that went to the Super Bowl.
Also, there's a flip side to that coin, and I think it bears mentioning here: He gets the most out of his players, and may very well have gotten teams to the playoffs that would have been sub-par under a different coach.
Here are a couple things to look at:
1) His continued excellence at turning around franchises, and continual COMPETETIVENESS in playoff games:
Cleveland
In 1984, Marty Schottenheimer took over for Sam Rutigliano when the Browns were 1-7. He finished the season 4-4. In 1985, the Browns made the playoffs, and lost by three points in the divisional playoff game to...the Miami Dolphins, following quite a comeback led by Dan Marino. The Dolphins went to the Super Bowl.
The following year he led the Browns to the best record in the AFC and the AFC championship game, where the Browns lost the game in the last two minutes to John Elway, and "The Drive." The Broncos (obviously) went to the Super Bowl.
Marty's last year with Cleveland was 1988. Record: 10-6 - made playoffs, then lost the AFC wildcard game by one point to the Oilers.
After he left?
Cleveland, 1989 - 9-6-1
Cleveland, 1990 - 3-13.
The Browns didn't make the playoffs for six years between 89-95, when some guy named Belichick finally got the franchise back together.
By 1990, Marty had taken the 4-11 Kansas City Chiefs he inherited and turned them into a playoff team. This playoff team again lost the AFC wildcard game by one point to...? The Miami Dolphins.
Marty peaked with KC in 1995-1997, leading the team to 13-3 twice after leading quite a few teams into the playoffs with questionable talent (more on that in a second) in the early 90s. He lost in the first round of the playoffs with those two juggernauts...both times by three points. In 95 it was to the Colts team that nearly beat the Steelers to go to the Super Bowl. In 97 it was to the Broncos team that won the Super Bowl.
Marty's last year in KC was 1998, and the Chiefs missed the playoffs. After his departure, the Chiefs continued wallowing in medicrity and missed the playoffs until 2003.
The Chiefs have not won a playoff game since Schottenheimer left.
Marty took two years off, then returned to the Redskins for one uneventful year in 2001. The Redskins went 8-8 and missed the wild-card by one game.
After being dismissed/quitting/whatever, Marty was hired by San Diego in 2002, where he took the 5-11 in 2001 Chargers and went 8-8 with them. After a down year, he's gone 12-4, 9-7, and 14-2 with them over the last three years. The two playoff games he's lost have both been by...three points.
In those 13 playoff losses, the AVERAGE loss has been by less than six points. If you take out two blowout losses to the AFC Champion Bills in the early 90s (with teams that arguably shouldn't have even MADE the playoffs - again, more on that in a second), that average loss drops to...
...wait for it...
...just over three points (3.18). Almost every time, he puts his teams in a position to win in the playoffs. One could argue that he gets outcoached in the playoffs (and make a convincing argument)...but he certainly gets his teams in a position to win.
2) As stated above, Marty gets the most out of his players. In reviewing his coaching history, I noticed something interesting - Marty makes bad players play decent, decent players play like Pro Bowlers, and Pro Bowlers play like superstars.
Naturally, as any long-term coach would encounter, there are quite a few "natural talents" that come along exclusively under your tutelage. Marty has been fortunate in that sense, having had Pro-Bowlers Hanford Dixon, Frank Minnifield, Neil Smith, Derrick Thomas, Will Shields, and Christian Okoye among others.
However, he's also had quite a few players that had extended (read as: 10+ years) in the league with different coaches and/or different teams. Marty got the most out of those players, too. Here's a list of those players who ONLY went to the Pro Bowl under Schottenheimer: Bob Golic, Clay Matthews, Kevin Ross, John Alt, Dale Carter, Steve Bono (seriously? Steve BONO?), Kimble Anders, and Dan Saleaumua.
Special consideration is being given here to James "Toast" Hasty, formerly of the New York Jets, who actually made the Pro Bowl under Marty during his last year, as well as the year after he left...although it could be argued that Gunther Cunningham had quite a bit to do with that.
You want the most out of the "underacheivers" on the Dolphins? Marty's your guy.
He'll turn this team around, get the most out of them (Dear God...if he helped Steve Bono become a Pro Bowler, imaging what he could do with...nevermind...that's a whole other topic....), and TAKE THEM TO THE PLAYOFFS. And he'll put them in a position to win.
I, for one, would love to see what he could do if coupled up with Dom Capers and a decent OC. Don't want him here because he's a "loser"? Because the Chargers lost to quite possibly the most dominant football team in the last 30 years...by three points? Please.
This guy is a winner of the first order - he'll put the Fins in a position to win. A LOT. People say "we could do worse." I say we'd be hard-pressed to do better. If the Chargers fire him, we should snatch him up in a heartbeat - and we should all be freakin' ecstatic. He'd immediately bring a level of class and respect to the Dolphins; something they used to be known for - something they've been lacking, quite frankly for a very long time. He also bring back something that we've also been lacking for a very long time...winning.
Hey - at least we can be pretty sure he won't tuck tail and run to college if things get tough.
