Chargers might miss Schottenheimer already

By Mike Ash  |   Tuesday, May 08, 2007  |  Comments( 53 )

San Diego Chargers
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For the first time in recent memory, the draft-day decisions of the San Diego Chargers left more than a few observers scratching their heads. Although hardly anyone has called it a bad draft, words like "underwhelming" and "puzzling" seem to appear with frequency when discussing the Bolts' selections in 2007.

Their first-round pick, wide receiver Craig Davis from LSU, certainly filled a position of need. But with several talented and higher-rated wideouts still on the board -- names like USC's Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith, South Carolina's Sidney Rice and Ohio State's Anthony Gonzalez -- what made them settle on Davis? The answer, it seems, is that the Chargers' brass is high on his ability as a punt returner, and that pushed him above the other candidates. Nevertheless, the choice has been widely considered a reach.

In the second round, the Chargers selected safety Eric Weddle from Utah. At first glance there's nothing wrong with this pick. In fact, it's a solid one, as Weddle is a very talented player. But it's what the Chargers gave up to get him that has raised eyebrows. To move up for Weddle, the team gave Chicago its second-, third- and fifth-round pick in last month's draft and a third-rounder in 2008, all for a player who was pegged to go around the middle of the second round anyway. It's a hefty price to pay for someone who probably would have been on the board another 10 to 20 picks later.

None of San Diego's remaining selections stood out in any particular way, though the team may have gotten a few promising players in the later rounds. But overall it's unusual to see San Diego getting second-guessed to this degree, as its recent drafts have been nothing short of stellar.

In 2004, the Chargers not only fleeced the New York Giants in the infamous Eli Manning trade, they also came away with an amazing glut of talent that included quarterback Philip Rivers, defensive tackle Igor Olshansky, linebacker Shaun Phillips, kicker Nate Kaeding and running back Michael Turner.

In the 2005 draft the Chargers added LB Shawne Merriman, DT Luis Castillo and WR Vincent Jackson with their first three picks. And while talented cornerback Antonio Cromartie, their first pick in 2006, has yet to crack the starting lineup, last year's second-rounder, offensive tackle Marcus McNeill, was voted to the Pro Bowl in his rookie season.

If they can keep from losing their players in free agency, those three drafts alone have set the Chargers' table for the foreseeable future. And for a team that's not often active in free agency, being able to add skilled players through the draft is a necessity.

His ability to acquire that kind of talent makes it easy to see why some have attached the "genius" label to Chargers general manager A.J. Smith. But Smith's reputation took a bit of a hit earlier this year when the team fired head coach Marty Schottenheimer after its 14-2 campaign and replaced him with Norv Turner (58-82-1 regular-season record).

The failures of Schottenheimer's teams in the playoffs are well-documented, but no one can deny that he has a strong eye for talent. During Schottenheimer's 10 years as the Kansas City Chiefs' sideline general -- the longest head coaching stint of his career -- numerous Pro Bowlers and three likely Hall of Famers (Derrick Thomas, Will Shields and Tony Gonzalez) were drafted.

And, of course, he was also the coach during the Chargers' recent drafts.

Because of the tense relationship he had with Smith, it's difficult to know exactly how much influence Schottenheimer had in the San Diego draft room. It seems safe to say, though, that the head coach had a fair amount of pull. And it can't be ignored that the Chargers' uncharacteristic effort in this year's draft came right on the heels of Schottenheimer's dismissal.

Knowing all this, is it possible that Schottenheimer's absence is already hurting the team? Does he deserve more credit for the Chargers' successful drafts than he's been given? Considering the "dysfunctional situation" that led to his firing, could Smith and others in the organization have been purposely downplaying Schottenheimer's importance in such matters?

At least for the moment, the questions are hard to answer. It could just be a coincidence, after all. In 2008 the Chargers may get back to the impressive draft-day performances that people have gotten accustomed to. Or their 2007 draft class may produce beyond what anyone seems to expect. Many writers have noted that, for now, Smith's track record has earned him the benefit of the doubt.

But if this year's draft produces poor results for the Chargers, Smith's decision to fire one of the NFL's all-time winningest head coaches has come back to haunt him much sooner than he ever could have expected.
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