Carroll not in Chargers' plans
Team source says that the USC coach, who declines to comment, will not replace Schottenheimer.
By Sam Farmer, Times Staff Writer
February 15, 2007
The San Diego Chargers like Pete Carroll, respect what he has done at USC, and even think he might be a good choice as their new head coach.
But don't expect it to happen.
Carroll is on the team's radar but not in its plans, a source familiar with the situation said Wednesday.
The Chargers plan to move quickly and have a replacement for the fired Marty Schottenheimer in place by as early as next week, the source said. That timing ? along with the fact Carroll wouldn't have total personnel control in San Diego ? essentially rules out the Trojans coach, who last month interviewed with the Miami Dolphins.
The Chargers would "have to move too quickly to make the kind of commitment they'd need to get Pete," the source said. "A different timetable would enable them to develop a higher level of mutual comfort."
Carroll declined to comment Wednesday on the San Diego coaching search. He has maintained in the past that he's happy at USC and not leaving.
The Chargers have asked for and received permission to interview six candidates under contract with other NFL teams: San Francisco 49ers assistant head coach Mike Singletary, Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, veteran head coach and assistant Norv Turner, former Atlanta Falcons coach Jim Mora and current Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.
Singletary met with Chargers officials Wednesday, and Ryan, the son of former NFL coach Buddy Ryan, is expected in today.
Singletary recently interviewed for the top jobs with Atlanta and Dallas and last year was a candidate to lead the Detroit Lions. A Hall of Fame linebacker for the Bears, Singletary has been an NFL assistant for only four seasons.
"My question is always, 'Do you want experience or do you want results?' " Singletary told the Associate Press. "I think that's what I'm all about."
Meanwhile, according to published reports and information from league sources, a clearer picture of the situation that led to Schottenheimer's firing has emerged. The coach and General Manager A.J. Smith, who were not on speaking terms, waged their final fight over whom to hire as a replacement for defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who left to become head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
The Chargers were already reeling from a one-two combination to the heart of their organization: the loss of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, who left to become head coach of the Dolphins after San Diego's spirit-crushing loss to New England in a divisional playoff game.
Smith, who had long envisioned Phillips' replacing Schottenheimer, wanted the team to interview Ted Cottrell for the defensive coordinator vacancy. Schottenheimer had another idea: He wanted to interview his brother, Kurt, secondary coach in Green Bay, or possibly promote John Pagano, San Diego's assistant linebackers coach.
When Schottenheimer declined to interview Cottrell, Chargers owner Dean Spanos got involved. He told Schottenheimer he was uncomfortable with the idea of the coach hiring his brother to run the defense. Schottenheimer argued he should have the right to choose his coaching staff.
Spanos and Smith were already frustrated with Schottenheimer for allowing linebackers coach Greg Manusky and tight ends coach Rob Chudzinski ? the next-in-line replacements to Phillips and Cameron ? to interview with other teams without setting up some type of right-of-first-refusal arrangement for the Chargers. Manusky was hired as San Francisco's defensive coordinator and Chudzinski became offensive coordinator in Cleveland.
Spanos was asked in a conference call whether the decision to fire Schottenheimer was made Monday, the day the team cut ties with the coach.
"No," he said, "it's something that's been progressing throughout the month. It's something that I've been thinking about for the last several days. It's sort of a negative work in progress, and it's been a very difficult situation."
