Back in the mudslinging days of September, when nasty e-mailers were braising their fingertips as if they were meat in an Emeril Lagasse stew, Chargers fans had the stagecoach lubed, oiled and gassed. They were ready to give new head coach Norv Turner a ride out of town – and they had defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell riding shotgun.
The Chargers weren't very good on either side of the football. A team that went 14-2 in 2006 stunk to the point where the faithful, many of whom couldn't stand fired coach Marty Schottenheimer, were chanting for his return.
“I personally thought we might take an initial hit defensively over the first six to eight weeks because of the coaching changes,” says General Manager A.J. Smith, whose team has another go at this playoff thing here tomorrow vs. Tennessee. “But I thought the offense would come out smoking. We got neither one.”
Even after that 1-3 start, I thought Turner, who knows what goes on after a snap from center as well as anyone, would get the offense going. He had to get his linemen to block for tailback LaDainian Tomlinson, and it happened. After running in figurative quagmires, LT found his footing, leading The League in rushing yards and touchdowns.
There was too much skill not to score, and Smith basically clinched things when he acquired talented receiver Chris Chambers in a trade with Miami (think new Dolphins boss Bill Parcells would have made that deal? No chance).
But the defense? I won't deny writing I didn't like the way Cottrell was coaching it. The team led the NFL in sacks with 61 in 2006, and its new D seemed too passive, not nearly as aggressive as it was a year ago under Wade Phillips (until he went to that ridiculous prevent at the end of the first half in the playoff game with New England).
This coaching-change thing can be tricky. The Steelers, after Bill Cowher “retired,” had a great start under Mike Tomlin and haven't been very good of late. Parcells left Dallas and Phillips stepped in and one-upped the Big Tuna (is Parcells not as good without Bill Belichick around?). Turner hadn't won where he'd been as a head coach, but just Google Belichick's record at Cleveland.
It's all about players. The Chargers had the players and they weren't winning. This was on Smith. He hired Turner and “recommended” Cottrell, with whom he had worked in Buffalo. Cottrell had studied the 3-4 under Phillips, and Smith wanted him for, you know, continuity's sake. No one else was considered.
And since that 1-3, 5-5 start, the Chargers have won six straight – including an overtime win at Tennessee – and the defense has been outstanding. Cottrell remains the coordinator. Got that?
I give you these facts from our ace Chargers beat man, Kevin Acee:
They have allowed the second-fewest points in The League during those six wins.
After Minnesota had 12 runs of 10 yards or more on Nov. 4, the Chargers have allowed seven such runs over their past eight games.
They've forced 26 three-and-outs over the past seven games, twice the number they forced in the first nine.
They've allowed just two touchdowns and two field goals following their past 10 turnovers.
Twenty-four of their 42 sacks came in the second half of the season, despite Shawne Merriman missing a game and much of three others the final four weeks.
Nineteen of their NFL-leading 30 interceptions (10 from late insurgent, Pro Bowl corner Antonio Cromartie) came in the season's second half.
Cottrell says he doesn't feel vindicated.
“Here's what I know: Do the right thing and there's no vindication,” he says. “We were doing the right things. This isn't an I-told-you-so thing. Early on, (outside rush linebackers) Shawne (Merriman) and Shaun (Phillips) were getting grabbed and held. I might get in trouble for saying this, but it was ridiculous.
“But we worked hard on individual rushing techniques and we started running stunts to free them up. We were able to recognize formations and get closer to receivers and allow the quarterback to hold the ball for extra counts. Then we started intercepting guys. Cromartie became a play-maker.”
So here they are, in the playoffs once again, and if the Chargers are going anywhere, Cottrell's kids will be the drivers.
“We're making plays,” Smith says. “We're feeling good about ourselves, making key plays at key times. Defense wins championships. It sets the tone for the entire football team.”
Cottrell, of course, isn't about to disagree. He starts two new inside linebackers – Matt Wilhelm and Stephen Cooper – who can rush the passer, and he believes that wasn't a team strength in 2006. End Luis Castillo is back from injury, and he is dynamite inside on passing downs. Cottrell says Clinton Hart “has become one of the best strong safeties in the league” in his first year as definite starter.
It was a matter of learning, being patient and not panicking after 1-3, so much can be said for The Coaching Staff That Couldn't Coach.
“We stuck with what we believe in and kept moving on,” Cottrell says. “We were so close to making plays. We stuck with it.”
The stagecoach is in mothballs.
Nick Canepa: (619) 293-1397; nick.canepa@uniontrib.com
