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Chargers' woes began in West Virginia
Jay Glazer
FOXSports.com,
The NFL is often shaped by events that at the time don't seem to be that big of a deal, but in the end change the sands of the NFL's hourglass.
Just think: Had Jets linebacker Mo Lewis not knocked out Drew Bledsoe years and years ago, paving the way for some kid named Tom Brady, the Pats would not have won all those Super Bowls. Heck, Bill Belichick would probably be someone's defensive coordinator somewhere and Brady, well, let's just say he wouldn't exactly be living the lottery jackpot that has since been his life. Forget dating a Brazilian bombshell or Hollywood starlets. GQ? Hah! The only magazine cover he could have hoped to grace would have been Pro Football Weekly. And even that would have been a stretch.In addition, Adam Vinatieri would never have been given the opportunity to show he's the NFL's greatest closer, football's version of Mariano Rivera in his heyday. Charlie Weis?
Without Brady, would he have been high on Notre Dame's list? Maybe, but his Brady days certainly didn't hurt his cause. Romeo Crennel? He never would've gotten a head coaching job. Actually, who am I kidding, he wouldn't have gotten a sniff.
If you buy into the logic, neither Trent Green nor Cam Cameron would be with the Dolphins right now. ( / Getty Images)
But Lewis did KO Bledsoe. As a result, a tremendous chain of events has molded one of the proudest franchises in NFL history and changed the course of the NFL as we know it.
Sometimes one fateful moment causes the NFL world to rotate and the positive stars align themselves to create football magic. Other times? Well, those same stars couldn't be more off track.
Believe it or not, one simple move that should have happened back in January — but didn't — completely threw the stars of this season off kilter. This football season has been greatly altered by one man's decision ... a man who isn't even in the NFL! Had the deal gone down as believed, many things about this 2007 season would likely be drastically different.
That man is West Virginia University head football coach Rich Rodriguez.
How, you ask, did a coach from the Big East alter this NFL season so drastically? Oh, just sit back and let's connect the dots in the sportswriter's favorite game: "What If." It may seem a little bizarre on the surface, but just follow along.
Had Rodriguez taken the University of Alabama gig, Nick Saban would still be head coach of the Miami Dolphins. He wouldn't have fled the NFL for his comfy, cozy college atmosphere just yet. The world wouldn't have gone on to call him a liar, not that he seemed to care anyone. But that one move caused a chain of events that may not only mold the 2007 season but future seasons as well.
NFL Roundup
While Saban would still be in Miami, you know who wouldn't be?
Cam Cameron.
Had Saban not left and Cameron remained in San Diego, perhaps ownership would not have sided with general manager A.J. Smith and would have kept Marty Schottenheimer for another go.
One of the primary reasons the Chargers' owners decided they could part ways with their coach was because of all the coaches he lost and allowed to interview elsewhere. Once he lost his coordinators and several position coaches, the Chargers brass saw Smith's side and figured it was time to start over.
Obviously, the offense would not be struggling with adjusting to the new regime. A frustrated LaDainian Tomlinson wouldn't have to be trying as hard as he can to not explode during news conferences and Phillip Rivers might be progressing rather than struggling. Rivers likely wouldn't have to be calling players-only meetings and, while they may not be as good as they were last year, the Chargers almost certainly wouldn't be as bad as they are this year. They definitely wouldn't be struggling through so much change like they are now.
"We lost our emotional leader in Marty and two solid coordinators we knew and everyone thought we'd just pick up where we left off," one veteran said this week. "Say what you want about Marty, Cam and Wade (Phillips) but it worked under them. There was stability from our coaches.
"Now we have a young team trying to mesh under a new staff and people wonder why we're not undefeated, blowing through people. That's a lot to overcome for a team with so much pressure to blow people out of the water."
How could Rich Rodriguez have done this to the fine people of San Diego? Had he only taken the 'Bama job, fans at Sunday's Chiefs-Chargers game may not have spent much of their afternoon chanting "Marty, Marty."
Or, even if the Chargers had still decided to cut Schottenheimer loose, Cameron would likely have become the team's head coach. Which, of course, brings us to Norv Turner.
Respected as a coordinator, he wouldn't be getting raked over the coals and having his coaching ability questioned. He obviously wouldn't be the head coach of the Chargers and would still be in San Francisco helping Alex Smith progress. Instead, Smith had to endure his third offensive coordinator in three seasons, an uphill battle regardless of who the player is. Turner wouldn't be getting carved up by local and national media, but would instead be living a comfortable, under-the-radar NFL existence with Frank Gore and Mike Nolan. We certainly wouldn't be questioning his coaching ability.
Had Cameron not gone to Miami, it's unlikely Trent Green would be the Dolphins' starting QB. His connection was with Cameron, whom he played under years earlier. It's unclear where Green would have gone but without the high-priced option of going to Miami to play for a coach he was comfortable with, would he have agreed to a restructured deal and stayed in Kansas City? Would he be their starter? Would he be on another team? Would he have agreed to go to the Browns, who also reportedly inquired about his services?
It's unclear where he would have been but we do know it wouldn't have been Miami had Saban stayed.
Rodriguez's decision affected another AFC West team, as well. Had Saban still been at Miami, his top lieutenant Scott O'Brien would have remained in South Florida with his friend. Instead, O'Brien went back to doing what he does best — coaching special teams. As a result, the Broncos picked up one of the NFL's most talented special teams minds to bolster Mike Shanahan's staff.
You know who else wouldn't have been in Miami had Saban stayed? GM Randy Mueller. Saban wanted him fired, several sources told FOXSports.com. His replacement as the team's top personnel man would have been George Paton, a young and respected talent evaluator in scouting circles. Mueller knew this and as a result never wanted Paton around. He got his wish when Paton took a new gig with the Minnesota Vikings.
Let's go one further, although I admit I'm stretching on this one. Had Mueller been axed he might have gone back to work for ESPN, his employer during his days out of the league. In that case, would former Titans GM Floyd Reese have been hired to take the role that Mueller and Rick Spielman used to have? Spielman, by the way, was out of work because of major problems he had with Saban.
To summarize, one not-so-simple decision by a solid college coach affected three NFL head coaching jobs, helped crush one of the league's most talented franchises as well as one of the hot QB candidates, changed the destination of a veteran quarterback and affected the fate of players and coaches from coast to coast.
One little move that was never made by Rich Rodriguez and now 2007 may never recover. Forget the NFL being a league of parity, it's really a league of chance.
FOXSports.com,
The NFL is often shaped by events that at the time don't seem to be that big of a deal, but in the end change the sands of the NFL's hourglass.
Just think: Had Jets linebacker Mo Lewis not knocked out Drew Bledsoe years and years ago, paving the way for some kid named Tom Brady, the Pats would not have won all those Super Bowls. Heck, Bill Belichick would probably be someone's defensive coordinator somewhere and Brady, well, let's just say he wouldn't exactly be living the lottery jackpot that has since been his life. Forget dating a Brazilian bombshell or Hollywood starlets. GQ? Hah! The only magazine cover he could have hoped to grace would have been Pro Football Weekly. And even that would have been a stretch.In addition, Adam Vinatieri would never have been given the opportunity to show he's the NFL's greatest closer, football's version of Mariano Rivera in his heyday. Charlie Weis?
Without Brady, would he have been high on Notre Dame's list? Maybe, but his Brady days certainly didn't hurt his cause. Romeo Crennel? He never would've gotten a head coaching job. Actually, who am I kidding, he wouldn't have gotten a sniff.
If you buy into the logic, neither Trent Green nor Cam Cameron would be with the Dolphins right now. ( / Getty Images)
But Lewis did KO Bledsoe. As a result, a tremendous chain of events has molded one of the proudest franchises in NFL history and changed the course of the NFL as we know it.
Sometimes one fateful moment causes the NFL world to rotate and the positive stars align themselves to create football magic. Other times? Well, those same stars couldn't be more off track.
Believe it or not, one simple move that should have happened back in January — but didn't — completely threw the stars of this season off kilter. This football season has been greatly altered by one man's decision ... a man who isn't even in the NFL! Had the deal gone down as believed, many things about this 2007 season would likely be drastically different.
That man is West Virginia University head football coach Rich Rodriguez.
How, you ask, did a coach from the Big East alter this NFL season so drastically? Oh, just sit back and let's connect the dots in the sportswriter's favorite game: "What If." It may seem a little bizarre on the surface, but just follow along.
Had Rodriguez taken the University of Alabama gig, Nick Saban would still be head coach of the Miami Dolphins. He wouldn't have fled the NFL for his comfy, cozy college atmosphere just yet. The world wouldn't have gone on to call him a liar, not that he seemed to care anyone. But that one move caused a chain of events that may not only mold the 2007 season but future seasons as well.
While Saban would still be in Miami, you know who wouldn't be?
Cam Cameron.
Had Saban not left and Cameron remained in San Diego, perhaps ownership would not have sided with general manager A.J. Smith and would have kept Marty Schottenheimer for another go.
One of the primary reasons the Chargers' owners decided they could part ways with their coach was because of all the coaches he lost and allowed to interview elsewhere. Once he lost his coordinators and several position coaches, the Chargers brass saw Smith's side and figured it was time to start over.
Obviously, the offense would not be struggling with adjusting to the new regime. A frustrated LaDainian Tomlinson wouldn't have to be trying as hard as he can to not explode during news conferences and Phillip Rivers might be progressing rather than struggling. Rivers likely wouldn't have to be calling players-only meetings and, while they may not be as good as they were last year, the Chargers almost certainly wouldn't be as bad as they are this year. They definitely wouldn't be struggling through so much change like they are now.
"We lost our emotional leader in Marty and two solid coordinators we knew and everyone thought we'd just pick up where we left off," one veteran said this week. "Say what you want about Marty, Cam and Wade (Phillips) but it worked under them. There was stability from our coaches.
"Now we have a young team trying to mesh under a new staff and people wonder why we're not undefeated, blowing through people. That's a lot to overcome for a team with so much pressure to blow people out of the water."
How could Rich Rodriguez have done this to the fine people of San Diego? Had he only taken the 'Bama job, fans at Sunday's Chiefs-Chargers game may not have spent much of their afternoon chanting "Marty, Marty."
Or, even if the Chargers had still decided to cut Schottenheimer loose, Cameron would likely have become the team's head coach. Which, of course, brings us to Norv Turner.
Respected as a coordinator, he wouldn't be getting raked over the coals and having his coaching ability questioned. He obviously wouldn't be the head coach of the Chargers and would still be in San Francisco helping Alex Smith progress. Instead, Smith had to endure his third offensive coordinator in three seasons, an uphill battle regardless of who the player is. Turner wouldn't be getting carved up by local and national media, but would instead be living a comfortable, under-the-radar NFL existence with Frank Gore and Mike Nolan. We certainly wouldn't be questioning his coaching ability.
Had Cameron not gone to Miami, it's unlikely Trent Green would be the Dolphins' starting QB. His connection was with Cameron, whom he played under years earlier. It's unclear where Green would have gone but without the high-priced option of going to Miami to play for a coach he was comfortable with, would he have agreed to a restructured deal and stayed in Kansas City? Would he be their starter? Would he be on another team? Would he have agreed to go to the Browns, who also reportedly inquired about his services?
It's unclear where he would have been but we do know it wouldn't have been Miami had Saban stayed.
Rodriguez's decision affected another AFC West team, as well. Had Saban still been at Miami, his top lieutenant Scott O'Brien would have remained in South Florida with his friend. Instead, O'Brien went back to doing what he does best — coaching special teams. As a result, the Broncos picked up one of the NFL's most talented special teams minds to bolster Mike Shanahan's staff.
You know who else wouldn't have been in Miami had Saban stayed? GM Randy Mueller. Saban wanted him fired, several sources told FOXSports.com. His replacement as the team's top personnel man would have been George Paton, a young and respected talent evaluator in scouting circles. Mueller knew this and as a result never wanted Paton around. He got his wish when Paton took a new gig with the Minnesota Vikings.
Let's go one further, although I admit I'm stretching on this one. Had Mueller been axed he might have gone back to work for ESPN, his employer during his days out of the league. In that case, would former Titans GM Floyd Reese have been hired to take the role that Mueller and Rick Spielman used to have? Spielman, by the way, was out of work because of major problems he had with Saban.
To summarize, one not-so-simple decision by a solid college coach affected three NFL head coaching jobs, helped crush one of the league's most talented franchises as well as one of the hot QB candidates, changed the destination of a veteran quarterback and affected the fate of players and coaches from coast to coast.
One little move that was never made by Rich Rodriguez and now 2007 may never recover. Forget the NFL being a league of parity, it's really a league of chance.
