Just one month ago expectation levels in San Diego were off the chart and Super Bowl XLI seemed like a probable destination for the Chargers. Today, the organization is in a state of chaos. On the heels of the departures of coordinators Wade Phillips and Cam Cameron comes the forced departure of head coach Marty Schottenheimer.
Team President Dean Spanos sums the unexpected move up this way:
“When I decided to move ahead with Marty Schottenheimer in mid-January, I did so with the expectation that the core of his fine coaching staff would remain intact. Unfortunately, that did not prove to be the case, and the process of dealing with these coaching changes convinced me that we simply could not move forward with such dysfunction between our head coach and general manager.â€
It’s no secret that Schottenheimer and GM A.J. Smith aren’t exactly golfing buddies. But you might think that pros like these men could be persuaded to resolve their differences for the betterment of the team by an influential mediator – at least for a season so the club can reset. Now, who knows? There’s no one for Spanos or Smith to turn to now that the two who were second in command will be commanding sidelines in Dallas and Miami.
“In the plainest possible language, we have a dysfunctional situation here,†Spanos said. “Today I am resolving that situation once and for all.â€
Brace yourself there Dean. You have a long way to go before you can consider the situation resolved. The bet here is that the Chargers look to a current assistant coach with head coaching experience.
A.J. Smith isn’t the only GM flexing his muscles. Giants’ new GM Jerry Reese acted decisively jettisoning former Pro Bowler Lavar Arrington. Arrington’s season was cut short this year when he suffered an Achilles injury against the Cowboys on October 23. Arrington, despite outstanding talent, has been criticized for freelancing too much on defense. Here’s a thought – should Adalius Thomas leave, Arrington’s athleticism could be a fit for the Ravens should Arrington be willing to take a pay cut in order to rekindle a fading career.
According to Pro Football Talk, count the Packers among the teams that could make a play for Adalius Thomas should he hit the open market. According to PFT, AD is at the top of Green Bay’s free agent list. If they can lure AD, the Packers plan to make him a full-time defensive end. Don’t know if I’m buying into that thought process but the Pack has the 11th best cap situation among NFL teams with nearly $28.5 M of cap space available. If Green Bay is successful, AD will be joining another Southern Miss alumnus – Brett Favre.
Free agent defenders that leave the Ravens have cashed in before yet seldom does their productivity on the field parallel their success in a Ravens’ uniform. Players that come to mind include Duane Starks, Kim Herring, Corey Harris, Marques Douglas, Sam Adams, Edgerton Hartwell and Gary Baxter. Word is that Hartwell and Baxter could be cap casualties. Both have had injury plagued pit stops in Atlanta and Cleveland and for all intents and purposes, they should be considered as major free agents busts by their current employers. If not for devastating knee injuries, Baxter might be welcomed back on the cheap. Hartwell’s brooding won’t be forgotten anytime soon by Ravens’ management.
Less than a couple hours north on I-95, the Eagles have announced that head coach Andy Reid is taking a leave of absence. In a press release the club made the following statement: "Philadelphia Eagles President Joe Banner today announced that Andy Reid will take a leave of absence from his duties as head coach/executive vice president of football operations in order to attend to personal matters involving his family. The leave of absence will last until approximately mid-March, 2007.
At that point, Reid will return to his regular duties with the Eagles. The leave is tied to the well document recent legal woes of Reid’s sons.
Apparently there is also some unrest with the other Keystone State NFL franchise. Again according to Pro Football Talk, the Steelers are preparing themselves for a potentially divisive locker room. Veterans of the club thought that either Russ Grimm or Ken Whisenhunt would replace the departed Bill Cowher, not a 34 year old coach who has never been a head coach at any level and has been a coordinator for just one season in 2006 with the Minnesota Vikings. How Steelers’ vets embrace the wet-behind-the-ears head coach remains to be seen. It would seem that as an organization, the Steelers will experience quite an adjustment period in 2007.
The Franchise Tag has been discussed quite a bit in these parts due to the pending free agency of Adalius Thomas. Here’s a list of the cost of such a tag by position according to the NFLPA:
|
Position
|
Franchise Tag Salary
|
|
Quarterbacks
|
$12,615,000
|
|
Offensive Linemen
|
$ 9,556,000
|
|
Defensive Ends
|
$ 8,644,000
|
|
Cornerbacks
|
$ 7,779,000
|
|
Wide Receivers
|
$ 7,613,000
|
|
Linebackers
|
$ 7,206,000
|
|
Running Backs
|
$ 6,999,000
|
|
Defensive Tackles
|
$ 6,775,000
|
|
Safeties
|
$ 4,490,000
|
|
Tight Ends
|
$ 4,371,000
|
|
Punters & Kickers
|
$ 2,078,000
|
Dates to remember…Free Agency officially begins on March 2. For restricted free agents (“RFAâ€) the period officially ends on April 20. The deadline for old clubs to exercise the Right of First Refusal to RFAs is April 27. For unrestricted free agents (“UFAâ€) including Franchise players and Transition players, the period officially ends on July 22 or the first day of training camp — whichever is later.
Here’s a list of a few other key NFL offseason dates:
February 21 – 27
NFL Combine
NFL Combine
February 22
Deadline for designation of Franchise and Transition players
March 2
Free Agency period begins
March 20
Ed Block Courage Award Ceremony
NFL Draft
April 28 – 29
NFL Draft
