Posts tagged AJSmith at FanHouse

As the 2005 draft class continues to be dismantled one underachieving pick at at time -- most recently highlighted by 32 teams wanting nothing to do with fourth-overall selection Cedric Benson -- the Boston Globe's Mike Reiss reminds us in today's edition that all but one (with injury exceptions) of the first 10 picks in that draft were forgettable.

Cornerback Pacman Jones (No. 6) and receivers Troy Williamson (No. 7) and Mike Williams (No. 10) are already with their second teams. Meanwhile, quarterback Alex Smith (No. 1) is in a battle to hold down the starting job in San Francisco, while Antrel Rolle (No. 8) is being moved to safety in Arizona after failing to excel at cornerback.

Reiss rightly gives Ronnie Brown (No. 2), Cadillac Williams (No. 5) and Carlos Rogers (No. 9) passes because of injuries, but if nothing else, Benson, Brown and Williams reinforce the theory that using high-round picks on running backs is a waste of time and money.

Of the first 10 selections, only Braylon Edwards has lived up to the pre-draft hype. In fact, if we staged one of those dopey mock re-drafts, DeMarcus Ware (No. 11) or Shawne Merriman (No. 12) would probably be the first-overall pick, followed by some combination of Aaron Rodgers, Luis Castillo, Heath Miller and Logan Mankins.

Two things: A.J. Smith is obviously a genius, and nothing like having a tight end as a top-five selection -- Kellen Winslow couldn't even do that, and he's a soldier.

It's not particularly shocking that a columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune might sometimes come off as a homer. Hey, even Dan Shaughnessy occasionally slips up and writes something laudatory about the Patriots. Whatever, Nick Canepa returns from Phoenix thinking that the Chargers very easily could've been the team hoisting the Lombardi Trophy if not for a few key injuries.

Chargers GM A.J. Smith often talks about luck, and injuries are a part of it. I'm now convinced that, if tailback LaDainian Tomlinson, tight end Antonio Gates and quarterback Philip Rivers were healthy for that game, there might have been a parade for these guys downtown this week.

Obviously, it didn't work out that way, but Canepa notes that "the window of opportunity for San Diego never had been more open." I can't disagree; the Chargers are young, stacked and when completely healthy, very hard to beat -- even with Norv Turner at the helm. Put differently, San Diego has had 14- and 11-win seasons under Marty Schottenheimer and Norvell.

Who knows if talent -- even when healthy -- will be enough to get the Chargers to the Super Bowl in '08. The Patriots suddenly look very old, but the Colts and Jaguars are also the early favorites to go deep into the postseason. Still, a year ago, this team was just getting ready to can Schottenheimer; that they've had so much success in light of all that's happened is pretty amazing. And I'm pretty sure nobody saw it coming. Even A.J. Smith.

I'll be honest, heading into the AFC Championship game, I figured there was no way Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers would be able to play. And if he did, he'd be one strategically aimed sack away from a grueling off-season of rehab.

I was also under the impression that not only would running back LaDainian Tomlinson start, he'd be a big part of the offense. Turns out, it was just the opposite.

LdT had just two carries for five yards before finding the bench (for the day, as it turned out ) while Rivers and his monstrous knee brace played through pain for 60 minutes. And he wasn't just some guy with no wheels hobbling around the pocket before aimlessly fluttering a pass downfield.

Rivers was hanging tough amid a stiff pass rush, putting throws on the money, all while taking his licks. And every time he hit the turf, he got right back up. Amazing. So amazing, in fact, that even the Patriots were impressed:

You think the Chargers could use Wes Welker this weekend? Welker actually started his NFL career in San Diego; the team signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech in 2004, and he made the roster out of training camp.

That lasted a week, when the Chargers waived him to make room for safety Clinton Hart. Seems ridiculous in retrospect, but who the hell knew Welker would be one of the league's best all around players?

It's easy to take shots at San Diego general manager A.J. Smith (although it's become less so now that Norvell has gotten the team out of the first round of the playoffs), but the guy has an eye for talent. Can't really blame him for cutting a rookie free agent, particularly, as Welker points, one that was 12th on the depth chart at wide receiver when training camp began.

Ironically, San Diego has been looking for a competent wideout to complement tight end Antonio Gates and running back LaDainian Tomlinson (the Chargers' top two receivers, by the way). The team drafted Buster Davis in the first round last April, but he only caught 20 passes during the regular season. He could be a fine wide receiver one day, it's just not likely to be this Sunday. Which is kind of a problem since San Diego's Big Three are iffy for the AFC Championship game.

The Star-Telegram's Jim Reeves has been talking to Chargers general manager A.J. Smith, I see. He's concocted a crazy plan to keep this off-season's hot coaching candidate, current Cowboys offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett. It's so eloquently simple that it probably never occurred to most of us. Either that, or it's just too ridiculous. Definitely one or the other, though.

Who's more important to the Cowboys and their future? Coach Yuck-Yuck [Phillips] or one of the brightest young offensive minds to show up at Valley Ranch in a long, long time? If it comes to that, here's what Jerry has to do: He fires Phillips and he keeps Garrett.

Risky? Absolutely. Phillips is a known commodity, which is both good and bad. Garrett? Tremendous upside and potential, but he has only three years' coaching experience in the NFL.

Reeves points out that this isn't as mental as it sounds, after all, Jerry Jones is the same guy who fired Tom Landry because he knew Jimmy Johnson would turn things around.

I'll be honest, I didn't see this coming. Sure, Chargers' general manager A.J. Smith has a pretty good eye for talent, but he has a lousy eye when it comes to hiring and firing NFL head coaches. Or at least he did through the first month of the season.

After finishing 14-2 last season, Smith "Billicked" Marty Schottenheimer last spring. And hired Norvell Turner, one of the worst NFL head coaches to have more than three shots at the job. Which explains why the 1-3 record didn't come as much of a surprise to anybody, although it made Chargers fan plenty irate.

But a funny thing happened on the way to another Turner-led losing season: San Diego went on a 10-2 run, won the division, and will host the Titans this weekend in the wild-card round. And oh, yeah, Smith got a new deal out of it:

A.J. Smith yesterday signed a five-year contract extension through 2014, believed to be the third-richest and the longest pact among the league's general managers.

"The rewarding thing for me is . . . the fact that he wants me to continue with him into the future," Smith said, referring to team President Dean Spanos. "He obviously must be comfortable."

I suppose that is rewarding, particularly since he is now the third-richest NFL GM. Smith has done a swell job of putting together a great Chargers team, and apparently the little fact that he fired Schottenheimer for personal reasons (apparently, the two weren't fond of each other ... to say the least), didn't affect Mr. Spanos' decision to keep Smith around.

And hell, if Turner wins a playoff game Schottenheimer may be a long forgotten memory. Who woulda thought that three months ago?

The Falcons might be interested in former Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer, but the feeling isn't mutual. In fact, Schottenheimer is quite content to play golf and get the senior citizens discount at Denny's for the rest of his days because it sounds like he has no plans to return to coaching:

"It would have to be the right circumstance," he said by phone from his North Carolina home. "I don't think it's very likely, to be honest with you." ...

He said his qualification of the "right circumstance" did not necessarily mean he would avoid a team in the dire straits Atlanta finds itself. He has built a reputation over the years as a re-builder of fallen franchises. "I won't say absolutely, 'No,' " he said. "That would make no sense to say that. But it's unlikely."

Schottenheimer also said that the Falcons had not been in contact with him, even though it was reported earlier this week. With each passing week, the ranks of available big-named coaches dwindles. Bill Cowher announced he wouldn't be coaching in '08, and now it sounds like Schottenheimer may never return to the NFL.

Earlier in the season a lot of people (myself included) were calling for Chargers' G.M. A.J. Smith to fire Norvell Turner and re-hire Schottenheimer. Now that the Chargers are 9-5 and currently the AFC's third seed, such talk has subsided, but I still think it's way too early to give Turner a gold star for his performance this season. That said, it doesn't look like the team misses Schottenheimer as much as most of us originally thought. Not for now, anyway.

Last year, the Chargers used their second-round pick on left tackle Marcus McNeill and was arguably the league's best rookie, although I imagine Vince Young might disagree. McNeill did a splendid job of protecting Philip Rivers' blindside and opening holes for LaDainian Tomlinson on San Diego's way to a 14-win season.

Fast-forward to 2007 and it's a completely different story. According to the San Diego Tribune's Kevin Acee, McNeill has allowed 9.5 sacks this season compared to just five in '06. (The Chargers have tagged McNeill with six in 2007 and two in 2006; either way, he's been less consistent in pass protection this season.)

So what gives? General manager A.J. Smith, in between trying to rationalize why firing Marty Schottenheimer was the right move, says McNeill "has struggled, but not each and every game ... he's been having trouble in a couple games with outstanding pass rushers."

Among the [other] reasons he is not the protector he was is he has too often been technically messy or even slow. Also, teams have had almost two seasons to see him, understand where he is vulnerable, when he is prone to leaning over or not getting leverage or being sloppy with his footwork. Additionally, some opposing ends are more hyped up to play him than when he was relatively unknown.

That might explain why Tennessee's Kyle Vanden Bosch was running roughshod over McNeill for most of the game last week. To McNeill's credit, he rallied in the fourth quarter, contained Vanden Bosch, and the Chargers somehow managed to win in overtime. It wasn't pretty, but whatever gets the job done, I guess.

Michael David Smith mentioned earlier this morning that Derek Anderson, inexplicably, seems to be flying under the radar with some fans and media types. Apparently, that doesn't extend to NFL teams, especially those looking for a legit franchise quarterback.

Given the bleak prospects for picking up a quarterback in the unrestricted free-agent market, you can bet teams were interested in the news out of Cleveland this week that general manager Phil Savage plans on making a high contract tender of $2.562 million to quarterback Derek Anderson. It's regarded in some circles as an announcement of an intention to trade the player.

This is one of those Catch-22s if you're Cleveland. The Chargers had to make a similar choice after the 2005 season, when rejuvenated quarterback Drew Brees injured his shoulder in a meaningless Week 17 game. Instead of re-signing him, San Diego GM A.J. Smith let Brees walk, and handed the offense over to the inexperienced Philip Rivers. Rivers, like Brady Quinn, was the team's first-round draft choice, and sooner or later, he was going to become the starter.

I think it's pretty well established that everybody not related to Brian Billick wants him out as the Ravens head coach. Billick says he's confident he'll be back in 2008, but what would you expect him to say with five weeks to go in the season?

Anyway, Baltimore Sun columnist David Steele writes that Ravens fans should be careful what they ask for.

...That's the part about the cries to replace Billick, and most coaches who have won before but not enough lately, where the argument gets weak. You want to fire Billick, you say that nine years is enough, that the Super Bowl is too far in the past, that he has lost the team and has wrecked the offense? OK. Whom do you have in mind to replace him?

You probably want Bill Cowher. You might get Norv Turner.

Fair point, but I'd just offer this: the Chargers' front office (hi, A.J. Smith!) screwed themselves by waiting so late in the process to fire Schottenheimer. Presumably, they could've had Cam Cameron or Wade Phillips -- both were coordinators with the team last year -- but by the time San Diego got moving, every other qualified coach had been hired.

There are plenty of talented guys out there. If the Ravens truly want to go in another direction, they'll have to do it quickly. If they drag their feet, yeah, they might get a Norvell. But if the only reason to keep Billick around is because it's too risky to start over ... well, then, Baltimore deserves everything Billick gives them.