The Chargers Being the...well...Chargers...

Have back-to-back solid seasons at quarterback and what do the Chargers do? Let go of you. Just ask Saints' starting quarterback Drew Brees, who would've won MVP this season had it not been for LaDanian Tomlinson. Need help in the secondary and what do the Chargers do? Draft a Florida State corner in the first round, a guy who had been injured the entire season coming into the draft. Go a league best 14-2 and what do the Chargers do? Fire their head coach, Marty Schottenheimer.

Yeah, so Marty and the General Manager didn't get along too well. I don't care. What's the goal of the team? To win. Winning = more fan turnout, more merchandise sold, and therefore, more money. San Diego went 14-2 last season. Sure, they lost in the second round of the playoffs, but let's not forget, it was Philip Rivers' first year as a starting quarterback. Did the non-biased expert and analyst (even the biased fan) truly expect Rivers to lead San Diego to a Super Bowl victory in his first year as a starter? Not likely.

This is one of the most ridiculous moves I've seen in sports in recent memory. If Joe Torre had been fired by the New York Yankees, it'd rank near that level of ridiculousness, but not quite. Torre wasn't fired though, so this move exceeds the other (for now).

The General Manager claims that the move dealt with losing offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips to head coaching positions. What, that's Marty's fault? It's his job to shade off potentially better offers for his coordinators? This GM was obviously looking for any excuse possible to let go of Schottenheimer. Who does he think he'll get in the head coaching market that is more proven and better than Marty? There's talk of Pete Carroll. I have all the respect in the world for Carroll as a college head coach, but the guy has not proven himself at the NFL level. If I was him, I would not want to leave USC for a NFL club whose GM just let go of a coach who led the team to a 14-2 record and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Carroll just pulled in the top recruiting class in the country and has an excellent shot of leading his team to another National Title next year following a disappointing season, in which they pounded Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

I tell you what, being a Falcons' fan, I now wish Atlanta would've waited some in order to sign a coach, because Marty Schottenheimer has been successful wherever he's gone and would have been an excellent fit for the Falcons. Heck, he'd be an excellent fit anywhere. I hope Marty lands himself a good job and all I can say for the GM of the Chargers. Good luck, buddy!