I know I haven't made an official post since Norv and AJ were canned on New Year's Eve. According to NFL Playoff Betting Lines, Denver is favored to win it all. While they're the only team I don't want to see win the Super Bowl, I can't really get too upset about it. I wrote a piece over at Bleacher Report on the quandry over how much of an effect a coach can have. FAITHFUL READERS will be familiar with the lesson on the last ten years of Charger history, since you lived it with me. I really get the feeling that Spanos will hire a coach somewhere between retread and rock star. If it's the right guy for the job, I'll be ok with it.
I guess this part of the aforementioned Bleacher Report piece serves as my official eulogy for Norv:
During his first two seasons as Charger coach, Turner’s teams did seem capable of going to the next level. While I never thought he was a good coach, I could not argue that the team seemed like it might be finally learning its lesson. However, its final playoff pratfall changed everything.
LaDainian Tomlinson was let go, but the other parts stayed in place. That began the regular-season slide that has led us here. Jon Gruden might be the only guy who would excite the fan base, but can he become the first coach to win a Lombardi Trophy with a second team?
Mind you, I don’t think Gruden will coach anywhere this year. But I disagree with those who say he simply took Tony Dungy’s team to a championship. Before Gruden, the Bucs could not get past the Eagles in the playoffs. After helping them do that, Gruden provided invaluable inside info against his former team in the Super Bowl.
The Chargers might actually find a coach who’s right for the job this time. Whether they will assemble a team that is up to the challenge is another story. If history has shown us anything, it’s that the right man needs to find the right team at the right time.
Like you, I roll my eyes at talk of Jim Mora, Lovie Smith or any other guy who got fired from his last job. But that's happened the best of them. From what I've seen of the playoffs thus far, the Bolts have a lot of holes to fill before they can seriously make a run. I was half-joking when I Tweeted that Philip Rivers should wear the gloves full time as Kurt Warner did in Arizona. He said on the Darren Smith show that he's not entirely sold on wearing them, but that he's considering it. The only game after Pittsburgh that he didn't wear them was the one he played like shit in against Carolina. Not surprisingly, that's the one we lost.
The speculation is that Dean Spanos will anounce a new GM by the end of the day. Kevin Acee is reporting that there are "a lot of moving parts," which means that the hire is contingent on other teams' personnel moves. When things start to really happen, I'll weigh in. Talk to you then.
RLW
PS Thanks to the member of the CMB, who's avatar this is.
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