Schottenheimer Revived Chiefs, Not Chargers

Both the Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs changed coaches after last season. They have traveled in opposite directions since then.

Under Dan Henning, the long-struggling Chargers have slipped deeper into the AFC West basement. Under Marty Schottenheimer, the Chiefs have risen from last place to playoff contention.

This is particularly interesting because Schottenheimer was the Chargers’ first choice for the job after Al Saunders was fired at the end of last season. The hangup was that the Chargers wouldn’t let Schottenheimer pick all of his assistants.

The Chargers wanted to keep defensive coordinator Ron Lynn and his staff in place, and Schottenheimer wouldn’t buy the idea. It would have been a situation much like he had just left in Cleveland, where owner Art Modell drove him out by ordering him to hire an offensive coordinator and make other staff changes.

Schottenheimer, 46, had been his own offensive coordinator since Lindy Infante left to become coach of the Green Bay Packers last season. Modell wanted him to give the job to Joe Pendry, who had been quarterbacks coach, and also wanted him to fire Kurt Schottenheimer, his brother, as special teams coach and Howard Mudd as offensive line coach.

Looking back after signing to succeed deposed Frank Gansz with the Chiefs, Schottenheimer told the Kansas City Star, “Art Modell and I didn’t agree on the way we were pursuing the championship. He had a responsibility to say how he wanted to pursue a championship. I have a similar responsibility to pursue it in the way I thought correct.”

Schottenheimer eventually went along with Modell on the matter of making Pendry his offensive coordinator, and he has given Pendry that job in Kansas City. But to show how adamant he was about keeping his brother and Mudd, he named them to the same positions with the Chiefs.

Saunders also wound up on Schottenheimer’s staff, as receivers coach.

Schottenheimer won’t go into specifics about his dealings with the Chargers. But it is known that he had several interviews with Alex Spanos, owner of the Chargers, and Steve Ortmayer, director of football operations.

Asked about this on his conference call with the San Diego media this week, Schottenheimer said, “I had some very serious discussions with Steve and Alex. I thought it was a good opportunity there, but they never did offer me the job. We discussed it in some detail, but my eventual decision was to come to Kansas City.”

Despite their sorry record, which includes four defeats in a row, Schottenheimer made a point of praising the Chargers.

“They’re headed in the right direction,” he said. “They beat us soundly (21-6) the first time, and I was very impressed. Since then, they have lost a lot of close games.”

Six of the Chargers’ 10 defeats have been by a total of 19 points, and three others by six or seven points. They have blown out only in their opener, 40-14 by the Raiders, and they avenged that, 14-12, later.

Still, the Chargers have continued their losing habit, and their fans must be wondering if they would have broken that habit under Schottenheimer. While they have gone backward--from 6-10 to 4-10--the Chiefs have leaped from 4-12 to 7-6-1, and Schottenheimer has emerged as a candidate for NFL coach of the year.

It has become obvious that Spanos and Ortmayer had common sense on their side when they insisted that Lynn and his aides be retained. He did an outstanding job with the Charger defense in 1988 and has done a better one this year.

The day Schottenheimer quit the Browns because of his disagreement with Modell (Dec. 27), Ortmayer said, “Now, that’s a very interesting name. I would think that just by virtue of his being a very interesting name, I would anticipate talking to him. His track record is as good as anyone’s. He’s a proven winner, and he has head-coaching experience.”

Schottenheimer led the Browns to the playoffs in all four of his full seasons as coach, winning three AFC Central Division titles. The only other coaches to be in the playoffs the past four seasons were Bill Walsh of the San Francisco 49ers and Mike Ditka of the Chicago Bears, and both of their streaks ended this year. Walsh retired to the NBC television booth, and Ditka’s Bears went into early hibernation.

Ortmayer also said of Schottenheimer in the San Diego Tribune: “I think he made the playoffs in ’86 and ’87 with two teams that should have made the playoffs, but in ’85 and ‘88, he found a way to do it. How do you lose four quarterbacks (as the Browns did last year) and get in? He did a magnificent job.”

On Jan. 13, Ortmayer left no doubt that Schottenheimer was his No. 1 candidate.

“I’ve said from the start that Marty Schottenheimer is probably the most qualified under the guidelines we’ve set,” Ortmayer told The Times.

The trouble was, Schottenheimer took himself out of the running by being too demanding in an interview with Spanos. By telling Spanos that he would take the job only on his terms--with his own staff, for example--he turned off Spanos in a hurry.

As one man close to the situation was quoted by the Tribune as saying, “He (Schottenheimer) came in thinking he held all the cards, which wasn’t very smart. I think Alex could deal with Marty, but he can’t keep his own staff.”

Spanos, like Ortmayer, really wanted Schottenheimer. He might even have wanted Schottenheimer badly enough to yield on the matter of assistants, but not after Schottenheimer tried to paint him into a corner. He has a strong aversion to being ordered about by underlings.

Shortly after that meeting, on Jan. 20, Ortmayer acknowledged in the Kansas City Times that negotiations with Schottenheimer had fallen through.

“Marty and I decided that we have our differences,” Ortmayer said. “He said he was not comfortable with some things at our place, and we told him we were not comfortable with some things with him. At this point, we’re going to pursue other candidates.”

Actually, though, Schottenheimer could afford to throw his weight around with Spanos because he was dealing from a position of a strength. As a coach with a 44-27 record and four consecutive playoff appearances, he knew he could turn elsewhere if he didn’t land the San Diego job.

Once Schottenheimer hit the wall in San Diego, he switched his attention to Kansas City, and there he found General Manager Carl Peterson ready and waiting. Peterson had preferred Schottenheimer all along but figured he was a lock with the Chargers.

Schottenheimer signed with the Chiefs just three days later, and Peterson said in the Star, “I interviewed some very fine coaches, some of whom are going to be head coaches at some point. For me, there was no decision other than Marty Schottenheimer. After I finished my interview program, I knew he was the person I wanted.

“He had been to San Diego earlier that week and had decided to move away from them. It was time for us to talk about specific things. I had my mind made up.”

Peterson added, “Philosophically, it’s amazing how much we’re on the same page.” This was music to the ears of Schottenheimer, who had been on totally different pages from the Browns and Chargers.

With Schottenheimer out of the picture, the Chargers resumed their search, and on Feb. 9, they came up with Henning.

Unlike Schottenheimer, Henning couldn’t afford to drive a hard bargain with Spanos and Ortmayer. In his one previous head coaching job, he had compiled a 22-41-1 record in four seasons (1983-86) with the Atlanta Falcons. With that disaster on his resume, he was just happy to get a second chance.

So Henning agreed to inherit Lynn and his defensive staff, and as things turned out, he is lucky he did. The Chargers’ defensive unit has been the one bright spot--individuals excepted--in a bleak season.

How has Schottenheimer done for the Chiefs what Henning hasn’t been able to do for the Chargers?

“There are a lot of good football players in Kansas City,” Schottenheimer said. “Several guys have gone to the Pro Bowl, (fullback) Christian Okoye has been outstanding, (wide receiver) Stephone Paige has come back strong, and a guy like (rookie linebacker) Derrick Thomas has reinforced the defense.

“That’s what you start with, guys who are outstanding players. The next thing is almost as important, and that’s to be prepared. It’s everybody concentrating on the business at hand, and I’m not talking about offense and defense and kicking. I’m talking about attention to detail--preparing yourself to play.”

Do the Chiefs have more talent than the Chargers? Perhaps, but the Chargers finished two games ahead of them under Saunders last year.

“I don’t know if we’ve turned the corner yet,” Schottenheimer said. “Everybody’s excited, but our goal is to reach the playoffs, and we haven’t got anything done yet.”

Asked if had any second thoughts about passing up the Chargers, he said, “I tend to be a day-to-day guy. I don’t look back.”