Fade Pattern Getting Old
Marty Schottenheimer knows the numbers.
They haunt him, in fact.
The San Diego Chargers have gone 3-21 in the second halves of the last three seasons, collapsing in the last two after outstanding starts of 6-1 in 2002 and 5-2 in 2001. Schottenheimer, starting his second season as coach, has compiled 18 pages of single-spaced statistics that examine the trend from every possible angle -- record when traveling east, in games played above and below 40 degrees, injuries, the quality of opponents.
After months of study, he has come to one eye-opening conclusion: He has wasted a lot of paper.
“You’ve got all this information and you can’t put your finger on any one thing,” he said. “Ultimately it comes down to one thing -- you’ve got to change the attitude. You’ve got to create a situation where there are successes, and when you do that, then the attitude will change. You have to understand that it has to take place over the course of an entire season, not just half the season.”
Later, he said: “Maybe it’s just a matter of getting better players and going from there.”
Schottenheimer spoke to reporters Monday at Charger headquarters and will do the same today at the Home Depot Center in Carson, the team’s new training-camp home. Rookies and selected veterans, including the quarterbacks, will begin practicing Wednesday, and the first full-squad practice is Saturday.
The team has a different look this season, particularly on defense. Linebacker Junior Seau? In Miami. Safety Rodney Harrison? In New England. The Charger secondary? In trouble.
Well, it could be. There’s a chance the defensive backfield could have four new starters. Ryan McNeil was a starting cornerback last season and is returning, but he’s moving to safety and there’s no guarantee he will have the No. 1 job there. Second-year cornerback Quentin Jammer, who missed his rookie training camp because of a contract dispute, is coming off an up-and-down season. The Chargers signed veteran safety Kwamie Lassiter and drafted three cornerbacks who could make a contribution.
If he can’t have defensive backs who are long on experience, Schottenheimer wants ones who are short on memory. He wants them to forget the bad plays and move on to the next opportunity. And, in some ways, inexperience can be a plus.
“Sometimes the best thing about [young players] is they’re not smart enough to know what they’re up against,” he said.
With Seau and Harrison gone, there are several defensive players who could fill the leadership void -- namely linebacker Donnie Edwards, defensive tackle Jamal Williams and defensive end Marcellus Wiley, who was slowed last season by a groin injury and an abdominal tear that required surgery.
Quarterback Drew Brees and running back LaDainian Tomlinson are the cornerstones on an offense that now features Pro Bowl receiver David Boston, who averaged 62 catches the last four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals despite missing the final eight games last season because of a knee injury.
The Chargers also signed former Dallas Cowboy lineman Solomon Page and Cincinnati fullback Lorenzo Neal, a Pro Bowl player called “the best blocking fullback in the NFL” by his new head coach.
“I think we’re way, way beyond an offensive football team today than we were a year ago,” Schottenheimer said. “It’s dramatic.”
Regardless, the Chargers are a team facing lots of hurdles on and off the field. They are angling for a new stadium and in March triggered the escape clause in their Qualcomm Stadium lease. Team owners have proposed paying for a state-of-the-art venue on the existing site in exchange for development rights around it. The San Diego City Council could make a decision on the feasibility of that before going on break in mid-August.
If it looks as if their proposal is a nonstarter, the Chargers probably will start shopping for a new home -- almost certainly in Los Angeles -- right away.
That could be quite a distraction for a team looking to get back on track and reach the playoffs for the first time since 1995, when Indianapolis beat San Diego in a wild-card game. Schottenheimer is determined not to allow the off-the-field happenings to knock his team off course. He’s excited, he’s enthusiastic, he believes in the potential of his players.
“This isn’t a Pollyanna thing,” he said. “This is based on a solid understanding of what we have. I think we’re going to be a good football team.”
And, if the Chargers are good, Schottenheimer will have a shredder warmed up. The first thing to go? Eighteen pages of statistics.
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Charger Camp
The Chargers signed a five-year agreement to hold training camp at the Home Depot Center in Carson after holding camp on the UC San Diego campus in La Jolla for the last 27 years. Practice is free and open to the public. Parking is $2.
Camp dates: July 22 through Aug. 21. Rookies and selected veterans begin practicing Wednesday; the first full-squad practice is Saturday.
Practice times: A typical day features two sessions, morning (8:15-10:15) and afternoon (3:15-5:10). There is an afternoon practice only on July 27 and 30, and Aug. 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 18 and 20.
