Five worst NFL firings of last 10 years
By Staff
2. Marty Schettenheimer
Only the San Diego Chargers would fire a coach following a 14-2 season. Yes, back in 2006, the Chargers looked like a team on the verge of a dynasty. San Diego was rolling in talent with the likes of Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson, Vincent Jackson, Michael Turner, Darren Sproles and Antonio Gates on offense.
Schottenheimer arrived in San Diego before the 2002 season and by 2004, had turned a rancid franchise into a 12-win team. In 2006, Schottenheimer had his best regular season of all-time, racking up 14 wins and the top seed in the AFC. Playing the New England Patriots in the Divisional round, the Chargers were leading late in the fourth quarter. San Diego defensive back Marlon McCray picked off Tom Brady and only needed to go down to seal the win, but instead started run. Troy Brown stripped the ball away, the Patriots recovered and went on to win the game.
Somehow, general manager A.J. Smith saw this as a reason to fire Schottenheimer, along with some internal issues. The Chargers were never quite the same despite ample talent over the ensuing decade, only winning two playoff games since. San Diego had a terrific thing going in a bad division and would have contended for years, but instead screwed over its fan base and ultimately cost the town its team.
Next: Jim Harbaugh - San Francisco 49ers