Ongoing feud with GM doomed Schottenheimer

It didn't matter that Schottenheimer won two division championships in the past three years. It didn't matter that he had more victories in that time than all but two NFL coaches. It didn't matter that he returned respectability to an organization that had gone eight consecutive years without a winning season.

No, what mattered is what happened off the field, and that stuff about "dysfunction" and "pulling in the same direction" is what cost Schottenheimer. Sooner or later it was going to drive him out of town, and it happened sooner. The irony is that it was a battle over an assistant coach, not a game, he lost that pushed him off the ledge.

"I want to thank everyone I've had here," Schottenheimer said. "The players. The coaches. Everyone. I'm very, very proud of what we accomplished, and they all made contributions to getting things turned around. I'm very proud of the fact that we left this place in better shape than when I got here."

Schottenheimer said he has no immediate plans, but it's clear he would like to return to coaching. He's under contract to the Chargers for another season and becomes a free agent this time next year when another round of coaching changes is bound to make him an attractive candidate to someone outside San Diego.

And what about the Chargers? They have an abundance of talent. They just don't have a head coach, and don't think for a moment this was a premeditated act, done with someone in mind. It wasn't. It was done to stop an internecine struggle that had become intolerable, and it stopped it all right.

Now, let the coaching search begin, and, tell me: Where do you start?

Well, let's see: The Chargers previously interviewed San Francisco offensive coordinator Norv Turner, but he was turned down when the club hired Schottenheimer. Just recently, Dallas interviewed Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, but the Bears play a 4-3; the Chargers play a 3-4. The Cowboys also interviewed 49ers assistant Mike Singletary and Indianapolis quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell, but both would be considered nothing more than long shots.

I heard someone throw out Pete Carroll's name, but there are two problems there: 1) Why would he leave USC? and 2) He won't go anywhere if he doesn't have complete control. Trust me on this one. He learned a hard lesson in New England, and that was this: If he were ever to return to the NFL, it would be somewhere he calls all the shots.

And San Diego doesn't qualify.

"I guess," said one NFL coach who asked not to be identified, "you're going to find out if what happened in San Diego this year was all about the players or if the coaches had something to do with it."

I can't wait.