Marty Schottenheimer's team didn't look well-coached tonight. Personal foul penalties, wasted timeouts and a bizarre decision to go for it on fourth-and-11 from the 30-yard line all make it easy to question Schottenheimer's coaching. At the post-game press conference, Jason Whitlock asked Schottenheimer if he expected to be back next season, and although he initially evaded the question, he did later come out and say he expects to coach the Chargers in 2007.
I still think he's gone. A report late last week said he would be fired if the Chargers lost to the Patriots, and even if that report was off-base in some way, the way tonight's game played out makes it hard to see how Schottenheimer is safe.
None of this means Schottenheimer is a bad coach. He's a good coach. But the Chargers are at a point in their franchise history -- LaDainian Tomlinson and Shawne Merriman in their primes, Philip Rivers emerging -- when they need more than just "good" from their coach. They need great. Schottenheimer hasn't been great. I think he'll lose his job this week.




