Earlier this week, the Bears decided not to offer defensive coordinator Ron Rivera a new contract, and told him he is free to pursue other opportunities. That same day, Rivera signed with the Chargers to be their linebacker coach, an odd step down for somebody who was defensive coordinator of a Super Bowl team that is commonly perceived to have been in the Super Bowl because of their defense.
Meanwhile, the Chargers filled the head coaching vacancy left by their firing of Marty Schottenheimer with Norv Turner, who along with Wade Phillips now becomes the second member of the new head coaching class of 2007 to violate the Wannstedt Rule which says that nobody should get a third chance in the NFL as a head coach after being fired twice (certainly not Turner, who unlike Phillips failed in both of his opportunities).
What do these weird moves have in common? They both carry the intent of the GM to show everyone else in the organization who is boss.
Let's look at the Bears' situation first. Their decision not to offer Rivera a new contract had very little to do with Ron Rivera. It had everything to do with Lovie Smith. Smith is the lowest paid head coach in the NFL right now, and his contract expires after the 07 season. You would think he would have gotten an extension by now after taking the moribund Bears franchise from perennial losers to a Super Bowl team in his third year.
You would think so, but no.
The Bears are still taking a wait and see approach, and it is likely he will not have an extension before the 07 season starts. By telling Rivera he was free to go, the Bears were really sending a message to Lovie that they will not hesitate to do the same thing to him when his contract expires next year. After all, in GM Jerry Angelo's mind, GM Jerry Angelo is the reason for the team's success, not the defensive coordinator, and not the head coach. He feels he can plug anyone into those spots and win with the team he built, and it's never been clearer that he feels that way than it is now.
The same situation exists in San Diego, but even to a greater extent. AJ Smith is so confident in the juggernaut he has assembled that he wants to prove to the world that even Norv Turner can coach them to a Super Bowl victory.
If the Chargers succeed, it's going to change the face of how teams view the importance of a head coach. You can also be sure that if the Chargers succeed, Lovie Smith won't be coaching the Bears in 2008.
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