Fire Still Burns for Schottenheimer

The Chargers made changes in personnel, releasing wide receiver David Boston and defensive end Marcellus Wiley -- talented but ultimately divisive presences.

Said Brian, "His philosophy is that it's people that win for you, not players."

Schottenheimer reached out to his team, forming a leadership council of 12 players who would meet with him at least once a month to discuss the team's concerns.

It made a difference.

"I heard so many things about him before I got here. I was a little nervous at first," said wide receiver Keenan McCardell, who arrived from Tampa Bay midway through the 2004 season. "But after I got here and just started talking to him, and seeing what he expected out of players. . . . I enjoy a person that loves the game, that's so intense. Because you've got to have intensity in this game to either coach it or play it. And I enjoy that."

Schottenheimer also decided to rely more on his assistants, delegating more duties. Change "was the theme of the 2004 season," Brian Schottenheimer said. "It's time to change. . . . He presented it to the team. Hey, the Chargers have been a poor franchise for a number of seasons. It's time to change. . . . And the team just kind of bought into that."

As training camp began, the Schottenheimers faced a different challenge: Brian was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. With his son ailing, Schottenheimer found help in an unlikely place. Snyder, his former boss in Washington, is a thyroid cancer survivor.

"Dan told me . . . 'Marty, if you're going to have cancer, this is the kind you want to have because it's relatively treatable,' " Schottenheimer said. Snyder contacted doctors who had treated him at the Mayo Clinic.

"I was very, very grateful for what Dan was able and willing to do," Schottenheimer said. "Brian is doing terrific now."

With Brian healthy, the Schottenheimers focused on football. The running of Tomlinson, the quarterbacking of Brees and the emergence of tight end Antonio Gates made the Chargers the surprise of 2004. They finished 12-4 and won the divisional title, losing in overtime to the New York Jets in a wild-card playoff game.

"Our football team kind of turned the corner," said Schottenheimer, who was named NFL coach of the year. "We really kind of got the quality people that we wanted. [General manager] A.J. Smith really did a great job of getting the right kinds of people in place for us. We made plays last year in a timely fashion."

And now, midway through his 20th season, Schottenheimer remains driven by the same things that attracted him to coaching in the first place.

"I do this for one reason," he said. "I love the opportunity to interact with the players, and teach the players, and work with the coaches. That's the motivation that I bring. I wasn't a very good player, and as a result, I couldn't get a lot of things done on the field wearing a uniform. . . . You live vicariously through your players, the way they perform, and when they perform well, you feel really good about it because you know you had a part in that."

That may motivate Schottenheimer more than a Super Bowl ring, according to Brian. He recalls the morning of Jan. 6, 1991, when the Schottenheimer family was eating breakfast at a Kansas City eatery; the night before, his father, then with the Chiefs, had suffered a devastating 17-16 loss to the Miami Dolphins in the AFC wild-card game. A group of 30-something men sat down at a nearby table, unaware that Schottenheimer was just feet away.

"All of a sudden, they start talking about the game," Brian said. " 'Marty Schottenheimer's a bum. We'll never win a championship with him.' "

The Schottenheimers finished breakfast, and as they headed for the exit, Marty stopped to speak to his detractors.

" 'Hi. Marty Schottenheimer,' " Brian recalled his father saying. " 'All I can do is the best that I can. When I go to bed at night, I put my head down on the pillow, and, if I've done the best I can, I'm very comfortable, and I sleep a good night's rest.' "