Newsday's Tom Rock brings us more news from Gang Green
Jets re-sign Poteat; Barlow let go
BY TOM ROCK
tom.rock@newsday.com
February 21, 2007, 9:31 PM EST
Anyone who paid attention to the final quarter of the Jets' season would not be surprised by the moves the team made Wednesday, re-signing cornerback Hank Poteat and releasing running back Kevan Barlow.
Poteat went from training camp casualty, cut just before the regular season, to starting right cornerback for the final six regular-season games and the playoffs. Eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next month, Poteat signed a one-year deal worth $635,000.
In contrast, Barlow was brought in late in training camp as a possible successor to Curtis Martin; the Jets traded a fourth-round draft pick to the 49ers to get him after a deal for the Browns' Lee Suggs fell through. But Barlow was inactive in five of the last six games, a decision Jets coach Eric Mangini pointed out had nothing to do with injury.
Barlow ran for only 370 yards on 131 carries but managed six touchdowns. His best game as a Jet was a 75-yard effort in the mud in a November win over the Patriots, but he had only 30 carries after that.
The Jets, already a healthy $25 million or so under the salary cap, will avoid the $3.25 million Barlow was due to earn in 2007 but still will be docked two-thirds of the guaranteed million dollars they gave him in a restructuring in September, according to a source.
The Jets also released offensive lineman Trey Teague, who was signed last spring to help replace Kevin Mawae at center but broke an ankle in minicamp and never played a down. They signed safety Raymond Ventrone to a reserve/future contract.
The team also made a formal announcement regarding several previously reported coaching changes, most notably naming former Patriots receivers coach Mike Daboll as quarterbacks coach. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer handled those duties last season, and Daboll, who was close with Mangini in New England, could become the Jets' offensive coordinator if and when Schottenheimer leaves for a head coaching opportunity.
and my View: Barlow was slow to learn the system and would have only been a minor contributor to the offense at best.
still, he came east with great promise, and his next stop will be?? Teauge never got off on the right foot(Ohhhh my bad!)
so to speak, he never recovered from the broken ankle even though he worked very hard. Truth is, Nick Mangold will be the Jets center for the next decade+ if he stays healthy. Tannenbaum is making all the right moves here.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Barack Obama In Los Angeles - SF Chronicle - Carla Marinucci
Los Angeles eagerly embraces Obama
Presidential hopeful addresses black community, then schmoozes with Hollywood elite
Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
(02-21) 04:00 PST Los Angeles -- Illinois Sen. Barack Obama brought his campaign to the heart of the city's African American community Tuesday, drawing thousands of enthusiastic supporters eager for a first look at the black man looking to be president.
Emboldened by the air of excitement filling the park in the city's Crenshaw district, the Democratic hopeful moved beyond the stump speech he made in San Francisco on Monday night and touched on front-burner issues for this urban community: education, health care, the number of black men in the prison system and the sense that the country's African American communities have been overlooked by the Bush administration.
"Yes, we can gather up all those young men who are languishing in jail ... and we can say to those young men, we're not going to give up on you,'' Obama said, as people in the crowd hollered. "That's right."
The event in South Los Angeles brought out an estimated 7,000 people, including hordes of uniformed school kids from the neighborhood. Many of the people lined up hours before Obama arrived, giving the event the energized feel of a campaign rally just weeks before the presidential election and not a year before the primary.
At times, Obama's talk took on the cadences and themes of a revival-tent sermon. The world, he told the crowd, "may have its problems ... but what God wants us to do is to help close that gap, not just with words, but with deeds."
Those deeds, he said, include rebuilding the heavily black city of New Orleans, devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
"Yes, we can rebuild New Orleans,'' he said, pledging that "something like this will never happen again, because we are part of a single American family.''
While the speech was long on vision and short on specific plans, he ignited the crowd, which chanted "Obama, Obama," as he took the stage.
Many in the crowd challenged the notion that Obama, the son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, has not worked hard enough to woo African American voters and would suffer politically by not having a connection to the same slavery roots as most black Americans.
"Some black leaders say he's not black enough - and I don't know why,'' said Algene Moore, 71, a retired African American vocational instructor from Baldwin Hills. She said that while she appreciated the campaign of New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic front runner, Obama's effort as a serious African American contender for the Democratic nomination felt like history in the making.
"I have been waiting a long time for this ... a long time,'' she said with a broad smile. "I say, at long last.''
Tuesday's schedule was a tale of two worlds for Obama, as he followed the South Los Angeles rally with a glitzy fundraiser among Hollywood royalty at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where he was expected to collect $1 million for his presidential campaign.
Even with the $2,300 price tag, the maximum amount that can be donated to a presidential primary candidate, the event was considered a hot ticket in a town usually jaded by hot tickets.
A parade of movie industry glitterati jostled to meet the candidate as curiosity seekers filled the hotel lobby and the sidewalk around it. Making their way into the ballroom were actors Eddie Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Anniston, Ben Stiller and his wife, Christine Taylor, along with a gaggle of other celebrities, including producer Norman Lear and director Ron Howard.
But an even more exclusive event followed -- a late-night dinner at the Beverly Hills mansion of Dreamworks executive David Geffen.
While Obama and his young campaign continue to enjoy a high-profile honeymoon with voters intrigued by his celebrity and with media looking for the next big political thing, cracks in the nothing-but-good-news facade have begun to appear.
The senator is flying from California directly to Iowa, skipping a labor forum in Carson City, Nev., this afternoon that features all the other Democratic candidates. That has prompted some critics to suggest that Obama, who was elected to the Senate in 2004, might be unprepared to answer detailed questions about policy issues like health care and the war on terror.
Obama said he had made previous plans to be in Iowa and promised to return for a future Nevada Democratic candidates' debate.
The senator also was the subject of an investigative piece in the Los Angeles Times this week, which suggested that he has taken too much credit for projects to rid Chicago public housing of asbestos in his days as a community activist.
Obama's campaign refuted the story, saying that organizers, and early newspaper accounts, agreed with the candidate's recollections -- and that, in any case, he never tried to take undue credit.
"There are two elements to deal with in running for president,'' said Bill Whalen, a research fellow with the Hoover Institution at Stanford. "That is that the media will build him up until he is seen as the cure for cancer -- then they will attempt to paper cut him and study every word, and try to punch a hole in him.'' That, he said is "an unfortunate product of the way politics is being done in this country.''
Mary Hughes, a Democratic consultant in San Francisco, after watching Obama Monday in San Francisco, said that as a candidate, Obama "demands consideration ... because of his willingness to speak plainly" and "a natural big-heartedness, and he has an extraordinary (life) experience which touches almost everyone.''
But he will also have to compete for the Democratic nomination in an unusual year, one in which the three top contenders "encompass issues of gender, race and class'' -- with Clinton being the first major female candidate for president, Obama representing change as a leading African American contender and former Sen. John Edwards, the son of a mill worker who has gone on to become a successful trial lawyer and legislator, raising issues of poverty and class.
Presidential hopeful addresses black community, then schmoozes with Hollywood elite
Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
(02-21) 04:00 PST Los Angeles -- Illinois Sen. Barack Obama brought his campaign to the heart of the city's African American community Tuesday, drawing thousands of enthusiastic supporters eager for a first look at the black man looking to be president.
Emboldened by the air of excitement filling the park in the city's Crenshaw district, the Democratic hopeful moved beyond the stump speech he made in San Francisco on Monday night and touched on front-burner issues for this urban community: education, health care, the number of black men in the prison system and the sense that the country's African American communities have been overlooked by the Bush administration.
"Yes, we can gather up all those young men who are languishing in jail ... and we can say to those young men, we're not going to give up on you,'' Obama said, as people in the crowd hollered. "That's right."
The event in South Los Angeles brought out an estimated 7,000 people, including hordes of uniformed school kids from the neighborhood. Many of the people lined up hours before Obama arrived, giving the event the energized feel of a campaign rally just weeks before the presidential election and not a year before the primary.
At times, Obama's talk took on the cadences and themes of a revival-tent sermon. The world, he told the crowd, "may have its problems ... but what God wants us to do is to help close that gap, not just with words, but with deeds."
Those deeds, he said, include rebuilding the heavily black city of New Orleans, devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
"Yes, we can rebuild New Orleans,'' he said, pledging that "something like this will never happen again, because we are part of a single American family.''
While the speech was long on vision and short on specific plans, he ignited the crowd, which chanted "Obama, Obama," as he took the stage.
Many in the crowd challenged the notion that Obama, the son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, has not worked hard enough to woo African American voters and would suffer politically by not having a connection to the same slavery roots as most black Americans.
"Some black leaders say he's not black enough - and I don't know why,'' said Algene Moore, 71, a retired African American vocational instructor from Baldwin Hills. She said that while she appreciated the campaign of New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic front runner, Obama's effort as a serious African American contender for the Democratic nomination felt like history in the making.
"I have been waiting a long time for this ... a long time,'' she said with a broad smile. "I say, at long last.''
Tuesday's schedule was a tale of two worlds for Obama, as he followed the South Los Angeles rally with a glitzy fundraiser among Hollywood royalty at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where he was expected to collect $1 million for his presidential campaign.
Even with the $2,300 price tag, the maximum amount that can be donated to a presidential primary candidate, the event was considered a hot ticket in a town usually jaded by hot tickets.
A parade of movie industry glitterati jostled to meet the candidate as curiosity seekers filled the hotel lobby and the sidewalk around it. Making their way into the ballroom were actors Eddie Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Anniston, Ben Stiller and his wife, Christine Taylor, along with a gaggle of other celebrities, including producer Norman Lear and director Ron Howard.
But an even more exclusive event followed -- a late-night dinner at the Beverly Hills mansion of Dreamworks executive David Geffen.
While Obama and his young campaign continue to enjoy a high-profile honeymoon with voters intrigued by his celebrity and with media looking for the next big political thing, cracks in the nothing-but-good-news facade have begun to appear.
The senator is flying from California directly to Iowa, skipping a labor forum in Carson City, Nev., this afternoon that features all the other Democratic candidates. That has prompted some critics to suggest that Obama, who was elected to the Senate in 2004, might be unprepared to answer detailed questions about policy issues like health care and the war on terror.
Obama said he had made previous plans to be in Iowa and promised to return for a future Nevada Democratic candidates' debate.
The senator also was the subject of an investigative piece in the Los Angeles Times this week, which suggested that he has taken too much credit for projects to rid Chicago public housing of asbestos in his days as a community activist.
Obama's campaign refuted the story, saying that organizers, and early newspaper accounts, agreed with the candidate's recollections -- and that, in any case, he never tried to take undue credit.
"There are two elements to deal with in running for president,'' said Bill Whalen, a research fellow with the Hoover Institution at Stanford. "That is that the media will build him up until he is seen as the cure for cancer -- then they will attempt to paper cut him and study every word, and try to punch a hole in him.'' That, he said is "an unfortunate product of the way politics is being done in this country.''
Mary Hughes, a Democratic consultant in San Francisco, after watching Obama Monday in San Francisco, said that as a candidate, Obama "demands consideration ... because of his willingness to speak plainly" and "a natural big-heartedness, and he has an extraordinary (life) experience which touches almost everyone.''
But he will also have to compete for the Democratic nomination in an unusual year, one in which the three top contenders "encompass issues of gender, race and class'' -- with Clinton being the first major female candidate for president, Obama representing change as a leading African American contender and former Sen. John Edwards, the son of a mill worker who has gone on to become a successful trial lawyer and legislator, raising issues of poverty and class.
Barack Obama Hosted By Sen. Barbara Boxer In San Francisco
You know you've reached star status when -- even though you're a US senator -- they just call you by your name and not your title. Such is true for US Senator and Candidate for President of The United States, Barack Obama.
They just call him Barack Obama.
Senator Barack Obama (D) Illinois, appeared as the star of a rousing February 19th fund-raiser hosted by Senator Barbara Boxer at The Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco's Union Square.
The event drew almost 2,000 people, if not a little more than that number. (And reports with the estimate at 1,000 are just plain wrong. I was there, and I can count.)
What was surprising to me was the number of true voters who turned out. The crowd was most older, white, and liberal, and for the trained eye consisted of some of the Bay Area's most active political citizens. But to be sure, there was a healthy percentage of younger voters as well -- between 20 and 45 years old. And remember all paid between $150 and $2,000, so this wasn't a free event. It sold out the week before it was set to commence.
Personally, I was blown away by Barack Obama. And I've worked for four politicians and donated to several campaigns. Part of Senator Obama's appeal is that he really has his pulse on the problem America faces and that's a belief crisis. Our leaders don't represent us anymore; they stand for their own desires. One doesn't get the impression that Senator Obama has an agenda separate from that of the American People. He knows we're suffering from seeing people killed overseas and going without help in a hurricane-wrecked New Orleans. He knows we're tired of seeing our leaders preside over a vastly imbalanced spread of resources going where they don't help Americans (the Mid East) while people in the South (Louisiana) are still suffering. He gets that we have a massive leadership crisis, yet doesn't step in like Superman, he just has the courage to point his hand in another direction and say "This is where we should go."
I know that's heavy, but it doesn't begin to describe how much people are energized by him and his run for president. It's one thing to hear about it, but you've got to be a part of it to understand.
He's the real deal and with the total knack for saying the right words. All of that is evident in this video.
As a note, you may wonder why I chose the theme song to the television show "Friends." I tried the music as an experiment in part of the video, and was struck by how perfect the message "I'll be there for you" seemed to describe the relationship between Senator Obama and his supporters. The theme, like the Senator's book "The Audacity of Hope" is about hope, and thus is perfect for this video, if not his candidacy.
For more information go to his website at
www.barackobama.com
They just call him Barack Obama.
Senator Barack Obama (D) Illinois, appeared as the star of a rousing February 19th fund-raiser hosted by Senator Barbara Boxer at The Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco's Union Square.
The event drew almost 2,000 people, if not a little more than that number. (And reports with the estimate at 1,000 are just plain wrong. I was there, and I can count.)
What was surprising to me was the number of true voters who turned out. The crowd was most older, white, and liberal, and for the trained eye consisted of some of the Bay Area's most active political citizens. But to be sure, there was a healthy percentage of younger voters as well -- between 20 and 45 years old. And remember all paid between $150 and $2,000, so this wasn't a free event. It sold out the week before it was set to commence.
Personally, I was blown away by Barack Obama. And I've worked for four politicians and donated to several campaigns. Part of Senator Obama's appeal is that he really has his pulse on the problem America faces and that's a belief crisis. Our leaders don't represent us anymore; they stand for their own desires. One doesn't get the impression that Senator Obama has an agenda separate from that of the American People. He knows we're suffering from seeing people killed overseas and going without help in a hurricane-wrecked New Orleans. He knows we're tired of seeing our leaders preside over a vastly imbalanced spread of resources going where they don't help Americans (the Mid East) while people in the South (Louisiana) are still suffering. He gets that we have a massive leadership crisis, yet doesn't step in like Superman, he just has the courage to point his hand in another direction and say "This is where we should go."
I know that's heavy, but it doesn't begin to describe how much people are energized by him and his run for president. It's one thing to hear about it, but you've got to be a part of it to understand.
He's the real deal and with the total knack for saying the right words. All of that is evident in this video.
As a note, you may wonder why I chose the theme song to the television show "Friends." I tried the music as an experiment in part of the video, and was struck by how perfect the message "I'll be there for you" seemed to describe the relationship between Senator Obama and his supporters. The theme, like the Senator's book "The Audacity of Hope" is about hope, and thus is perfect for this video, if not his candidacy.
For more information go to his website at
www.barackobama.com
Barack Obama On His Plans For 2008
This is a video from Senator Barack Obama on his plans for the 2008 Presidential campaign.
JFL Jr. In Video Shot In Downtown Manhattan
This video is a passing shot of the late JFL jr. I show this in a series of videos here of young political leaders.
The Late JFK Jr. With Barbara Walters In An Interview
This interview is a great look at the late son of our most famous president as he talks about his then new magazine, "George" with Barbara Walters.
What John F. Kennedy Would Say To George Bush
This video presents what the late JFK may have said to current President Bush regarding matters of secrecy.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Original JFK Motorcade Film By George Jennings
Photographer, George Jefferies, filmed President and Mrs. Kennedy on Main Street at Lamar in downtown Dallas less than 90 seconds before the assassination in 1962, the year I was born.
Here's the video:
Here's the video:
Dwight Freeney Is Colts Franchise Player for 2007 - Indy Star - Mike Chappell
Dwight Freeney Is Colts Franchise Player for 2007 - Indy Star - Mike Chappell
As expected, the Colts have made certain defensive end Dwight Freeney’s career will continue in Indianapolis.
The team has affixed the exclusive “franchise’’ designation to their career sack leader. That assures Freeney a one-year contract in 2007 of at least $8.644 million, and eliminates the possibility of him testing his value of the NFL’s veteran free-agent market in March. Team president Bill Polian says he will now try to work on a long-term deal.
“He wasn’t going to go anywhere,’’ Polian said this afternoon. “I’ve had a good talk with his agent today and we’ll continue to talk.’’
Freeney, Polian added, is “an integral part of this team and we want to see (that a long-term deal) gets done if at all possible.’’
Freeney was the Colts’ first-round draft pick in 2002, the 11th overall selection. He has earned three Pro Bowl berths during his five-year career and piled up 51 sacks. He was limited to a career-low 5 1/2 sacks this past season but posted a team-high 33 quarterback pressures.
As an exclusive franchise player, Freeney is prohibited from seeking a contract offer from another team. He will receive a one-year contract at the average of the top five players at his position at the end of the upcoming free-agent period. The non-exclusive franchise tag would have allowed Freeney to talk with other teams and paid him a one-year contract at the average of the top five players at his position from last season -- $8.644 million. The exclusive tag is sure to bring at least that much.
The YouTube "As One" Gathering: The Conversation - A Historic Event - Part One
On February 17th, YouTubers gathered at San Francisco's Pier39 for the sheer pleasure of getting to know each other. The event was organized by "Mr. Safety" , a YouTuber based in Los Angeles.
This first video is a wonderful capture of human interaction of YouTubers at the "As One" event organized by Mr. Safety on February 17th, 2007 at Pier 39. This 15 minute video stars such YouTube notables as Renetto and Falstaff, but has at its center a very intense and moving conversation between Renetto, Ian, and other YouTubers including myself at the center. The subject was how YouTube -- and really video social media -- allows people separated by distance and idology to have a real conversation and how that dynamic can be played out in the real world as it was here.
You've got to see it to understand, but once you've seen it, you will.
Here's the video:
This first video is a wonderful capture of human interaction of YouTubers at the "As One" event organized by Mr. Safety on February 17th, 2007 at Pier 39. This 15 minute video stars such YouTube notables as Renetto and Falstaff, but has at its center a very intense and moving conversation between Renetto, Ian, and other YouTubers including myself at the center. The subject was how YouTube -- and really video social media -- allows people separated by distance and idology to have a real conversation and how that dynamic can be played out in the real world as it was here.
You've got to see it to understand, but once you've seen it, you will.
Here's the video:
Monday, February 19, 2007
Cal Berkeley - Grad Ron Rivera Out As Chicago Bears Defensive Coordinator - Jay Glazer of FoxSports.com
This story was broken by none other than Jay Glazer of FoxSports.com
Bears head coach Lovie Smith is making long-term plans for the future of the team and one of the plans could surprise many Bears fans.
FOXSports.com has learned that Chicago has decided to not renew the contract of defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. Team sources say that Smith and Rivera met recently and agreed to allow Rivera to pursue other opportunities. The sources also contend that Smith will likely end up promoting Bob Babich from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator.
People inside the Bears saw this coming for a while as Babich has been reached out to from a handful of teams in the last two off-seasons and Smith, who unlike many other coaches does not block his assistants from moving up, did not want to lose him. Thus, the head coach had a tough decision to make and promoting Babich was his choice.
Babich is also viewed as more of a long-term option for Smith as Rivera was in the running for several head coaching jobs this off-season and last year. To this point, however, he has failed to land one. He did not sign an extension last off-season, which allowed him to be a free agent after the Bears' Super Bowl run. Most teams figured he'd get one of the vacant head coaching openings and as a result has been left out in the cold.
As for a defensive coordinator opening, there's only one open right now and that is Ted Cottrell's for the taking in San Diego. Still, now that Rivera is officially free another team may decide to make a run at a man who helped guide a unit to this year's prized game.
Rivera has been with Smith since he took over the head coaching duties in Chicago.
Bears head coach Lovie Smith is making long-term plans for the future of the team and one of the plans could surprise many Bears fans.
FOXSports.com has learned that Chicago has decided to not renew the contract of defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. Team sources say that Smith and Rivera met recently and agreed to allow Rivera to pursue other opportunities. The sources also contend that Smith will likely end up promoting Bob Babich from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator.
People inside the Bears saw this coming for a while as Babich has been reached out to from a handful of teams in the last two off-seasons and Smith, who unlike many other coaches does not block his assistants from moving up, did not want to lose him. Thus, the head coach had a tough decision to make and promoting Babich was his choice.
Babich is also viewed as more of a long-term option for Smith as Rivera was in the running for several head coaching jobs this off-season and last year. To this point, however, he has failed to land one. He did not sign an extension last off-season, which allowed him to be a free agent after the Bears' Super Bowl run. Most teams figured he'd get one of the vacant head coaching openings and as a result has been left out in the cold.
As for a defensive coordinator opening, there's only one open right now and that is Ted Cottrell's for the taking in San Diego. Still, now that Rivera is officially free another team may decide to make a run at a man who helped guide a unit to this year's prized game.
Rivera has been with Smith since he took over the head coaching duties in Chicago.
Norv Turner - 58-82-1 - Replaces Marty Schottenheimer - 205-139-1 - As Chargers Coach - FOXSports.com and ESPN.com
Profootballtalk.com reports that the hard-working Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com broke this story and not ESPN.
Whatever, this is not good news for the Oakland Raiders, who fired Turner just two years ago. Now they have to deal with two angry ex-Raider coaches: Turner and Denver Broncos Head Coach Mike Shanahan.
Chargers hire Turner as new head coach
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
Hoping the third time will be a winner for Norv Turner, the San Diego Chargers on Monday hired the San Francisco offensive coordinator to succeed Marty Schottenheimer as head coach.
Norv Turner's Coaching Record
The Chargers are giving Norv Turner his third crack at being an NFL head coach. He's 58-82-1 with one playoff appearance in nine seasons leading an NFL team.
Year Team Record Playoffs
1994 WAS 3-13 None
1995 WAS 6-10 None
1996 WAS 9-7 None
1997 WAS 8-7-1 None
1998 WAS 6-10 None
1999 WAS 10-6 1-1
2000 WAS 7-6 None
2004 OAK 5-11 None
2005 OAK 4-12 None
The Chargers have scheduled a 4:30 p.m. ET news conference to introduce Turner as their new head coach.
Longtime league assistant coach Ted Cottrell, whose experience with the 3-4 defense is extensive, has been hired as defensive coordinator for the Chargers.
Turner, 54, compiled a 58-82-1 record as head coach of the Washington Redskins (1994-2000) and the Oakland Raiders (2004-2005). He served as the San Francisco offensive coordinator last season and was credited with the dramatic progress achieved by 49ers' second-year quarterback Alex Smith.
Contract details were not immediately available.
One of six known candidates interviewed by San Diego officials after Schottenheimer was dismissed, Turner was the lone man with primary expertise on the offensive side. Originally, it was believed the Chargers preferred that their new head coach have a background on the defensive side of the ball.
Turner interviewed earlier this month for the head coach vacancy in Dallas, where he played a big role as the Cowboys' offensive coordinator during the team's dominance in the 1990s, but did not land that job.
In San Diego, he will inherit a high-octane Chargers offense featuring star tailback and 2006 most valuable player LaDainian Tomlinson. But Turner will also be responsible for the continued development of quarterback Philip Rivers, who was in his first year as the starter in 2006.
Beyond Turner, the other known San Diego head coach candidates -- Gary Gibbs (New Orleans), Mike Zimmer (Atlanta), Mike Singletary (San Francisco), Ron Rivera (Chicago) and Rex Ryan (Baltimore) -- are all coaches whose expertise is on the defensive side. All but Singletary are current coordinators.
Cottrell has interviewed in the past for head coach positions, and came very close to landing the top job in San Francisco four years ago.
San Diego officials prefer to retain a 3-4 defense, the scheme for which the personnel is best suited, and hiring Cottrell allows that. Cottrell was actually recommended to Schottenheimer by Smith when then-Chargers defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was hired by the Dallas Cowboys as their new head coach.
Schottenheimer instead leaned toward hiring his younger brother, Kurt Schottenheimer, as the replacement for Phillips. In addition to Marty Schottenheimer, the Chargers, who posted an NFL-best 14-2 record in 2006 but were ousted in the divisional round of the playoffs, have lost five assistant coaches since the end of the season. That includes both coordinators.
Cottrell, 59, possesses 22 seasons of NFL experience as an assistant coach, including three stints as a defensive coordinator. He most recently worked as coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings (2004-2005). Cottrell lost his job when the Vikings fired coach Mike Tice after the 2005 season, and he worked in the NFL office in 2006.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
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