Los Angeles Chargers: Should Tom Telesco get Schottenheimer’ed?

For roughly half a decade, general manager Tom Telesco has built a talented Los Angeles Chargers roster. But if postseason results don’t improve, should the team move on?

For those unfamiliar with the reference of being Schottenheimer’ed, Marty Schottenheimer was the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers for five seasons (2002-06). Despite a rocky start to his tenure with the Bolts, he eventually led a team loaded with talent to a 14-2 record in 2006, best in the NFL — and was subsequently fired following their playoff loss to the New England Patriots the same year.

Schottenheimer clearly had an aptitude for doing his job at the highest level, but could not deliver the all-important playoff win that serves as the true mark of success for head coaches.

Here’s my definition of what it means to be “Schottenheimer’ed”: When a coach or general manager of a team is fired because the team they oversee cannot win in the postseason, regardless of how well they’ve coached or built the roster.

If you’re an NBA fan, you just saw this with former Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey, who was fired following a disappointing post season loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers despite leading his talented roster to a franchise high in wins and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. He was Schottenheimer’ed.

Three things need to be made clear before a comparison between current Chargers general manager Tom Telesco and Schottenheimer can be made:

1. Obvious, but important to remember: One person was a head coach, the other is a general manager. Both are integral parts of improving and sustaining a team, but do have distinct and separate roles.
2. Schottenheimer had a history of not taking his teams to the playoffs prior to the Chargers; Telesco’s first official general manager position was with the Bolts.
3. Schottenheimer had a strained relationship with then general manager A.J. Smith and owner Dean Spanos. As of right now, no such problem appears to exist between Chargers brass and Telesco.

Since being hired in 2013, Telesco has overseen just one playoff victory and a 36-44 overall record (0.45 winning percentage). None of his Chargers teams have had higher than nine wins in a season. And in two of those five years, the Bolts had a top-10 selection in the NFL Draft. When counting wins and losses in both the regular and postseason, it’s surprising that he’s been the team’s general manager for so long.

On the other hand, he’s built on paper what appears to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender this season. Over those five years, and certainly over the last few seasons, Telesco has done a brilliant job building what appears to be a championship team. Achievements include:

• Drafting or signing six players that went on to make the Pro-Bowl roster, while maintaining a squad that currently has nine former Pro-Bowl veterans in total (Philip Rivers, Melvin Ingram and Mike Pouncey were either not brought in by Telesco or have not been elected to the Pro Bowl as a Charger).
• Finding a host of legitimate players in the UDFA “scrap pile”, including current starters Jahleel Addae, Trevor Williams and Tyrell Williams.
• Keeping the salary cap healthy for future large contracts and extensions (only nine other teams have less “dead money”).
• A 59.375 percent players drafted retention rate, good for best in the AFC West (does not include 2018 class).

If this roster, one full of unlimited potential and young players who will make Pro Bowls for the next decade, does not make the playoffs or falls in the first round, should Telesco be let go?

Schottenheimer had a better winning percentage in his five years (47-33, or 58.75 percent) and more AFC West titles. His replacement, Norv Turner, took almost the exact same roster and took the team all the way to the AFC Championship, a game they should have won if not for one of the most unlucky plays in franchise history.

Would it be a good idea for the team to move on from a smart and talented general manager for the sake of taking the next step? I have a feeling that the team would sooner move on from Anthony Lynn, but as the longest tenured impactful member of the organization (ahead of Lynn, Ken Whisenhunt, and Gus Bradley) Telesco may be shown the door for his lack of results. He just might get Schottenheimer’ed.