Schottenheimer’s legacy one of wins, postseason failures
Marty Schottenheimer’s NFL coaching career was as remarkable as it was flummoxing.
There were 200 regularseason wins, the eighth most in NFL history. There were a mystifying number of playoff losses, some so epic they had nicknames: “The Drive” and “The Fumble.”
Always there was “Martyball,” the conservative, smash-mouth approach that featured a strong running game and hardnosed defense.
Schottenheimer died Monday night in Charlotte, N.C., his family said through former Kansas City Chiefs publicist Bob Moore. He was 77. Schottenheimer was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014 and moved to a hospice Jan. 30.
Schottenheimer coached Cleveland, Kansas City, Washington and San Diego and went 200126-1 in 21 seasons.
“The best coach I ever had,“Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson said in a statement. “I never went into a game with Marty as coach feeling like I wasn’t fully prepared to win. … I considered him a true All-American man.”
Winning in the regular season was never a problem. Schottenheimer’s teams won 10 or more games 11 times, including a glistening 14-2 record with the Chargers in 2006 that earned them the AFC’s No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
It’s what happened in January that haunted Schottenheimer, who was just 5-13 in the postseason.
His playoff demons followed him to the end of his career.
In his final game, on Jan. 14, 2007, Schottenheimer’s Chargers, featuring NFL MVP Tomlinson and a supporting cast of Pro Bowlers, lost a home divisional playoff game to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots 24-21.
A month later, owner Dean Spanos stunned the NFL when he fired Schottenheimer because of a personality clash between the coach and general manager A.J. Smith.
Schottenheimer was 44-27 with Cleveland from 1984-88; 101-58-1 with Kansas City from 1989-98; 8-8 with Washington in 2001; and 47-33 with San Diego from 2002-06.
His playoff losses were epic and mystifying.
His Browns twice came close to earning Super Bowl berths, only to have them ripped away by “The Drive” and “The Fumble” in consecutive AFC title games against John Elway and the Broncos.
In the 1986 AFC championship game at Cleveland, Elway led the Broncos 98 yards in 15 plays to tie the game on a 5-yard pass to Mark Jackson with 37 seconds left in regulation. Denver won in overtime on Rich Karlis’ 33-yard field goal.
A year later, with the Browns trailing the Broncos 38-31 with 1:12 left at Denver, Earnest Byner fumbled on the Broncos’ 1-yard line.
Reid’s son placed on leave
Kansas City Chiefs outside linebackers coach Britt Reid, the son of head coach Andy Reid, has been placed on administrative leave during an investigation into a traffic crash that left two young children injured, one critically, the team announced Tuesday.
The team has said Britt Reid was involved in a multi-vehicle crash last Thursday near the team’s training complex next to Arrowhead Stadium. He did not travel with the team to the Super Bowl.
Mahomes to have surgery on toe
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is scheduled to undergo surgery Wednesday for the toe injury that plagued him during the playoffs.
The plan for Mahomes to undergo surgery was confirmed by a person familiar with the situation after being first reported by the NFL Network, which said the procedure is for turf toe and will be performed by foot specialist Robert Anderson.