Marty Schottenheimer is inspiring a team that hasn't been to the playoffs since 1995

By Michael Silver

Seau hit the right note when he sold teammates on Schottenheimer's system. John W. McDonough Enemy Lines An opposing team's scout sizes up the Chargers "There was a lot of talk about which quarterback would start, but my question is, How are they gonna block anybody? I think they'll need both quarterbacks because that line is awfully thin. They're counting on Toniu Fonoti , a 20-year-old rookie from Nebraska who's basically never pass protected? Come on! And the big free-agent signee is a center who has never been that great. Cory Raymer is a heady guy who knows where to go, but he gets pushed around a lot.... As far as the quarterbacks, Drew Brees gives them more life. He's got more ability to make different throws, especially downfield. Doug Flutie can't see in the red zone, and it kills them. When they had that nine-game losing streak last year, 75 percent of it was because they couldn't get a consistent game out of Flutie.... LaDanian Tomlinson is a good back, but he had a lot of carries last year, and I think you need a change-of-pace guy to succeed over the long haul. The backup is Terrell Fletcher , who has made a career out of not scoring touchdowns.... Still, they can be a sleeper if they get decent play at quarterback because the defense is so tough. It starts with Junior Seau and Rodney Harrison . It's tough to sustain a drive against them.... Jason Fisk isn't as stout as John Parrella, but with Junior shooting into gaps, running up the middle will still be tough.... Last year, if you could block their front, their corners were vulnerable. But with Quentin Jammer back there, that won't be the case." In the Year 2001 Record: 5-11 (fifth in AFC West) NFL rank (rush/pass/total) Offense: 20/11/11 Defense: 7/20/11 New Twist Junior Seau may now be the team's slowest linebacker. New coach Marty Schottenheimer has plugged swift third-round draft pick Ben Leber into the outside spot opposite Seau, leaving the middle for former Chiefs standout Donnie Edwards , a 6'2" 227-pounder who flies all over the field. Schedule Strength NFL Rank: T1 Opponents' 2001 winning percentage: .546 Games against playoff teams: 7

Junior Seau was poolside at the Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa on Oahu last February when the harassment began. Amused by the notion that the Chargers' star linebacker and leader would soon be playing for ultrademanding Marty Schottenheimer, Seau's fellow Pro Bowl participants joined forces to make him feel troubled in paradise.

"Welcome to hell," one player told him.

"Go ahead and retire," said another.

Six months later Seau laughs at the memory: "I didn't even try to fight it. You know the guys -- once they have a couple of mai tais, it's all over."

But unlike in Washington, where he encountered a faction of set-in-their-ways veterans last season, Schottenheimer received a warm welcome in San Diego. Part of that was because he brought along a .621 winning percentage accumulated in 16 seasons -- the Chargers, after all, haven't made the playoffs since 1995, giving them the league's second-longest drought behind the bumbling Bengals -- but an assist goes to a certain workaholic linebacker with unmatched intrasquad influence. "This," Seau decrees, "is Marty's team."

Or, as Pro Bowl defensive end Marcellus Wiley says with a laugh, "Junior's been demoted to assistant head coach."

Given Schottenheimer's recent past, Seau's endorsement was of no small consequence. "It's always good when your premier players put the team before themselves," he says, "and that's what Junior's done. He desperately wants to win."

Reeling from training-camp turmoil last season, the Redskins lost their first five games before rallying to finish 8-8. The Chargers experienced the opposite sensation, ruining a 5-2 start by losing their last nine games, which led to the departure of coach Mike Riley. Enter the 58-year-old Schottenheimer, who had been fired after clashing with Washington owner Dan Snyder over front-office power. Redskins defensive end Bruce Smith wasted no time advising his buddy Seau to "get ready for the toughest season of your life."

Other Chargers heard similar warnings, and after Schottenheimer's first full-squad meeting at an April minicamp -- during which he laid out a list of strict rules, including a ban on chewing sunflower seeds and wearing hats in meetings -- the locker room was filled with the whispers of discontent. That's when Seau stepped up.

"Any of us have rings?" Seau asked his teammates. None responded. "If someone has a proven system that will work, speak now," Seau continued. More silence. "Well," Seau said, "he's won more games than all of us with that system. I'm buying into it."

As a result, Junior's Farm has become Marty's Mill, though the difference is not as pronounced as one might think. "I don't care what anyone says -- we've always worked hard here," says Pro Bowl strong safety Rodney Harrison. "We may have lacked talent last season and we may have lacked discipline, but we didn't lack heart."

Schottenheimer would be hard-pressed to disagree. Early in training camp, he choked up as he told the Chargers that they were the hardest-working team he's ever seen. He says he thinks San Diego can win now, even with a second-year quarterback -- Drew Brees -- who has thrown only 27 NFL passes running the show. This is a coach who likes to ride his defense, and the additions of free-agent middle linebacker Donnie Edwards and rookie cornerback Quentin Jammer, the fourth pick in the draft out of Texas, should bolster an already strong unit.

There's no question who remains the main man. "Junior Seau is one of the top two or three linebackers ever to play," Schottenheimer says. "I think he goes home at night and plugs himself into a socket. I've never been around a human being with as much energy."

Seau's penchant for making educated guesses is also legendary, and that's where the adjustment to Schottenheimer and his schemes could get sticky. As Harrison says, "There's no room for freelancing in this defense. If you're out of position, you're going to get burned."

Seau and Schottenheimer downplay any philosophical conflict. The coach says he'll allow for his star's "playmaker" tendencies, and Seau says, "There's no scheme I haven't played in or against, so it's not that big a deal." Right now, only the Pacific is making waves in San Diego, and it's likely to stay that way for as long as Seau chooses.

If all goes as planned, when the mai tais start flowing next February, Junior will have the last laugh.

Issue date: September 2, 2002