The Long Search is Over: John Pagano is the San Diego Chargers Defensive Coordinator
by John Gennaro on Jan 5, 2012 3:05 PM PST
in San Diego Chargers News
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PrintJohn Pagano is the new Chargers' defensive coordinator. His contract is signed.
— Christopher Smith (@SDchargersdude) January 5, 2012
There you have it. The long, exhausting (roughly 6 hour) search for a new Defensive Coordinator for the San Diego Chargers is over. After interviewing ever possible candidate that they could find, the Chargers decided to promote from within. John Pagano abandons his post as the team's Linebackers Coach and will start assembling/disassembling his defensive coaching staff immediately.
John is the brother of Baltimore Ravens' Defensive Coordinator Chuck Pagano and has been thought of as a "Defensice Coordinator in waiting" since coming to San Diego in 2002. He also has served as the team's Defensive Quality Control Coach, which isn't a bad thing to have as your resume when you become the Defensive Coordinator.
The firing of Greg Manusky and promotion of John Pagano was seemingly the only way that Pagano was going to stay in San Diego with the Chargers. A few days ago he was offered the job of Defensive Coordinator with Jim Mora Jr's UCLA Bruins and it was thought that he was going to take it. Obviously, the Chargers didn't want to lose him and did what had to be done to make sure that they didn't.
For a very detailed history/analysis of John Pagano, check out this post on Bruins Nation that was written when they thought Pagano was a sure thing to go to UCLA.
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The long and winding road reaches its end.
So many twists and turns. We laughed. We cried. We mostly swore.
I guess the only thing left now is for a certain hat to finally get eaten.
by CABurrito on Jan 5, 2012 3:13 PM PST reply actions 4 recs
John Pagano at 3pm today
Bolts from the Blue - Destroying your opinions with facts.
by John Gennaro on Jan 5, 2012 3:17 PM PST up reply actions 4 recs
John Pagano tells Ryan Mathews that he needs to take his training seriously
Bolts from the Blue - Destroying your opinions with facts.
by John Gennaro on Jan 5, 2012 3:18 PM PST reply actions 3 recs
I thought this one was Clarence Shelmon's sex tape
"The biggest thing..." - Norv Turner
by Cake or Death on Jan 5, 2012 3:30 PM PST up reply actions
So now the new question is...
Who’s gonna be the new Linebackers coach? Jack Del Rio!!
Probably Greg Williams
He’s an ex-player that has risen up the ranks pretty quickly.
Bolts from the Blue - Destroying your opinions with facts.
I think one of the goals here
needs to be to stop the DC carousel. They need to find a guy the can stick with for some time, so he can fully implement his ideas and system, and help develop the players we draft. We will have had five (5) defensive coordinators in seven (7) seasons. That’s unacceptable.
A pirate I was meant to be!
"You say you're nasty pirates,
scheming, thieving, bad bushwackers?
From what I've seen I tell you
You're not pirates, you're just slackers!"
by Zach (maestro876) on Jan 5, 2012 3:39 PM PST reply actions 2 recs
Unfortunately
Thats the price of success (and failure)
A successful coordinator always becomes a prime candidate for a HC job elsewhere.
And we are better off not sticking with guys like Cottrel or Manusky after they have proved how bad they are.
We might get some stability with Pagano, as it might take a few years for him to build a reputation. Assuming, of course, that he’s any good.
I don't know
we’ve had 1 HC for 5 years and many of us find it unacceptable
On the other hand, you have different fingers.
by Hormel on Jan 5, 2012 4:14 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Pagano IS consistency on DEF
Since he has been with the bolts for 10 years and through multiple DCs he is probably the best chance the defense has at consistency in leadership. He is not likely to jump ship like Wade Phillips or Ron Rivera who were both considered for HC jobs elsewhere.
And if next year’s team disappoints like the last two, there will be a full housecleaning of the coaching staff anyway, so it consistency will not matter.
Can't decide if rookie DC
Is a good thing or a bad thing? I guess I can see both sides of the argument.
He's had plenty of experience here
Worked under Phillips, Cotrell, Rivera and Manusky, and he knows the players and has their respect.
I’d think of it as a promtion earned after a long appenticeship. He’s starting from a strong place, so its probably as good a hire as we could hope for under the circumstances.
by CABurrito on Jan 5, 2012 3:53 PM PST up reply actions 4 recs
I agree with everything you just said.
"Were such things here as we do speak about?
Or have we eaten on the insane root
That takes the reason prisoner?"
6 hours for Pagano to be hired as DC... wow.
I wonder if John will eat his hat in less time than that.
Dielman on Rivers: "I've tried to get him to say sh-- or fu-- and all he'll ever do is say, 'Golly gee, I can't do that."
Bolts from the Blue
Join my 4,554 other followers on twitter. @poyzinous
by Superduperboltman on Jan 5, 2012 3:58 PM PST reply actions
I wonder more about how long it will take him to digest it
"The biggest thing..." - Norv Turner
by Cake or Death on Jan 5, 2012 4:00 PM PST up reply actions
Congratulations
Dont get me wrong I am excited to have the brother of the Baltimore Ravens defensive coach as head coach that alone give me goose bumps but San Diegos biggest problem is stopping the run and getting off the field on 3rd down. Do the linebackers have anything to do with that? And if so how does putting the guy incharge of them translate into success?
I wonder if they will draft the best linebacker abailable with the first pick to help him out.
And if so how does putting the guy incharge of them translate into success?
Sure seemed to work with Rivera.
To be a devil's advocate...
…Rivera had been a super bowl caliber DC prior to that.
It always puzzled me that he would go from such a successful DC to a position coach. The prevailing logic was that he wanted to get 3-4 experience. It still didn’t make any sense to me.
by Orz on Jan 5, 2012 5:22 PM PST up reply actions
Seemed to work out for everyone involved.
Bolts from the Blue // "At least when Wade is spewing vitriol he does so with an intellectual flair." - insanebolt21
Bloody Elbow // "I think we're poking fun at Leland's 'boner.'" - Michael Fagan
by Richard Wade on Jan 5, 2012 5:51 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
My undertanding
Is that he had a falling out in Chicago, and his early interviews for head coach and DC positions didn’t go well. I believe he actually interviewed here for the HC job at the same time as Norv but obviously didn’t get it. I suppose they picked Cottrell over him for DC because the former had the 3-4 experience you mentioned. Also, IIRC, by the time the coaching search here was completed there weren’t other opportunities for him elsewhere left.
correction
I am sorry as defensive coordinator not head coach it was a slip up.
Love it!
We get a smart defensive mind AND screw over UCLA in the same day! Fight on Trojans and Go Bolts!
by Kevin A. on Jan 5, 2012 4:58 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
hopefully
He’ll be able to get this defense back to doing something good. I remember years when we were among the leaders in turnovers, or sacks, or the years of “You can’t run,” “You can’t throw.”
I feel like this year it was more like “You can’t punt”
The truth is, we don't know how good will he be
And if he’s really good, then he will become a HC candidate, I believe the best strategy with coordinators, is to hire guys that have failed at HC thing. Guys like Wade Phillips, Greg Williams & Dick Lebeau are invaluable. Not only are the great at their job there is little or no risk they will be ascended into HC job in another place.
He's a first-year DC.
He won’t get a HC gig next year unless we win the SB or something.
An autumn Sunday,
Perched in front of the big screen,
Beer in white knuckles.
by Neoplatonist Bolthead on Jan 6, 2012 9:24 AM PST up reply actions
It's about time Pagano was promoted
Congrats to him. Manusky probably took the fall really for what was just a horrible lack of pass rush, but this hire should have happened awhile ago. You simply cannot groom talent and then allow some other ball club to reap the rewards. Now I just hope AJ commits to adding a couple pieces to the front 7 to put this defense back into the respectable category
Winning
by Foilhat on Jan 5, 2012 8:32 PM PST reply actions 2 recs
This
If the thunder don't get ya then the lightning will!!
Robert Hunter
by Buck Melanoma on Jan 6, 2012 3:22 AM PST up reply actions
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