Marty Schottenheimer wanted to show everyone who was boss on his first day of training camp. The new Washington coach knew owner Dan Snyder was meddlesome and pledged not to give the latter an inch of control by dominating the franchise.
Schottenheimer's total control started on the field. He invited the crowd out of the Carlisle stands and onto the field to see a bull-in-the-ring drill. It's a ball carrier versus a defender encircled by teammates and the only way to win is by knocking down your opponent. It's a brutal drill with physical risks no longer allowed in NFL practices and the only time I ever saw one in the pros.
Schottenheimer quickly showed he was in charge and everything would be harder that 2001 season. It was the most memorable of training camps with twice daily padded practices that the NFL no longer permits. Schottenheimer wouldn't give veteran Bruce Smith a Saturday off to attend his old coach Marv Levy's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, despite the team only having a rookie scrimmage that day.
Schottenheimer's control came at a cost. Snyder fired Schottenheimer after an 8-8 season that included an 8-3 finish because the two couldn't get along. Blame lied on both sides, but Schottenheimer forced his own ouster.
It was the worst decision in Snyder’s 22-year tenure. Schottenheimer was the best coach in Washington between Joe Gibbs' first stretch and Ron Rivera's arrival last season.
Schottenheimer, 77, died on Monday after a seven-year battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 200-126-1 over 21 years coaching the Cleveland Browns (1984-88), Kansas City Chiefs (1989-98), Washington and San Diego Chargers (2002-06). Schottenheimer reached the playoffs 13 times.
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Schottenheimer was largely liked in the locker room. He was a former NFL linebacker who often ate lunch with players. He was tough, but fair to everyone.
Schottenheimer was ready to cut beloved cornerback Darrell Green because the latter didn't want to change some of his practice habits after 18 years. Green was heading to Canton and preferred playing his way. On the eve of roster cutdowns, Green outmaneuvered Schottenheimer and declared it would be his final season, complete with major fundraising events. Schottenheimer couldn't cut Green or lose fans. After Schottenheimer was fired, both Smith and Green quickly announced they were returning in 2002.
One player who didn't play for Schottenheimer was Deion Sanders. After arriving to much fanfare in 2000, Sanders didn't want any part of Schottenheimer's discipline and sat out the year. Come December, Sanders wanted to join a playoff-bound team, but Schottenheimer blocked it by refusing to release Sanders from Washington. It was payback for making the coach look bad.
Jeff George was another who didn't like Schottenheimer. It was a mutual dislike. After both played nice while George was injured in the preseason, Schottenheimer cut George after an 0-2 start. Not benched, but released. Schottenheimer didn't want Snyder's favorite player on the team for fear the owner would lobby for the passer's return.
The stories go on and on. Schottenheimer refused to meet Snyder on Fridays for lunch. He was just afraid the owner, given an inch, would take a mile. Schottenheimer wouldn't let his staff talk to the media, a practice now banned by the NFL. Indeed, the coach limited photographers' access during training camp for fear something could be seen in a photo that he admitted never happened over his long career. When asked why fans could take photos that were posted online, Schottenheimer threatened to ban their cameras, too. Yeah, good luck with that. It never happened.
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Oddly, Schottenheimer's fate was sealed before the first preseason game. One of Snyder's minority owners wanted keys to a team car and an employee refused without Schottenheimer's permission. The owner walked on to the practice field and started yelling at the coach, who in return yelled for Snyder to never talk to his coaching staff. When the team was 0-3, the minority owner convinced Snyder to fire Schottenheimer. By 0-5, it was a done deal no matter the finish. Snyder just waited because he fired previous coach Norv Turner with three games remaining the past year and didn't want to look impatient.
Schottenheimer wasn't a bad guy, just caught in a vice of fearing the owner regaining control, so the coach overcompensated with draconian measures that season.
Hopefully, Schottenheimer now finds peace in Heaven. If God needs a tough coach to pit against Vince Lombardi, Marty is his man.
Rick Snider has covered Washington sports since 1978. Follow him on Twitter: @Snide_Remarks.