Schottenheimer heads south for Georgia
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_468a1d2d-f53c-511a-b7ea-f56ab568aa78.html
Brian Schottenheimer has been looking at working in the South, especially college football in the South, for the past couple of years. And now he’s going to do just that, as the new offensive coordinator of the Georgia Bulldogs.
“Before I took the job with the Rams, I interviewed with Coach (Nick) Saban down at Alabama,” Schottenheimer told the Post-Dispatch on Wednesday. “Last year, the Vanderbilt thing kind of came out of nowhere, and was kind of enticing for me.”
The Vanderbilt job would have been for the head-coaching position that went to Derek Mason. Schottenheimer also interviewed for the Jacksonville Jaguars job following the 2012 season, a job that went to Gus Bradley.
The common thread in all those interviews? They were all at places south of the Mason-Dixon line.
“Quite honestly, a big part of the decision was my family,” Schottenheimer said. “We make a lot of sacrifices in this profession. We’re closer to family down there in Athens. That was certainly a part of it.”
His wife’s family is from Alabama, and his parents live in North Carolina.
“When you look at what’s important to us as we get older, it’s that you’re around your loved ones,” Schottenheimer said. “And you’re around people that you care about.
“Especially in this profession when we spend so much time at the office, and commit so much of our time to our profession and our passion, you want your family to be happy. And quite honestly, I’m also looking forward to trying to be a mentor and a guide to some young kids. And I see myself certainly, always have, as more than just a football coach.”
In his three seasons as Rams offensive coordinator, the team finished 23rd in total offense in 2012, 30th in 2013, and 28th this past season. The Rams were outscored 106 to 48 in the third quarter this season, raising questions about whether Schottenheimer was getting outmaneuvered by in-game adjustments.
There were plenty of mitigating factors, however, not the least of which was having quarterback Sam Bradford healthy for only 23 of Schottenheimer’s 48 games in St. Louis.
Kellen Clemens, Shaun Hill and Austin Davis ended up starting more games (25) than Bradford during Schottenheimer’s tenure. Less than a month removed from his status as the Rams’ fourth-string quarterback, Davis became the starter in Game 2 of the regular season at Tampa Bay.
Being forced to start fourth-stringers usually isn’t an Rx for success in the NFL, but for a while Schottenheimer made it work. Davis rallied the Rams to a last-minute victory over Tampa, and then helped the offense put up 448 yards and 466 yards, respectively, in narrow losses to Dallas and Philadelphia.
There were also victories over Seattle and San Francisco with Davis at quarterback before he faded at midseason. So Schottenheimer certainly deserves some credit for squeezing what he could out of Davis.
Even so, it’s easy enough to make the assumption that he was pushed out the door by head coach Jeff Fisher before the Rams enter what will be a critical fourth season in St. Louis. But Schottenheimer told the Post-Dispatch that wasn’t the case.
“He definitely wanted me back,” Schottenheimer said. “Again, (the Georgia job) was something I was excited about when this opportunity presented itself. It just was something that felt right.”
At his season-ending media session, Fisher called Schottenheimer, “an outstanding play-caller. He’s very organized. He’s an excellent teacher. So you can’t put the record on his shoulders. That’d be very, very unfair.”
However, when offenses struggle, coordinators are under fire from media and fans. Schottenheimer was aware of the criticism but said that didn’t factor into his decision to leave.
“It certainly didn’t play any factor in it,” he said. “I’m awfully proud of what we were able to do. We had some adversity. Nobody expects to go two straight years, whatever it was, without having your starting quarterback.
“It certainly wasn’t perfect. Are there calls and things I’d like to have back? Absolutely. I don’t think anybody’s gonna be more critical of themselves than the person making the decisions — whether it’s the head coach, coordinator on offense, defense, or whatever. But (the criticism) had absolutely nothing to do with the decision.
“I’ve been around the game long enough where I’ve been really, really smart one week and then next week I was the dumbest guy on the block. That just kinda comes with the territory. So are you aware of it? Sure you’re aware of it from time to time. It doesn’t affect you as you grow up in the business.”
Schottenheimer has always been ambitious, and after the New York Jets went to back-to-back AFC championship games during the 2009 and 2010 seasons with him as coordinator, it looked like he was potential head-coaching fodder.
But his NFL career, in terms of team success, has stalled since then. Coaching at the college ranks represents kind of a career re-start for him and a chance to perhaps become a college head coach after a couple of seasons at Georgia.
At age 41, Schottenheimer is young enough to relate well with college players. He’s talkative and polished.
“I’ve not been looking to move on, but I certainly had an appreciation for the SEC, having played in that conference,” Schottenheimer said. “Going to Florida, I’ve just been a big SEC fan. There weren’t many jobs that I would ever consider leaving where I was. But I’ve also thought about college football for a while.
“When I found out this was a possible option, I certainly was interested. I had a great job, but think I’m also going to a great opportunity. I think we all take a look at each situation, each year in this crazy profession that we’re in and say, ‘OK, what’s in the best interests of me professionally, and also my family?’
“And I think when we looked at all the factors together, we just felt really, really good about going down and starting a new chapter, a new journey at the University of Georgia.”
