By Josh KatzowitzUPDATE: 5:58 p.m. ET - Several outlets are reporting that longtime Chargers defensive assistant John Pagano has been hired as the team's new defensive coordinator.
The Chargers will look for their second defensive coordinator since Jan. 2011. That’s because, as the San Diego Union Tribune reports, San Diego has fired Greg Manusky.
“I’d like to thank Greg for the passion and enthusiasm he brought to our team and coaching staff this past season,” Turner in a statement released by the team.
Only a season ago, after Ron Rivera left for the Panthers head coaching job (a job in which Manusky actually was one of four finalists), the Chargers hired Manusky to replace him. Before that, Manusky had been the 49ers defensive coordinator, but when Jim Harbaugh was hired, he made it clear Manusky wouldn’t stay in San Francisco.
When it became clear that Norv Turner and San Diego general manager A.J. Smith would be retained by owner Dean Spanos, some kind of change still needed to be made. Manusky -- whose unit finished 16th in the league in yards allowed -- just became that fall guy.
Of course, this move IS rather interesting, considering this is what Turner said about Manusky THREE days ago.
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"Defensively, it's all about having impact players. If you don't have players that can [beat] a guy one-on-one and make a big play, you're not going to get the number of stops you need to get. It's been a hard year for all of us and a tough year for Greg, but I thought he did a good job."
So, if it’s not Manusky’s fault, as Turner flat-out says, but instead, the fault of whomever is in charge of player personnel, it sounds like Manusky got a raw deal. Especially since the general manager in charge of player personnel still has a job.
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