Marty Schottenheimer carries the ponderous weight of expectation into the NFL playoffs.
His San Diego Chargers have the best record in the league and home-field advantage for the tournament. They have the NFL's sack king on one side of the ball and the rushing champ on the other.
In Schottenheimer, however, they have a veteran coach who has never been able to transfer regular-season success into postseason profit.
Therein lies the rub for the 14-2 Chargers. They have the No. 1 seed with a coach who has failed miserably three times before with the No. 1 seed, a coach who has not reached the Super Bowl in 12 playoffs and 20 full seasons of trying.
Schottenheimer's 5-12 playoff record is easily the worst of any coach in this year's tournament. He has a personal five-game losing streak that goes back to Kansas City, where his Chiefs twice lost their first playoff game as a No. 1 seed. (Schottenheimer also lost as a top seed while coaching the Cleveland Browns in the 1986 AFC championship game.)
Much like Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts a year ago, Schottenheimer may never get a better chance to end his Super Bowl drought. He has the Most Valuable Player of the league in running back LaDainian Tomlinson to anchor his offense, and pass-rushing linebacker Shawne Merriman, a Maryland alumnus, to spearhead the defense.
Will it be enough to offset the image of Martyball and negate Schottenheimer's reputation for choking under pressure? Time will tell. At the least, it will add intrigue to the postseason, when anything goes.
Every team appears to have a critical flaw and neither No. 1 seed -- the Chargers or the Chicago Bears -- looks unbeatable. The NFC bracket is so weak the Philadelphia Eagles might be the best team playing there now. Four of the six AFC teams win with defense, always a good barometer this time of year.
Below are some of the key factors that will determine which team survives the crucible of the postseason.
COACHES
The six NFC coaches have directed 60 playoff games and seven Super Bowls, compared to the AFC's 55 and four. The NFC's edge is due to the Seattle Seahawks' Mike Holmgren (20 games) and Dallas Cowboys' Bill Parcells (18). But the New England Patriots' Bill Belichick has the best record (11-2) in the postseason and the most Super Bowl victories (three). Parcells, Holmgren and the Ravens' Brian Billick also have won Super Bowls. The advantage lies with winning experience. That doesn't bode well for first-timers Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints or Eric Mangini of the New York Jets, or coaches with losing records -- Tony Dungy of the Colts, Herm Edwards of the Kansas City Chiefs, Lovie Smith of the Bears and Tom Coughlin of the New York Giants.
