While Ted Cottrell’s firing as defensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers is certainly bad news for Cottrell, it is good news for the NFL’s Hispanic trailblazer. The Chargers have promoted linebackers coach Ron Rivera, the first player of Puerto Rican and Mexican heritage to ever play in the NFL, to Cottrell’s spot.

Long regarded as a top defensive mind, and having been up for bigger jobs in the past, Rivera could be on the path of history once again, this time as the NFL’s second Latino coach, after Tom Flores.

Coach Norv Turner decided after the game that Cottrell had to go, and informed him on Monday morning.

“Probably the things that we have needed to improve in are the same things that affected us in Week Two and so on,” Turner said. “The same things have been an issue throughout the first eight games, at different times.”

The Chargers are at or near the bottom of the NFL rankings in several defensive categories, including last in pass defense.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for myself personally and I think it’s also an opportunity for us a team to do some things differently,” Rivera said. “I think it’s a good challenge.”

Rivera wound up in San Diego, in a way, by default. He interviewed for the head coaching job that eventually went to Turner last year, and was brought on as linebackers coach after his negotiations to return to the Chicago Bears as their defensive coordinator broke down. Cottrell already had the job, so they brought on Rivera to let him wait in the wings.

Cottrell is the poster-child for the forced consideration of minority coaching candidates, having been a “top candidate” multiple times over the past few years for head coaching jobs that everyone knew he had no chance of getting. In the past NFL pundits moaned and groaned that Cottrell had been unfairly overlooked for head coaching jobs, but the piss-poor performance of the Chargers defense so far this year should put those theories to rest permanently.

But now Rivera is in the driver’s seat. Should the Chargers defense have a strong mid-year turnaround, Rivera will once again be put into consideration for head coaching jobs. We shall wait and see.

Chargers fire D-coordinator Cottrell, promote Rivera [USA Today]
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