One win hasn't changed LaDainian Tomlinson's mind. The retired running back still believes San Diego Chargers coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith will be fired if the team doesn't make the playoffs.
Tomlinson said the day before the Chargers' Thursday night home game against the Kansas City Chiefs that Turner and Smith were in trouble. The Chargers routed the Chiefs 31-13, and Turner afterward denied his job status was in doubt, but Tomlinson disagrees.
"I think they're going to get fired," Tomlinson, now an NFL Network analyst, said Sunday on "First on the Field." "Remember this: Marty Schottenheimer got fired after a 14-2 year simply because him and A.J. didn't get along. Now, A.J. and Marty didn't get along because he wasn't his guy. The late John Butler brought Marty in ... Norv Turner is the guy A.J. wanted.
"Now, three straight years of not making the playoffs is enough. Last year, they almost didn't make it to this season, but Dean Spanos, the president of the Chargers, gave them one more chance to right the ship. And if they don't make it this year, it's the end of (their) tenure.
When Tomlinson talks about the Chargers, who are underacheiving at 4-4, I tend to listen. He played nine seasons in San Diego and knows the inner workings of the organization.
It's not a stretch to predict major changes. Turner's teams consistently underperform. And Smith has allowed talent to depart, leaving quarterback Phillip Rivers short on playmakers.
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.
