Dec. 31
It's supposed to be a merry time of the year, but it's also a sad time in the NFL. Coaches get fired. And when one coach gets fired, I think it was the late George Young who figured anywhere from 50 to 100 family members (of assistant coaches, staff, etc.) are affected by such a heavy-hearted decision. So just think about that every time you scream for the head of your coach.

	Mike Riley had a 14-34 record in three seasons.

But this is the business. Coaches know it. Mike Riley knows it, as the ax fell Monday on this wonderful man who happened to be the head coach of the San Diego Chargers. Riley can now get on with his life. Indiana has its eyes on Riley, and it would not surprise me if Stanford makes a play for him, too, now that Tyrone Willingham has left for Notre Dame.

Norv Turner, the Chargers' offensive coordinator, will not succeed Riley. He actually stipulated that he would not replace Riley when he agreed to a four-year contract to take over the offense. He also has two weeks to terminate the deal if he feels he can't work with the new head coach. That's a technicality. The Chargers will not stand in his way if Turner wants to leave, perhaps to join Dave Wannstedt in Miami as Chan Gailey's replacement at offensive coordinator. But he also is very comfortable living in San Diego.

Wade Phillips, the ex-Buffalo Bills coach, also will not get the job, despite his relationship with Chargers general manager John Butler. Instead, Butler will recommend Phillips as a defensive coordinator for the new coach.

The Chargers prefer a "proven" winning coach. That breaks off into different categories, according to key team sources. Jimmy Johnson is a proven coach, and he is tight with team president Dean Spanos. He already has reinforced his desire to never coach again.

Bill Parcells is not immune to coaching on the West Coast, or to working with a GM like Butler, contrary to popular belief. He just doesn't know if he wants to coach again. And let's see where the chips fall in Tampa.

Marv Levy, the Hall of Fame coach, has made it clear to Butler that at 77 he feels like 47 and would love to coach again. That's very, very unlikely.

Bobby Ross is retired but he's 10 years younger than Levy. He was the last coach to take the Chargers to the playoffs, complete with a Super Bowl appearance. He and his wife, Alice, loved San Diego and were deeply hurt when the split came with then-GM Bobby Beathard.

If things blow up in Minnesota with Dennis Green, there has been speculation that Green would throw his hat in the ring because he has a home in San Diego. I don't think Green will be the next Chargers coach.

Next, the Chargers will look to the college ranks for a head coach who has some NFL experience.

June Jones is a real candidate. Jones has done a phenomenal job at Hawaii and, remember, he was offered the Chargers' job when Kevin Gilbride was fired. He has head coaching experience in Atlanta, where he went to the playoffs one season, and he runs the style of wide-open offense that Butler prefers, not to mention a run-and-shoot scheme that is similar to what Drew Brees ran at Purdue. Butler and Jones are not strangers -- they do have a connection from their days in the USFL.

Nick Saban is not a candidate. He is highly coveted by many teams, but he recently got a raise and an extension at LSU.

Other college head coaches with NFL experience include Willingham (who is headed to Notre Dame), Illinois' Ron Turner (Norv's younger brother), Pittsburgh's Walt Harris, North Carolina's John Bunting, Iowa's Kirk Ferenz, Maryland's Ralph Friedgen and ex-Georgia Tech coach George O'Leary. Friedgen and O'Leary both served as assistants under Ross in San Diego. I think you also have to throw in Washington's Rick Neuheisel as a candidate.

Then the Chargers will look at NFL defensive coordinators. The two names most bandied about are Ted Cottrell of the Jets and Jim Johnson of the Eagles. But even last year's "hot" coordinators, Marvin Lewis of the Ravens and John Fox of the Giants, are still worthy candidates.

If Butler hires a defensive coordinator, you can be sure that the new coach will want to retain Turner as the offensive coordinator; otherwise, it's not unimaginable that Butler would try to entice Jones from Hawaii to run the offense. I don't think Jones will leave the island for anything but a head job.