Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
There are rumors flying in San Diego that the Chargers will pursue Bill Cowher to take over as coach next season.
I am not sure where the rumors started. But all I know is that I've been flooded with e-mails about the subject in the past 12 hours. So, the rumor does have steam.
But does it have legs? At this point, I would say no.
Anything can happen in the NFL. The unexpected happens all the time. I mean, who thought the San Diego Chargers would be 4-8 at this point?
There seems to be much better fits out there for Cowher. There are major rumblings inside NFL circles that Cowher will end his two-season hiatus and end up in Cleveland where he would run the whole show. That makes the most sense. There's a history and Cowher isn't going anywhere he wouldn't have control.
But Cowher to San Diego seems farfetched and impractical at this time. I think this rumor arose because the facts that Cowher is available and Chargers coach Norv Turner could be in trouble. Available coach and potential opening doesn't always equal a good fit.
Unless San Diego completely blew up the entire program and fired general manager A.J. Smith, it would be very unlikely that Cowher would go to San Diego just as coach.
And it would be highly unlikely that Smith would lose his job in San Diego. He is one of the most respected front office men in the league and he has built a strong roster. There is little chance he will be cut loose unless ownership in San Diego is completely fed up. At this point, that doesn't appear to be the case.
San Diego owner Dean Spanos and Smith both said two weeks ago that Turner would be back. But that was before San Diego lost two straight games. San Diego has lost five of its past six games and is on the brink of being eliminated from contention in the AFC West.
Still, if the Chargers lose a couple of more games, it wouldn't be a surprise if ownership changes its mind about Turner. But it would be a surprise if his replacement was Cowher. It is just doesn't seem to be the right fit.
Williamson joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four seasons covering the Denver Broncos for the Denver Post. He previously covered the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks.
