Gibbs fills Chargers' six pack

By: MIKE SULLIVAN - Staff Writer | Sunday, February 18, 2007 8:23 PM PST ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- As the 1990s ended, anybody forecasting that Gary Gibbs would be a candidate for an NFL head coaching job in the middle of the next decade would have drawn plenty of snickers.

Gibbs was forced out as Oklahoma's head coach in 1994 and didn't coach again the rest of the decade. He dabbled in the insurance business and had lots of free time to spend at home.

"Chased my girls around," said Gibbs, referring to two daughters now in their 20s. "I was a dad."

Now Gibbs is chasing after the Chargers' job. The New Orleans defensive coordinator was the sixth and possibly last candidate to interview for the position when he spent nearly five hours at the team's complex on Sunday.

The Chargers' brass has no interviews scheduled for today. The break will give team president Dean Spanos and general manager A.J. Smith a chance to fully dissect the plusses and minuses of the six interviews held over a five-day span.

"Now that our first series of interviews has concluded, Dean and I are going to take a step back and reassess the six candidates that have been here so far," Smith said in a press release. "There will be a comprehensive review of what we've learned in the past few days.

"We're not operating on a timetable. We are leaving the process open-ended with the possibility of additional interviews."

Preceding Gibbs into town were San Francisco assistant head coach Mike Singletary, Baltimore defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, San Francisco offensive coordinator Norv Turner, Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera and Atlanta defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.

Turner is the only candidate with NFL head-coaching experience, having spent nine seasons coaching Washington and Oakland. Gibbs is the only other candidate to lead a team, but his experience was the six collegiate seasons he coached Oklahoma.

Gibbs, 54, entered the sweepstakes to replace Marty Schottenheimer with few worries.

"As I told A.J. and Dean, I'm not obsessed with being a head coach," Gibbs said. "I like the challenge of coaching and I like the challenge that we faced in New Orleans this past year.

"Certainly, there's a challenge here as far as the next head coach.

"I don't have a timetable of trying to be a head coach in the next three years or four years. The good Lord has a plan for us, and if it is meant to be, it will happen."

Gibbs followed Barry Switzer as Oklahoma's coach, and his 44-23-2 record over six seasons was viewed as unacceptable. The Sooners had won 11 games three times in four years, including a national championship, prior to Gibbs' ascension to head coach.

It would be five-plus years before Gibbs returned to coaching. Then-Georgia coach Jim Donnan, a former Oklahoma assistant, hired Gibbs to become the Bulldogs' defensive coordinator in 2000. Gibbs spent 2001 as LSU's defensive coordinator before moving on to the Dallas Cowboys, where he spent four seasons as linebackers coach.

When Dallas assistant Sean Payton was hired as New Orleans' coach last year, Gibbs accompanied him to run the Saints' defense. New Orleans went from 3-13 in 2005 to an appearance in the NFC Championship Game, where the Saints lost to Chicago.

Gibbs said there was no question that the success helped him land interviews for the recently-filled Dallas job and the Chargers' opening.

"I don't know if you can ever predict what's going to happen in football," Gibbs said of his transformation from out-of-work coach to coveted coordinator.

"Certainly, I've been the beneficiary of a good football team this past year in New Orleans."

One person who could still emerge as a candidate is former Atlanta coach Jim Mora Jr., now Seattle's secondary coach.

Contact staff writer Mike Sullivan at (760) 739-6645 or msullivan@nctimes.com. Comment at sports.nctimes.com.

Coaching search: Gary Gibbs' candidacy

A look at Gary Gibbs, who interviewed for the Chargers' head-coaching position Sunday:

Age: 54

Current job: New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator

Coaching resume: Five years of NFL experience ---- four as linebackers coach in Dallas (2002-05) and one as the Saints' defensive coordinator. Has 22 years of college football experience, including 20 years at Oklahoma, where he was the head coach from 1989-94. His other college stops were at Georgia (2000) and LSU (2001).

Playing career: Played at Oklahoma from 1972-74 and was a starting linebacker on the Sooners' 1974 national championship team.

Outlook: Doesn't appear to be one of the leading candidates to replace Marty Schottenheimer. Gibbs placed himself on the head-coaching radar by doing a splendid job with the Saints this past season. New Orleans ranked 11th in total defense and an impressive third against the pass. He was recently passed over for the Dallas job despite having previously spent four seasons in that organization. Compiled a 44-23-2 record as head coach at Oklahoma.

Who was in Sunday: New Orleans defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs

Scheduled in today: Nobody

Previously in: San Francisco assistant head coach Mike Singletary (Wednesday); Baltimore defensive

coordinator Rex Ryan (Thursday); San Francisco offensive coordinator Norv Turner (Thursday); Chicago

defensive coordinator Ron Rivera (Friday); Atlanta defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer (Saturday)