There was a shakeup -- for the second straight offseason -- on the second level of Chargers Park recently. What exactly happened is still not clear. What is evident is that respected assistant general manager Buddy Nix is no longer with the club. The team said he retired in a press release which didn't include a comment from Nix.
Nix said that retirement wasn't exactly the term that best fits his decision to leave an organization which could be on the verge of reaching the Super Bowl.
"I've been working 47 years in this business and sometimes you stay at a place long enough that you need to make a change," Nix said.
General manager A. J. Smith was quoted in a Chargers release as saying Nix "retired" and mentioned his "long, distinguished career in coaching and scouting."
But Nix said he's open to working again and had already fielded calls from several prospective employers.
"There was no resignation that I know of," Smith said. "There was a retirement and then after that, we restructured.
"I'm a little confused, too. We'll have to find out what went from a retirement to a resignation."
Nix is intent on working on his golf game, but he didn't close the door to other work as well.
"I still feel like I'm 40, but I know I'm more than that," Nix, 68, said. "I've already had a several calls ... let's see what happens."
Nix was among the executives arriving from Buffalo -- where he scouted for eight years -- to turn around the woeful Chargers. He was hired in 2001 as director of player personnel and elevated to assistant general manager in 2003.
"I think that I'm most proud of us winning,' Nix said. "When we went from 5-11 and that kind of stuff to be able to go to winning and expecting to win, that was big. And that was old (former general manager) John Butler's thinking."
The exit of Nix, who was under contract, prompted a revamping of the front office. The biggest change is Randy Mueller coming aboard.
Mueller was the Dolphins' general manager the past three years but didn't survive the housecleaning in wake of the team's recent 1-15 season and Bill Parcells' arrival.
Nix said he was unaware the Chargers were hiring Mueller, a 22-year NFL executive, but speculated "he will do a good job."
Before going to Buffalo as a scout, Nix was a longtime college football coach. His keen eye for talent can't be overlooked and his loss is a big one for the Chargers.
Nix declined to provide any specifics on why he left. It was roughly 14 months ago then-coach Marty Schottenheimer was fired when team president Dean Spanos grew tired of what he termed the dysfunctional relationship between Schottenheimer and Smith.
"I enjoyed my time there but it was just time to let somebody else do it," Nix said. "Let some of the young guys do it."
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Originally Posted by MauvaisSang
