Mike Smith and Rich Bisaccia are two coaches the Spanoses might find intriguing if Mike McCoy is let go Monday following his fourth season as Chargers head coach.

Smith, now the defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Bucs, led the Atlanta Falcons to the 2012 NFC Championship Game and a 66-46 record (.589) in his seven seasons as their head coach, though a 10-22 record from 2013-14 cost him his job.

Bisaccia of the Dallas Cowboys is one of the NFL’s better special teams coordinators, a role he filled for the Chargers while also serving as an assistant head coach one year under Norv Turner.


Gallery: Nine coaches who could replace McCoy; their pros, cons

1 / 10 The San Diego Chargers coach have said goodbye to coach Mike McCoy after a sorry 2016 season with no playoffs. Here’s a look at the pros and cons of the chances for nine top prospects for the job (whether it’s in L.A. or San Diego.) (KC Alfred ) 2 / 10 Pros: Ace special teams boss. Feisty. Spanoses, QB Rivers know him from Bolts stint (2011-12). Budget friendly. Cons: Never ran a team. Is 56 oldish to young Bolts bosses? (Michael Ainsworth / AP) 3 / 10 Pros: Two Super Bowl wins over Belichick-Brady Pats. Cons: 70-year-old faded late in Giants tenure. Would price tag, strong personality turn off Spanoses? Cons: 70-year-old faded late in Giants tenure. Would price tag, strong personality turn off Spanoses? (Ed Mulholland / USA Today Sports) 4 / 10 Pros: Good teacher, OL guru. Stellar as Syracuse head coach, decent as HC of QB-weak Bills. Ex-Jets colleague of Bolts exec Wooden. Cons: Will Jags retain as interim coach? ’15 salary likely topped Mike McCoy’s. (Gary McCullough / AP) 5 / 10 Pros: His Bolts D is fourth in takeaways. Would be budget friendly. Cons: Never ran a team. Bolts GM Tom Telesco criticized D’s recent work vs. zone-read plays of Browns. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 10 Pros: Designs slick offenses. Groomed under 2-time Super Bowl-winner/head coach in dad, Mike. Cons: Price tag could turn off Spanoses, and dad may be Spanos-averse. (John Bazemore / AP) 7 / 10 Pros: His Stanford teams win, hit hard, block well. Son of NFL player. Ex-NFL aide. Coached Michael Spanos of Bolts Spanoses. Cons: Loves coaching Stanford. Heavy price tag. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP) 8 / 10 Pros: As head coach, led Falcons to an NFC Championship Game, .589 win rate over seven seasons. Cons: Jags may fit better. Like Marrone, can command mid-tier money. (Butch Dill / AP) 9 / 10 Pros: Special teams maestro with AFC West Chiefs. Former NFL center. Cons: Would be new to head coaching. Probably would be budget friendly. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 10 Pros: Spanoses hired him twice; Rivers singled out as key to ‘13 gains; led Az. to its lone Super Bowl. Budget friendly. Cons: His past three clubs were 8-31 (.205). Not new blood. MORE: If McCoy is let go, who fits Chargers? (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune)

The Spanoses historically pay nowhere near top dollar for head coaches, and both Smith and Bisaccia probably would cost less than potential candidates such as New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

Smith, 57, is a former college linebacker who began his coaching career at San Diego State under Doug Scovil.


He has a Super Bowl ring, having coached Ravens defensive linemen alongside Rex Ryan during Baltimore’s run in 2000.

He drew praise in Atlanta for his ability to organize, communicate and motivate.

Smith, who worked with Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio both in Baltimore and Jacksonville, has a bland name but an engaging personality.

Following his dismissal, he took a year off from football to spend time with his family and collaborate on a motivational book before joining the Bucs staff of Dirk Koetter, who was an offensive coordinator under Smith in Atlanta.


In 2012, when Smith directed the Falcons to a 13-3 record, his team came to San Diego and presented several new looks that confused a Chargers offense to key a 27-3 victory at Qualcomm Stadium.

Smith fared well in the rematch this year.

His Bucs defense picked off Philip Rivers twice, once in the red zone, once for a touchdown, and Tampa went on to a 28-21 victory as a 3.5-point underdog at Qualcomm Stadium.

“A lot of people might not know his name,” former Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich said of Smith, per ESPN, “but I’ve seen the work he puts in every game, how guys were so prepared on Sundays that they knew exactly what teams were going to do.”


Bisaccia, 56, would be a change-of-pace hire.

He is a former college defensive back with a no-nonsense personality who has spent most of his career as a special teams coordinator but has long stated his desire to become a head coach.

He filled the assistant head coach role with Tampa Bay under Jon Gruden, with San Diego in his second season under Turner and now with Dallas under Jason Garrett.

Poor special teams play has plagued the Chargers in all four seasons under top football executive John Spanos, General Manager Tom Telesco and McCoy.


The last time the Chargers ranked in the top 10 of the Dallas Morning News special teams rankings, when they were sixth in 2012, their coordinator was Bisaccia, a hire of Turner and then-GM A.J. Smith.

Bisaccia left to join Turner’s staff after the Spanoses and Telesco hired McCoy, but when the Dallas job came open, Auburn let him out of his contract.

John Spanos, a son of Chargers Owner-Chairman Dean Spanos, rose to his current executive roles after Bisaccia left the Chargers but was a presence at Chargers practices when Bisaccia worked for the team.

Bisasccia is well-paid as a special teams coordinator but seemingly would be a budget-friendly hire as a head coach.


As well, he has a relationship with Chargers defensive coordinator John Pagano, a former colleague.

The Spanos-Telesco front office seems to admire Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, whom it interviewed for the head-coach job in 2013 and brought back last winter with McCoy’s assent.

Given Bisaccia’s background, largely on special teams and defense, inheriting worthy offensive aides might hold some appeal to him.

In addition, Whisehunt is a former NFL head coach, an experience that both Bisaccia and Pagano lack.


Pagano, too, has stated a desire to become a head coach and kept his job after the Spanoses fired Turner.

When the Spanoses, Telesco and cap man Ed McGuire interviewed coach candidates four years ago, former Green Bay Packers GM Ron Wolf, now a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, served as a consultant.

Were McCoy to return, the Chargers probably would have to extend his contract as they did last January following a 4-12 season.

Tom.Krasovic@SDUnionTribune.com; Twitter: SDUTKrasovic