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With Norv Turner virtually assured of being fired as the coach of the 4-7 Chargers, a team that has lost six straight games, it is natural for names of potential successors to be bandied about.

Among the names are usual suspects Bill Cowher, Jeff Fisher, Jon Gruden and Brian Billick. More names will emerge, however.

One name to keep an eye on is Philadelphia coach Andy Reid. Even though there have been indications that Reid, who has been the Eagles coach since 1999, may be safe, restless Eagles fans want Reid to pay for the Eagles’ disappointing 4-8 season. If the Eagles continue to falter, Reid could be let go.

I have been asked often if I think Reid would be a good fit in San Diego and my answer is a resounding yes.

Reid is an upper-echelon coach. Don't be swayed by the Eagles’ poor season. If Turner is fired and Reid is available, he should be a top candidate.

I think he would be a fit in San Diego if general manager A.J. Smith stays or if he is let go. Reid has worked with general managers in Philadelphia and he doesn’t seem like he’d have a problem having a football boss.

He’d be a good fit with quarterback Philip Rivers, and I think he could do nice things with the Chargers’ offense. Reid, 53, is one of the more respected coaches in the NFL, thus, he’d likely be able to attract a strong coaching staff.

Reid is from Los Angeles and would likely love to go to San Diego.

I think the only question if Reid is fired is if he’d want to take a year off. Often, when coaches end a long relationship with a team, they want to take a year off -- see Jeff Fisher and Mike Shanahan.

If Turner is fired, it could be too appealing for Reid to pass up if he’s available. I’m not saying this is a sure pairing. But if everything falls into place, I could see it happening.

Kansas City coach Todd Haley finished a distant third place in the Associated Press coach of the year voting.

New England coach Bill Belichick won the award for the third time. Tampa Bay’s Raheem Morris came in second place. This is how the 50-person vote went: Belichick earned 30 of a possible 50 votes, followed Morris (11.5), Haley (4.5), Atlanta's Mike Smith (1), Philadelphia's Andy Reid (1), Chicago’s Lovie Smith (1) and St. Louis' Steve Spagnuolo (1).

Belichick’s team went 14-2 despite being very young in key spots. Haley led Kansas City to a 10-6 record and its first AFC West title in seven years. The Chiefs won a total of 10 games in the previous three seasons. Prior to the end of the season, I wrote that Haley should win the award.

In the past few weeks, I didn’t think Haley would win because the way the Chiefs ended the season, but I thought he met the usual criteria to win the award. He oversaw a young team that exceeded expectations and made an unlikely playoff run. I thought the voting would be closer, but the bottom line is, I can’t argue with the masterful job Belichick did.

While Haley didn’t win the award, the Chiefs’ second-season coach showed he has a positive influence on his team and that he is one of the better young coaches in the NFL.

The Associated Press coach of the year will be presented Wednesday evening.

Kansas City Coach Todd Haley is a likely candidate for the award. There will likely be several candidates in what many consider to be a wide-open race. Haley’s competitors include Philadelphia’s Andy Reid, Tampa Bay’s Raheem Morris, St. Louis’ Steve Spagnuolo, Chicago’s Lovie Smith, Atlanta’s Mike Smith, New England’s Bill Belichick and Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin.

I wrote near the end of the regular season that Haley is the easy choice. I still think he should win. He led Kansas City to a 10-6 record in his second season as coach after the Chiefs won a total of only 10 games in the three previous seasons. It was also Kansas City's first AFC West title in seven years.

Haley completely changed the culture in Kansas City. Often coaches who direct a huge turnaround win the award. Thus, Haley has to be considered. We’ll see Wednesday night if the voters agree. What do you think? Fill the comment section of the post if you think Haley should win the award.

In August, Todd Haley had no idea his second season in Kansas City would be so delightfully better than his first season.

Still, he sensed he was on the right track -- even though it likely wouldn’t be the fast track to NFL riches.

“I knew last year wasn’t going to be easy or fun or smooth or comfortable,” Haley said on one of the final days of the Chiefs’ training camp in August. “And it lived up to expectations. ... But we were building a program and trying to change things. We’re doing it our way.”

Four months later, it is evident Haley did it his way better than any other NFL coach in 2010.

The Chiefs (10-5) are the surprise division winner in the AFC West and one of the biggest turnaround stories in the NFL. Kansas City was 4-12 in 2009 in Haley's first season after new Kansas City general manager Scott Pioli hired him away from Arizona, where he was the Cardinals' offensive coordinator. Haley’s final game with Arizona was a Super Bowl loss to Pittsburgh. After accepting the task in Kansas City, it seemed like that game would be Haley's last postseason experience for a while. The Chiefs, who last won the AFC West seven years ago, won only 10 games the three previous seasons.

Yet, Haley’s Chiefs -- who are 7-0 at home heading into Sunday’s regular-season finale against Oakland -- are preparing to face either New York, Baltimore or Pittsburgh on Jan. 8 or Jan. 9 in the wild-card round.

Haley’s work with this team has been stunning, and he's the easy choice for NFL Coach of the Year.

Who else could it be?

Sure, St. Louis coach Steve Spagnuolo could get consideration if his 7-8 Rams beat Seattle to win the NFC West. It would be a huge improvement for the Rams, who went 1-15 last season. But Haley’s work this season isn’t less impressive. Here’s a tiebreaker: Haley’s Chiefs beat Spagnuolo’s Rams in St. Louis easily in Week 15.

Other candidates include Philadelphia’s Andy Reid, Chicago’s Lovie Smith, Atlanta’s Mike Smith, New England’s Bill Belichick and Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin. No one has done the job Haley has done this season.

Not much was expected this season in Kansas City -- even in Kansas City. The Chiefs were just hoping to be more competitive in 2010 than they were in 2009 and continue to build the program on both sides of the ball. Instead, Haley has orchestrated the biggest one-season turnaround in Kansas City history.

“Through experience I have learned that you can get things going at least in the right direction,” Haley told reporters this week. “For us to get to this spot, this quick, is really great. I can’t say that it was necessarily expected.’’

Haley has overseen a major reconstruction on offense and defense. Offensively, the Chiefs are one of the more efficient and hard-nosed teams in the league. Quarterback Matt Cassel has made great strides this season. The running tandem of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones leads the NFL’s No. 1-ranked run offense. Kansas City has committed only 12 turnovers, three behind New England, which leads the league with nine. The NFL record for fewest turnovers in a season is 12 by the Chiefs in the nine-game strike-shortened 1982 season. (The Dolphins and Giants each had 13 turnovers in the 2008 season.)

On defense, Kansas City is aggressive and timely. In 2008 and ’09, Kansas City combined for 32 sacks, including an NFL record-low 10 in ’08. Kansas City has 34 sacks this season.

There’s no doubt Kansas City has benefited from the additions of offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. Haley said as early as the NFL combine in February that the hiring of the former key New England assistants would help free him to do more of what he wanted to as the CEO of the staff.

Haley, who is fourth in the league in going for it on fourth down (21 times), is not afraid of being different. Who can forget when assistant coach Maurice Carthon brought a portable toilet onto the field for players to catch passes out of to improve their concentration during training camp? During a minicamp, Haley had select veterans dress as coaches and instruct their teammates in an exercise to build team chemistry. Haley had the same thing in mind on a hot day in training camp when he suddenly blew the whistle on practice and sent his team to the movies.

Still, Haley has a reputation for having a hard edge. He argued with Terrell Owens in Dallas and Anquan Boldin in Arizona as an assistant coach. In his first year in Kansas City, Brian Waters, Dwayne Bowe and Derrick Johnson spent time in Haley’s doghouse.

To his credit, Haley doesn’t believe in burying players. This summer, Haley said he was thrilled that players persevered through the culture change from the Herm Edwards era to his program. Edwards was known as a player-friendly coach. Haley was not interested in adding to his Facebook friend collection when he came to Kansas City. Haley said in August he felt like his players were all “buying into” his program.

This year, Waters and Bowe made the Pro Bowl. Johnson had a career year and was awarded a contract extension.

It’s clear that Haley’s master plan is working in Kansas City and it is clear he was the right choice by Pioli. Haley has now won a division title with five different teams as an NFL coach, either as an assistant or head coach. No other active head coach can say that.

There’s no doubt Haley deserves to be the coach of the year. Still, he’s sticking to his preseason mantra. The job is not done.

“I know we have a lot of work to do, and I don’t think we’re there yet,” Haley said. “We still have our issues and things we have to continue to work on, and I don’t think anything has changed for us as a team. We just have to get a little better every day and that will give us our best chance.”

There are two new developments in the Donovan McNabb trade talks.

The Associated Press is reporting that McNabb talked to Philadelphia coach Andy Reid on Thursday and told him he wants to stay with the Eagles and does not want to go to Oakland or Buffalo. It has been reported that the Raiders and Bills have inquired about McNabb.

Reid and McNabb have been together for 11 years and have had a good relationship. I think Reid would have a difficult time sending McNabb to a team he has no interest going to if there been other comparable offers.

It's also being reported the Raiders are willing to put cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha in the deal. But the Eagles are reluctant because they may have to put other players in the deal and Asomugha has a huge contract.

If the Raiders are willing to part with their best player and the face of the franchise for McNabb, they are indeed interested in the quarterback. But it seems the feeling is not mutual.

The Donovan McNabb trade hysteria took another turn Thursday when St. Louis coach Steve Spagnuolo poured water on reports the Rams had an offer on the table for the Eagles’ 33-year-old quarterback.

There was a report Wednesday that Oakland and Buffalo inquired about McNabb. Eagles coach Andy Reid did say Wednesday the Eagles were talking to teams.

If the Rams are not interested, Oakland’s chances of landing McNabb could increase. It was reported that McNabb wants to go to a contender and likely wouldn’t be interested staying long-term with the Raiders or the Bills if he was traded there. He is a free agent after this season.

There are plenty of obstacles for Oakland if it wants McNabb, but if the Rams are out of the mix, then the competition has lessened some.

After a quiet offseason, the Raiders are reportedly looking to make some big noise.

Yahoo! Sports is reporting that Oakland and Buffalo have inquired about trading for Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb. There is another report saying the Rams have an offer out for McNabb as well.

Earlier Wednesday, Philadelphia coach Andy Reid acknowledged there have been inquiries for the 11-season veteran. There is clearly something going on here.

The Yahoo! Sports report said that McNabb would be reluctant to go to Buffalo or Oakland because neither team is a contender and he would not be interested in signing an extension. This is the final year of McNabb’s contract and he is due a huge roster bonus due in May.

So, there are major loopholes for Oakland to get through to acquire McNabb.

Still, the interest alone in McNabb reveals some interesting information about the Raiders. First, it shows they are not satisfied with bringing Bruce Gradkowski, JaMarcus Russell and Charlie Frye to camp. Coach Tom Cable indicated at the owners meetings on Tuesday that the team was at terms with the group.

Oakland shouldn’t be happy and McNabb would be an upgrade over any of the three quarterbacks in Oakland. It also shows that Russell hasn’t done enough this offseason to make Oakland believe he can revive his career.

The Raiders feel like they have to consider getting better at quarterback. I like that thinking. This current setup is not a great long-term answer, even though Gradkowski could be a decent short-term answer if he continues to get better.

But neither is McNabb. He will turn 34 during the 2010 season. Trading for McNabb would be similar to Oakland trading its 2011 top pick to New England for Richard Seymour last September. It is a short-term move intended for a team with serious playoff intentions.

McNabb would make Oakland better right away, but not an instant Super Bowl threat. He’s been to the Super Bowl once in his career. Why would he suddenly be the missing link in Oakland with just a few more years remaining in his career? McNabb wouldn’t instantly make the Raiders’ young receivers and lousy offensive line better.

The Raiders need to get younger and better. It needs to be done through the draft.

Even though they have greater needs, Oakland might be better served using its No. 8 pick on a player like Jimmy Clausen or its second-round pick on a player like Colt McCoy instead of investing a top pick on a short-term answer like McNabb.

I’d even think it would be better for Oakland to pursue Eagles backup quarterback Michael Vick than McNabb. He’d be much cheaper.

In short, it’s good that Oakland is trying to improve its quarterback situation and it’s good that it is not banking on Russell, but perhaps McNabb is not the right avenue to pursue.

Brian from San Diego wants to know if the Raiders could take Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford if he is on the board when Oakland picks at No. 8 in the April draft.

Bill Williamson: Sure. If Bradford’s shoulder is repaired as it is expected to be, he would be a good value pick at No. 8. Let’s face it, Oakland needs a quarterback of the future, so Bradford would be tempting if he is on the board. But Oakland has other pressing needs, including the offensive line and at several spots on defense. It might be prudent for Oakland to address other parts of team in the first round and look at getting a young quarterback later in the draft.

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Derron from Campbell River wants to know if there is any way Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb could end up in Denver.

BW: Well, Derron, Philadelphia coach Andy Reid has said McNabb will be back in 2010. Anyway, I really think Denver is happy with Kyle Orton, at least for the time being. I think Orton will be Denver’s quarterback for the next year or two while it looks for a long-term answer at quarterback.

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Mike from Fresno wants to know what I think the key for San Diego against the Jets on Sunday in the AFC playoffs will be.

BW: I know a lot has been made about the Jets' No. 1 run game and No. 1 defense during the regular season. But if San Diego does what it does best –- dominate on offense and score a bunch of points -- it will be fine. San Diego can, and has, scored on good defenses. San Diego should win if it stays patient when it has the ball and does not panic if the Jets play well. Even if New York's defense is stout or if its offense controls the clock with the run game, the Chargers have way too many weapons not to be successful.

	Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
	The Oakland Raiders were clearly motivated against Philadelphia.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson

OAKLAND -- Antonio Pierce’s harsh comments about the Oakland Raiders ended up doing both the Raiders and his New York Giants a favor.

Pierce’s words woke the Raiders up, who reacted by punishing the Giants’ NFC East rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, in a 13-9 upset win Sunday. Somebody should ship a game ball to Pierce.

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After a four-week funk, the Raiders finally played with the passion they showed in a narrow Week 1 home loss to San Diego. In the three games prior to its stunning win over bumbling and unprepared Philadelphia, Oakland was 0-3 and was outscored 96-16. The embarrassment reached a climax last week when the Giants beat Oakland 44-7. Pierce said playing Oakland was like playing a “scrimmage” and he expressed shock at how listless the Raiders were.

“I’m not going to lie, it was noticed by us,” Oakland linebacker Kirk Morrison said. “We talked about it. We don’t want people saying that stuff about us. We all agreed that we were not playing with confidence and it was time to wake up. Those comments really got us going. ... What happened to New York today. They gave up 48 points [in a 48-27 loss at New Orleans]. This is a week-to-week business … But Antonio did us a favor by saying those things.”

Oakland defensive tackle Gerard Warren had this to say: “I hope we can get to the Super Bowl and face the Giants again … [Pierce] has no effect on this locker room.”

Actually, he did, and it was positive.

Oakland rookie Louis Murphy said the players took Pierce’s comments to heart.

“We had enough,” Murphy said. “We wanted to end this nonsense.”

Murphy played a major role in ending the nonsense. The play of the game was an 86-yard touchdown pass from JaMarcus Russell to tight end Zach Miller on a 10-yard pass. Murphy, a fourth-round pick from Florida, threw two nasty blocks for Miller, who rambled into the end zone to give the Raiders a 7-3 lead. It was Oakland’s biggest play of the day and the only touchdown of the game.

When asked if that play could be the turning point of Oakland’s season, Murphy said, "I think it is."

It takes only one win to change the morale of a locker room. And for now, all is well in Oakland, whether Pierce thinks so or not.

Warren said Oakland, thanks to its win Sunday, can now focus on the good and bury the past month.

“Spaceships don’t have rearview mirrors,” Warren said. “You can only look up.”

Here are some other key developments from Oakland’s win:

Here comes the blitz: The Raiders finally unleashed the blitz Sunday. Oakland had blitzed only 20 times going into Sunday’s game.

Oakland pressured Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb relentlessly. The Raiders had six sacks, their highest total since 2005. Philadelphia had major trouble with the blitz after left tackle Jason Peters left in the first quarter with a knee injury.

“We came after them hard,” Warren said. “We wanted it.”

Eagles coach Andy Reid admitted that his team didn’t expect Oakland to blitz much and that the Eagles were unable to adjust.

Oakland cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said the Raiders worked on blitzing in practice often during the week. He said he hopes the team continues to use it more in the future. The Raiders play host to the New York Jets on Sunday. Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez has been shaky in recent games, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Oakland tried to harass him.

Stopping the pass: Perhaps it was Oakland’s blitzing, but the Eagles were out of sorts all game. The team could do little right on offense and Reid tried to solve the problems in the air. Forty-six of Philadelphia’s 60 offensive plays were passes. McNabb completed 22 passes for 269 yards.

The Eagles ran the ball twice in the fourth quarter.

“We thought they would run some more, but they just kept throwing,” Oakland defensive lineman Richard Seymour said. “We just adjusted and played it pretty well.”

Oakland’s effort in the pass-defense game was admirable considering Asomugha missed most of the game with an eye injury. He said he the injury is not expected to be long-lasting.

Just enough offense: Oakland won this game on defense and because the Eagles floundered all game. But the offense did show some improvement.

Oakland had 325 yards of offense. It was the first time since Week 1 that the Raiders broke the 200-yard mark in total offense. Russell wasn’t great and he missed several open receivers. But he didn’t kill the Raiders.

He completed 17 of 28 passes. The Raiders continued to play it safe with Russell, but he looked comfortable. A key for Russell is finding Miller, his favorite target. Russell threw to Miller 11 times. Miller ended up with six catches for 139 yards.

Miller is Russell’s way out of the abyss. If Russell can rely on Miller, cut down his mistakes and throw accurately, he has a chance to salvage his season.