Okay, who's surprised to see a "
Norv Turner Isn't Really Head-Coaching Material" column? Nobody? Shocking. ESPN.com's Mark Kreidler
joins the
party, and just in case you needed another reason to convince you that Norv is all wrong for the Chargers job,
here ya go:
Some of his players knew last week that the team wasn't ready to play its best game in Green Bay. The practice mood, they said, was just a little too passive. It was a little too calm. It was a little too ... well, a little too Norv, if you want to get to the nubs of it.
After
getting throttled in their biggest game to date in Week 2, the Chargers came out flat against the Packers -- and nobody was surprised. Hmm. Maybe firing
Marty Schottenheimer so late in the proceedings wasn't such a good idea. What's so freaking puzzling is that Turner is a swell offensive coordinator -- always has been -- but once he's sitting in the captain's chair, forget about it.
And Kreidler hits on this:
...While Turner was busy getting his reputation knocked around in San Diego ... the franchise for which he spent 2006 as offensive coordinator, San Francisco, saw itself questioned repeatedly about its sudden lack of imagination and flair on offense -- after winning its first two games. The consensus is that the 49ers ... were a better unit with Mike Nolan doing the head coaching and Turner up in the box drawing plays -- that is, with Turner doing what he does best.
Let's assume the Chargers rally and finish 8-8 or 9-7 but miss the playoffs. Would general manager AJ Smith fire Turner after one season? Or better yet, would team president Dean Spanos fire Smith, who's got a knack for putting together a roster, but isn't exactly batting 1.000 when it comes GM-head coach relationships.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-27-2007 @ 8:53PM
Rich Martin said...
Jerry Rice, while playing for the Raiders under Norv Turner, once said that there was nobody in the Raiders' locker room that respected Turner and Norv couldn't motivate anyone to go out and leave it all on the field. Why would The Chargers fire Marty and hire a perennial loser like Norv? It's simple - The Chargers have been so bad for so long that they don't know how to create a winning franchise - not a winning team, a winning franchise. Winning franchises don't fire a coach after a 14-2 season and a near miss in the playoffs, they own their weaknesses and look for additions to the roster to get them over the hump. Losing franchises see a heartbreaking loss like the one against the Patriots as a need for a scapegoat. It must've been the coach, not the guy that dropped the punt, right? Even when they win, The Chargers still have a loser's mentality. Hey, the weather's still good in San Diego. Love sports? Love traveling? Visitors Clubhouse Sports Tours - www.popsiclestand.net
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9-29-2007 @ 2:02AM
George B Vieto said...
If there is an award for numbskull of the year I wonder who would win between A J Smith and Greg Ryan? Answer is the game would be tied after regulation and it would be remain a tie even after penalty kicks.
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