Norv Turner Just Wins, Baby

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Norv Turner might not be the flashiest or the smartest or, hell, the best-looking coach in the league. But the guy knows how to finish games. At least since coming to San Diego, anyway.

Hired prior to the 2007 season to replace general manager A.J. Smith's nemesis, Marty Schottenheimer (who was coming off a 14-2 '06 effort), Turner and the Chargers stumbled to a 1-3 record last year, and weren't much better this time around.

And it's not an exaggeration to suggest that FanHouse was pretty hard on Norval Eugene. Okay, really hard on him. Luckily, he doesn't know now to operate an Al Gore Machine so he had no idea. (From a recent San Diego Union-Tribune Q & A: Are you familiar with the Web sites nomorenorv.com and firenorv.net? Norv: "I know they're there, but I haven't had my kids teach me how to log on to them." Classic.) But we know and, frankly, we feel very guilty about it. Hence this post.

Also, as Brinson pointed out previously, Norv's 9-0 in December since coming to San Diego. And now he's 3-1 in the postseason, too. The guy he replaced? Bupkis in five years with the Chargers, and his last playoff win came in 1993 with the Kansas City Chiefs.

I still think the Chargers front office was biting off its nose to spite its face when it canned Schottenheimer, and given his head-coaching track record, I had zero confidence that Norv would be anything other than a huge flop, yet here we are two years and three January wins later. Hey, sometimes you get lucky.

Tony Sparano and Mike Smith are the clear-cut favorites in the Coach of the Year running, but in my mind, Turner just made this a three-man race. And I'm not even kidding.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

1-04-2009 @ 12:22AM

phatmatt said...

Come on Matt Millen, the guy had complete, 100% control over the worst recorded record in NFL history and you want us to take him or your network seriously.....I immediately changed to ESPN ...Maybe you guys should go after the Chiefs ex general manager he's a real winner as well.....

It took me about 5 minutes to lend any credibility to my son when he asked why is this guy a commentator....Way to attract the new young viewers with a mediocre ex football player who's last achievement was in the 1980's. Lucky Matt ended up on some great teams with an over abundance of talent and he was a role player at best.....

Andrea Kramer would and could have more success as a GM or football operation person....Then this arrogant a_ _hole says that Norv Turner and Ron Rivera really stood out and in "His opinion" impressed him.....Come on have you seen the guys running the Lions...Millen would be impressed with Rocky and Bullwinkle.

Way to go NBC you guys screwed the pooch......

1-04-2009 @ 2:37AM

YouFaceTheTick said...

Matt Millen was the BEST commentator in football prior to taking the Detroit job. The BEST. He wasn't so-so. He wasn't cliche riddled like Madden. He wasn't an ass-kissing butt-hound like Aikman and his moron pal Buck, Millen simply diagnosed plays, identified failures and always called out players for bad mistakes.

The guy was a terrible GM but his credentials as a player cannot be touched (Super Bowls with SF and Oakland) and his work as a game commentator was the best of the 90s.

I hope he gets back in the booth because unlike the limp-wristed Buck (has he ever played any sport?) or the aw-shucks idiocy of Aikman, Millen will break it down week in and week out.

Finally, as for Norv, didn't his team just beat the over-hyped MVP? Didn't Norv's plays actually get the Chargers down to the 30 twice and both times his players made bonehead mistakes? Take away Rivers' (who has matured mightily under Norv) int and the game woulda been closer. Take away Sproles silly fumble and there is no need for OT.

Rivera never backed off on Manning. He kept pressuring the undeserving MVP and in the end Manning didn't get it done expressly because the defense did keep him in check.

1-04-2009 @ 9:58AM

Tom said...

Norv Turner is onw of the worst coach's in the league. Team lucky yo have amde playoffs in weak AFC west. Very talented team, but they never get it done. Sad that a 12 -4 teams travels to a 8 -8 team for a playoff game. Chargers loose in the next round.

1-04-2009 @ 10:42AM

BIGRICH said...

Exactly they wont beat pitt or tenn on there own turf chargers suck

1-04-2009 @ 10:47AM

steve said...

tom,....tom tom tom......you...are an ass. worst coach?!..he just won 5 games in a row...smashed tampa bay on the road...crushed the probowl bound cutler and the bronco's...and now beats the MVP of the league (MANNING)...how does that make for a " worst coach"?.....and another thing.....what's sad is that a 12-4 team like the colts...cant get it done on the road...at a 8-8 teams homefield...and it wasnt even cold...or raining...or snowing...or 109 degree's....c'mon.....admit it....you know the best team won...get over it.

1-04-2009 @ 11:04AM

Harold McCabe said...

The Referees were HORRIBLE doing the chargers drive in the overtime every time the colts stopped them on third down the refs found a way to call a penalty to keep the drive going I AM NEITHER A CHARGERS OR COLTS FAN I just think it is shame that the Refs were the ones that were responsible for the OUTCOME.

1-04-2009 @ 11:41AM

Bill said...

Harold: Did you really watch the game? The three penalities were obvious, i.e., face mask, etc. Get a clue. The Colts imploded, pure and simple.

1-04-2009 @ 1:04PM

JAY said...

Norv just win the question is SINCE WHEN ?last night.......also why NBC sports is Matt Millen a guest analyst....he is a loser he is the reason why the Lions went 0-16. He should be embaress to even be on that show, NBC sports should also. Why is the Browns considering Eric Mangini he is a loser?If i was a fan of that team i be discourage another loser in town.

1-04-2009 @ 2:03PM

gmen4evar said...

Props and all to the Chargers, but at 8-8 they had no right to be in the playoffs and REALLY NO RIGHT to host a game against a 12-4 team. With a game as close as this was home-field is HUGE. The NFL needs to change the automatic home game for division winners. And I'm not even a Colts fan, I'm a Giants fan.

1-04-2009 @ 6:39PM

Paul said...

With all respect to your Giants, I hope the Chargers send another (Eli) Manning brother into the blackhole of loserdom. It's funny how Giants fans seem to forget that their team won the SB last year with a less than stellar record (I'm not saying that they didn't deserve it). When it comes to the Mannings, one bird in a hand is NOT worth more than 2 birds in the bush.

1-04-2009 @ 8:19PM

The league agreed on the 4 divisions per conference. This is how it's done. You're hearing griping this year because a media and fan favorite (the bland Colts) got booted by a "lesser" team.

This is the same as the griping you hear about OT. People love OT until a fan and media favorite gets burned by it and then there's talk of changing OT.

It's rare that an 8-8 team makes the playoffs. Let it go. The Colts, regardless of where they played, lost to a marginally better team. SD's fans suck, so it's not like the Colts were playing in a hostile environment.

1-04-2009 @ 6:50PM

BIGRICH (4), have some modicum of intelligence and reasonably explain why you think the Chargers suck instead of making a blanket idiotic statement like that. People might actually respect your comments instead of think that you are blowing smoke out of your ^$s.

1-05-2009 @ 6:31PM

Look, I'm not saying the Chargers were an "inferior" team, they did win, but winning a weak division with an 8-8 record shouldn't give you a home game. When the Giants won last year, they has to play on the road and that is how all teams with mediocre records should get to the Super Bowl, on the road.

1-05-2009 @ 10:02PM

footballassasin said...

just goes to show you that anybody can win when they have to so ,even if the chargers didnt deserve to be there they did beat the colts ,but norv can screw up a wet dream any time you dream hahahahahahahahaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1-06-2009 @ 9:42PM

DM said...

The Giants had to play on the road in the playoffs last season because they did not win their division and they were a wild-card team (they were also beat by San Diego in the regular season, who also knocked the Colts out of the playoffs in Indianapolis). I like all you people who underestimate the Chargers. They play well on the road or at home, and as many teams have found out the hard way, they can be a dangerous and unpredictable team that just might knock you out of the playoffs. I know the Colts did not want to see the Chargers beat Denver, they knew what was coming their way. And you know that Pittsburgh is sweating bullets knowing that they have to face them, after barely surviving 11-10 in the regular season. So quit trying to denegrate the Chargers, they are just as dangerous as any other team in the playoffs.