There are some things about sports that I continually fail to understand. Why is it that in the sport of bowling, three strikes in a row is called a "turkey"? Who the heck figured out that exactly 336 dimples were the perfect number of dimples on a golf ball? How the hell do ski jumpers ever get the guts to go down one of those super high jump ramps the first time? And how the heck does Norv Turner still have a job coaching the San Diego Chargers?
It baffles me as a football fan. The more time he has coaching the Chargers, the more it makes me wonder. I'm not specifically a Charger fan either. I'm just a football fan, and as such, I like to see a sense of order in the world of football. I want to see good teams having good records, and bad teams having bad records. The San Diego Chargers are a good team. They usually are under Norv Turner. They also usually ALWAYS have a far worse record than they SHOULD under Norv Turner.
Seriously. Can anyone name me a coach or manager in any sport who has gotten very good teams to perform worse than the Chargers under Norv? Anyone? Bueller??
I swear that Turner must have clandestine pictures of owner Dean Spanos cozying up with a farm animal. How else can you explain it? Other than our President, I can't think of anyone who has done less with more than Norv Turner.
After a less than spectacular 59-82 coaching record with the Redskins and Raiders, Turner came to San Diego. It seemed he had turned the corner as a coach at first, leading the Chargers to an 11-5 record in his first year there, winning the final six games of the regular season and eventually losing in the AFC Conference finals to the Patriots.
The next year, with Philip Rivers throwing for 4009 yards, LaDainian Tomlinson rushing for a thousand plus, and basically the same team as the year before, Turner led the Chargers to an 8-8 season.
The following year, the Chargers were back, with a 13-3 record. That team had the league's 4th best scoring offense, and were 5th best in scoring differential, yet were sent packing in a 1st round upset to the wild card Jets.
The next season, in 2010, the Chargers were the 2nd ranked scoring team in the NFL, 10th best defensive team, and 5th best in scoring differential. That somehow translated to a 9-7 record, and out of the playoffs.
Last year, with the 5th best scoring offense in the league, Norv's Chargers stumbled to an 8-8 record and another miss for the playoffs. Somehow, Turner was retained with a vote of confidence from Spanos. Turner rewarded him with a 3-1 start to the season this year. Since then, the Chargers have lost to the winless Saints, had a historical collapse on Monday night football in a loss to the Broncos, and then yesterday, scored only six points in a 7-6 loss to the woeful Cleveland Browns.
Yeah, THE CLEVELAND BROWNS!!! The Chargers should be more embarrassed with their lack of scoring against the Browns than Hugh Grant was scoring with Divine Brown.
If I were Dean Spanos, AJ Smith and the muckety mucks in the San Diego front office, Turner would be walking the unemployment line by noon today. Heck, if I were those guys, he wouldn't even have been back on the sidelines this year, or probably the year before that.
I have nothing against Norv Turner personally. I have no axe to grind. I'm sure he is a swell guy, and a fine football man. I'm sure he will make a great offensive coordinator again in the league. However, he does not belong on the sidelines as the head coach of the Chargers anymore. Much like Wade Phillips is a GREAT defensive coordinator, but an average at best head coach, Turner should hop in that same boat.
At this point, a coaching change in San Diego might be a waste of time. That team seems hopelessly lost. But if Turner is prowling the sidelines again next year as the Chargers head coach, I'm going to go into the loony bin.
I think the Chargers braintrust is already there.
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