yisman Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/football/4564456.html SAN DIEGO ? Norv Turner got his third shot at an NFL head coaching job when he was hired Monday by the San Diego Chargers, a week after the surprise firing of Marty Schottenheimer. The hiring came less than 24 hours after the Chargers wrapped up their interviews. The team planned to introduce Turner at an afternoon news conference. Five years ago, Turner interviewed for the job that went to Schottenheimer. Turner, the San Francisco 49ers' offensive coordinator, was the only one of the six candidates who's been an NFL head coach, and the only one from the offensive side of the ball. He inherits a team that was an NFL-best 14-2 last season but melted down in its playoff opener, a stunning 24-21 loss to the New England Patriots. Turner had trouble winning in the regular season, going 58-82-1 in head coaching stints with Washington and Oakland. Schottenheimer had trouble winning in the postseason, going 5-13 overall and 0-2 with the Chargers. Last Monday, the Chargers again surprised the NFL when president Dean Spanos fired Schottenheimer, citing a "dysfunctional situation" between the coach and general manager A.J. Smith. Turner was fired by the Raiders in 2005 after going 9-23 in two seasons. San Francisco's Mike Nolan quickly hired Turner to take over the NFL's 32nd-ranked offense. Turner got remarkable progress from quarterback Alex Smith and an improved offensive line. He helped Frank Gore become the NFC's leading rusher in a breakout season. Turner was San Diego's offensive coordinator in 2001, LaDainian Tomlinson's rookie year. Plus, he'll be able to help with the continued development of quarterback Philip Rivers, who was voted to the Pro Bowl but saw his play tail off down the stretch. Tomlinson was the league's MVP after setting NFL records with 31 touchdowns and 186 points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightz Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 a lot of people here in san diego didn't take the it very well when espn broke the news before it was formally announced. i guess they were looking at turner's not so great record as a head coach. but as the day went on, and add the fact that ron rivera was hired later on, emotions cooled off a little and people actually started feeling better about the situation. my take: still a little iffy on turner, but he deserves a chance to prove himself this season. if he keeps the continuity and instills some discipline into the chargers players, the team should be fine :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IceDogg Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 I would say this is his last chance at head coaching in the NFL. No expert, but he's already had 2 other chances (well if you call them that) and he's inheriting a really good team here. If he doesn't do well here, then I'd have to say it will be a long long time (if ever) he gets another shot. Good luck to him, I do hope he does well. He's an old Cowboy guy, so I will be hoping he does well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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