Tuesday, February 20, 2007
He was hired Monday, his third shot at a NFL head coaching job.
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- 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 Chargers also hired Ted Cottrell as defensive coordinator.
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.
Inherits a top contender
He inherits a team that was an NFL-best 14-2 last season but melted down in its playoff opener, a 24-21 loss to the New England Patriots.
Last Monday, Chargers' president Dean Spanos fired Schottenheimer, citing a "dysfunctional situation" between the coach and general manager A.J. Smith.
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.
Turner was San Diego's offensive coordinator in 2001, when LaDainian Tomlinson was a rookie and Smith was the assistant to the late John Butler.
The Chargers still use the same offense Turner installed.
"This isn't a team where you're rebuilding," Turner said.
"We should start fast. We should be good early and we should be good late. Not having to go through the normal things you have to go through when you make a coaching change is going to help the players more than anyone."
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.
Turner will 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.
Safe pick
Turner might be viewed by some as a safe pick, but Spanos said the Chargers were swayed by his experience as a head coach and the continuity he can bring.
"You can say whatever you want to say," Spanos said.
"If we hadn't made a change and we lost, we made the wrong decision. If we do make the change and we lose, we made the wrong decision. So the net result of all this is, there's only one thing we have to do this year, and that's get back in the playoffs. Just get to the postseason and win the first game, is our goal. And then I think we're off to a good start."
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