Sass 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2004 From ESPN: ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Norv Turner hoped he would get a second chance as an NFL head coach. He was thrilled to get it with the players in the silver-and-black uniforms he always wanted to wear. Turner was hired by the Oakland Raiders on Monday. The former Redskins coach takes over a team that went from the Super Bowl to a 4-12 debacle in just a year. Turner, who grew up in nearby Martinez, Calif., as an avid Raiders fan, replaces Bill Callahan, fired Dec. 31 after two tumultuous seasons. "I never played for the Raiders, but about 30 miles over there in Martinez, in the streets, I was Daryle Lamonica many times," Turner said, recalling Oakland's famed quarterback from 1967 to 1974. "When my arm got tired, I was George Blanda. I grew up with the Raiders." "I belong here," said Turner, the Miami Dolphins' offensive coordinator the past two seasons. "When I got off the plane the other night, I felt like I was coming home. I feel like I'm home now." Turner spent nearly seven seasons as the Redskins coach, leading them to a 49-59-1 record and just one playoff berth between 1994 and 2000 before being fired with three games left in his final campaign. He was widely criticized in Washington, but Turner still believed in himself -- and so did his many friends. "I wanted to see if it was real, because I got a lot of recommendations," Davis said. "I felt if I waited [to hire a coach], I couldn't do any better. ... I just thought it was the right fit. Everything that we need at this particular time, we will rely on Norv to help us with." Turner, 51, is the 14th head coach in a franchise lineage that includes John Madden, two-time Super Bowl winner Tom Flores and owner Al Davis, who coached the team from 1963 to 1965. But Turner inherits a messy situation in Oakland: The Raiders' defense of their AFC championship was a disaster almost from the first preseason game, with injuries to more than a dozen key players and a near-mutiny against Callahan. Cornerback Charles Woodson openly criticized the coach, and MVP quarterback Rich Gannon later said a major housecleaning was necessary. Davis provided one, firing Callahan and later criticizing the coach's handling of discipline matters. Bruce Allen, the Raiders' top personnel man under Davis, also left voluntarily to become Tampa Bay's general manager earlier this month. The Raiders interviewed at least six coaching candidates during the past few weeks. They came close to hiring Dallas assistant Sean Payton last week, but he stayed with the Cowboys. Turner didn't get an interview until talks with Payton ended, and Davis hinted last week that he might want to interview New England Patriots assistants Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis. But Davis had promised Jimmy Johnson -- Turner's former boss in Dallas -- that Turner would get an interview. "When I sensed there might be a coaching change, I just said to Al, 'Don't forget about Norv Turner, because I think he's the best there is,'" Johnson said in a phone interview. "I just felt like Norv was going to be the perfect fit." Turner impressed Davis enough last Friday to persuade the 74-year-old owner to depart from his usual preference for hiring first-time head coaches. Of the Raiders' previous eight coaches dating to Madden's first season in 1969, only one -- Joe Bugel, who lasted just one season in 1997 -- had previous head coaching experience. Turner is a career assistant who began his NFL coaching career as an assistant with the Los Angeles Rams in 1985, and he was on Dallas' coaching staff from 1991 to 1993, when the Cowboys won two straight Super Bowls. At least Turner has experience working for a hands-on owner: He was fired by Washington's Daniel Snyder with three games left in the 2000 season after the most expensive team in NFL history to date went just 7-6. Turner was praised for his game plans, but criticized for failing to keep his teams properly motivated and focused. Others who have played for Turner give different accounts of his abilities. "Jimmy Johnson was a tremendous football coach," former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman said from Dallas. "But I don't doubt for a minute that if Norv had not come in, we wouldn't have won the Super Bowls we did, and I'm not the only one who feels that way." Turner signed a three-year, $8 million contract with two option years, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Davis, Turner and Mike Lombardi -- expected to replace Bruce Allen as Oakland's de facto general manager -- must make decisions on the futures of several veterans, including Woodson, Gannon and receivers Tim Brown and Jerry Rice. The Raiders also have the second pick in the draft. But Turner expects to win immediately in Oakland -- and Davis expects nothing less. "I don't think I ever heard the word 'rebuild' used around the Raiders," Turner said. "I don't think that's what we're doing here." Information from ESPN.com senior NFL writer Len Pasquarelli was used in this report. I wish Davis would have waited after the Superbowl to hire a new coach because then the team could have possibly hired Romeo Crennel from the Pats. Ugh...Turner. The stench of loser continues to fill my beloved team's locker room. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Ghost of bps21 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2004 Shit...I'd bet almost anything that Crennel would have turned them down. You have to have a death wish to get involved in that situation as it stands right now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sass 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2004 (edited) Pretty much. This is why I was hoping Art Shell would come back in and be the lame duck coach who is forced to cut Gannon, Brown, Rice (albeit the best one of this group), Woodson, and possibly Garner (has maybe 2 good years left in him, poor guy). Of course Al paying dick to his coaches doesn't help matters. And John Madden has always brought up how Al likes to test his coaches and make them "think on their feet" which has rubbed many folks the wrong way. This next season is going to be ugly for the Raiders. Plain and simple. This is the worst possible rebuilding scenario in football where the starters are loaded with old guys who need to retire and the team is capped to the point where they can't go out and buy some new decent starters. In the draft, the Raiders need to either choose one of the hot new QB's or give their draft spot to some other team for a handful of picks because right now this team is looking like they could possibly be worse than 4-12 next season now that Norv fucking Turner is the head coach. Just an ugly situation all around. Edited January 27, 2004 by Sass Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Ghost of bps21 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2004 Well...I know the pain of not wanting to pay for coaches as well as anyone. It's amazing that this year we can see two masterful coaching jobs done by Fox and Belichek...and teams like Atlanta, Buffalo and Oakland still run for the cheap. Oakland needs to do what Buffalo did over three years ago and just cut everyone and eat the problem head on. We cut Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed and Bruce Smith on the SAME DAY. Pissed off the fans and went to the tank. (Although...none of those people accomplished anything important to their teams when they left anyway). Now that I think of it...we're still trying to get out of the tank...so maybe that isn't the best idea. Fuck Kevin Gilbride. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrRant 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2004 *Points at Sass and laughs* Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Ghost of bps21 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2004 We want the ball. We're going to score. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sass 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2004 (edited) The main problem with guys like T.Brown and Rice is that after the Superbowl they signed *6* year-deal contracts (which luckily came with an option by the team to cut them whenever necessary). The problem though is that neither one of those guys are going to step aside and let the WR unti grow (i.e. get new young guys). Seeing Tui (Marquez Tuiasapopo) go down in his first game as a starter was the real heartbreak for the season for me though. The team (or the fans) don't even know if Tui is the real deal and he gets swat down by injury in the first outing people could have graded him on. With that, Gannon can probably hold the team hostage because from everything I've heard, much of the front office isn't sure Tui is ready and everyone is in panic mode so Gannon looks like he'll be allowed to start next season. If Gannon was a horse, he would have been taken out to the glue factory a long time ago. Edited January 27, 2004 by Sass Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Ghost of bps21 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2004 They may not have a choice. If you end up drafting Fitzgerald you'll have him and Porter. In that case I'd drop Rice into the 3rd reciever slot and dump Brown. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sass 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2004 Rice can still ball (which you couldn't tell since Gannon never looked down the field to Jerry who was open more than half the time he ran out). Brown was downright embarassing to watch as he just dropped pass after pass. He is one of the Raider's best WR's of all time but he needs to step down and let someone else take his spot. I think Tim would do a good job as a WR coach which is something I'm sure Davis will offer him (while Al might be shrewd at times, he takes very good care of many of his former players after they leave football). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sass 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2004 *Points at Sass and laughs* Ahaha... *bans Rant* Who's laughing now? I know Brett Favre and Al Harris are laughing after they ripped your precious Seahawks up in the playoffs. And to think that Hasselback was supposed to take over as starter for Favre when he would retire... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KingPK 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2004 I still don't get why teams are going for offensive guys when it's been proven for 4 years (soon to be 5) that in today's NFL, defense wins championships. That's why I would have said Crennel would get a job over Weis if they were still being looked at (which is a shame that no one could have waited a few weeks). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
snuffbox 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2004 Turner had a real good time of it coaching for that wonderkid Dan Snyder... now he gets to 'just win baby' for the jolly ol Al Davis... have fun guy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
