Is It Time to Reconsider Norv Turner and AJ Smith?

But if they sneak into playoffs, probably the wild card seems more likely than the division, then a matchup with the Texans in the first round looks very favorable. If they make the divisional round, my guess is Norv and AJ keep their jobs, anything less the ax must fall.

is that I’m sick and tired of this SAME PATTERN repeating itself over and over and over again. Norv continues to hide behind excuses. Or, more accurately, he GETS to hide behind excuses. Extenuating circumstances keep happening that allow him (and the team) to make admittedly valid excuses for why he should stay.

Here’s the real question to ask yourself: if Norv stays, do you HONESTLY, SERIOUSLY think that the exact same thing won’t happen again next year?? That come October and November, we’ll be screaming for Norv’s head, and then in December, they make some ridiculous run at the playoffs either to fall short or to get in and get destroyed in the first round?? Face it — it’s a never-ending cycle. Cut off the head NOW!

Who sez WE CAN"T accept 9-7 and no playoffs? Who is “WE?” And what does"WE" know about the realities of organizing and managing a professional football team? I have yet to hear one clear alternative to what is currently in place. And if you try and suggest the rotted decay of a Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden, you just want change for the sake of change without the monetary obligation of footing the bill. Now. The reality is. Your All-Time Hero was a real stinker this year and is solely responsible for the missed opportunities this team may now realize at the end of the year. Stay the course and (Hey Philip – can you handle a snap (Norv’s Fault), can you throw a pass away without it being intercepted (Norv’s Fault), can you show up in September with the rest of the league (Norv’s Fault)?) We, “WE” must stop scapegoating simply because “WE” do not understand the intricacies of Professional Football known in these parts as the NFL. Why the drama?

And if anyone, ANYONE, tries to blame Norv for Philip River’s pathetic attempt to play qb this year, only goes to prove my point. Thank you, and Good Night Gracie.

Makes watching the Bolts fun again, which it was not until three games ago.

My knock on Turner:
The good: His strategy seems to combine deep threats with solid running. When it clicks, it is awesome to watch as we have seen. He designs good plays that create med to deep passing options and can still run.

My issue: when that is not working, because of injury or a clever defense, he does not adapt well. In the Oakland game I was so frustrated that he was still calling 7 step drops without a functional LT. The result was predictable.

And in high-tension situations, like close games and playoffs, he tends to retreat to those things he feels most comfortable, getting predictable and risk averse and horrible at clock management.

So I love it when it clicks (that 13-3 regular season was a thing of beauty) but I cannot see him getting past a really well designed defense in the playoffs or able to adapt to injuries. So I would can him with someone who does not have those faults. Not a Cowher or some re-tread, but someone intelligent and creative. Not that I trust Spanos to know who that is.

I hope they make it to give him one more shot to make a deep run.

Through hard work and discipline, see Tebow. There is a reason why Norv’s chargers are always so “unlucky”. AJ gave Norv plenty of good players at key positions. Anybody who wants to keep Norv please go watch the Denver game again, absolutely inexcusable play calling.

What we’ve got here is an abusive relationship. Sure, there have been some good times, but there has also been the constant abuse that has now gotten worse as the relationship progresses. Looking at the last 3 games and saying “oh, well maybe we were wrong about these guys” is like saying “well he’s been so sweet lately maybe he doesn’t mean it when he pushes me down the stairs.”

As good as it feels right now to see the team clicking and blowing out a good team like the Ravens (and believe me, it feels GREAT), it doesn’t excuse the complete failure that was the six game losing streak. It doesn’t excuse sitting at home in January last year. It doesn’t excuse being in a situation where we once again do not control our own fate to make the playoffs.

You can pull out any excuse you want to try to explain why this team is so frustratingly inconsistent and unpredictable, but the bottom line is that the Chargers have slowly but surely regressed since they were the indisputable “Class of the AFC West” and, under Norv, will predictably choose a portion of the season in which to underperform every year. AJ took his shot(s) at pushing this team over the hump by drafting for need while we still had the talent but while we once again stand at the edge of maybe, possibly sneaking our way into the playoffs due to the sheer incompetence of the teams around us I think we have to step back and take a look at the last 5 years and make an honest assessment of where this thing is going. And it ain’t up.

I understand how tough it is to find a good head coach in this league, and I’m not delusional enough to think that if we fire Norv and hire someone else that it means a trip to the Super Bowl next year, but I think a change has to be made while we still have one of the most important aspects of a successful football team going for us: an elite QB behind center. As long as Rivers is there and healthy, we’ll have a shot every year… but Norv has already had his with this team.

is the option Norv should stay as offensive coordinator and Jeff Fisher can take over as head coach/ defensive coach.

AJ can stay for another season but Norv has to go after this season.

NOOO….just the post I was afraid of and the situation I was afraid of. Chargers getting hot and winning just enough games to save the jobs of AJ and Norv

we’ve seen this before. there is nothing that convinces me, over the last 5 seasons, to believe the next season will be different. The players have changed, but Norv and AJ are the two constants.

A J has drafted too many “reaches” that didn’t pan out. So, see ya A J. And, the chargers having their “slow starts” then having to win out AND hope others lose to reach the playoffs is getting old. Also, not impressed with manusky’s defense. perhaps the lockout influenced that, but niners fans weren’t sorry to see him go. Hmmm.

This happens every year.

Norv had this team at their peak and couldn’t win, he has had 4 years and disappointed every time.

The fact of the matter is this team should be doing a whole lot better than it is now, even considering the injury situation. Too many times we’ve been out-coached or thrown games away, it’s time for a change.

As for AJ, i’m still not sure. If we don’t make the playoffs then probably he should go too.

If the Ravens continued to feed the RBs the ball I think the game would have been decidedly different. Yes our offense was on point this last game but I defense was lucky that the Ravens decided not to feed the running game. When they did they got positive yards at what looked like an average of 4+ yards a carry. BUT to our fortune they got caught up in trying to throw the ball like we do (thanks Cam Cameron) and our pass defense, as bad as it is (but still somehow the strength of our defense), was able to limit their effectiveness for 3.75 quarters. By the way did you see how much time Flacco had back there… just to dump the ball off to a well covered RB?! Ridiculous, we are talking 4 – 5 seconds of no pressure from the front line (albiet Barnes was able to get 4 sacks out of it).

No I don’t think Norv is a Headcoach. He is an Offensive Coordinator who can handle his side of the ball as well as anyone else in the league, but he still needs someone during the game every-now-then to make him re-think his strategy. Plus he does absolutely NOTHING for our defense.

AJ? Might you have seen Quentin Jammer’s play???? Did you see the dropped INT where the ball basically floated in the air begging him to catch it? Or maybe the games before when he just couldn’t stay with certain WRs? Did someone already mention that we are playing 2nd, 3rd, and 4th string SSs who probably would only be on the field as special teamers anywhere else? In my opinion there are only about 6 or 7 (Phillips, Castillo, Weddle, Garay, Barnes, Butler, Spikes?, Liguet?) that worth keeping on that defense and while this league has become a Offensive dominant league you will always need a defense. Personnel Man! Whe need PERSONNEL? AJ – OUT!

its so easy for us as fans to say hey lets fire norv and AJ. but lets hold the phone here lets let this season play out. if we go 7-9 then maybe fire norv and company. but if we go 9-7 and miss the playoffs is it really that bad? marty had 4 losing seasons as our head coach do we not remember those times. To me ive been a diehard for 18 years all ive dreamed of is us being in the big show again. Norv has gotten us closer then weve been since 94 we know he can take us there everything just has to go right. it just hasnt this year shit happens.if we make the playoffs good but i think we need to wait. we fire him then what he comes back with another team and knocks us out of the playoffs. Please everyone martyball is dead get over everything stop being so stubborn!

“If Rivers plays great next year then they are play off bound.” Oh, unless the Special Teams is crappy. Oh yeah, and if there are a lot of injuries. Oh yeah, and [insert Norv-centered excuse here].

Will changing head coaches stop these things from happening? Of course not. Not necessarily. But there comes a time — at some point — where things need to be changed. Unfortunately, the head that stands in the way of the guillotine is the one wearing the crown. That’s allz I’m saying. I don’t mean it to be a reflection on Norv as a person; I don’t even mean it to be a reflection on Norv as a coach. But if not now, when? How many more of these seasons do we have to endure? Seriously. Does anyone have a concrete number in their mind. “Okay, next year. That’s it!” How many more years do we have serve as the enabler?

Sorry Norv, I just can’t put up with the constant yo-yoing of well prepared games and clueless games. I also don’t think you inspire anyone to play better. But you are a really nice guy.
Anybody that thinks AJ hasn’t placed some of the best talent in the league (with the injury exceptions of 2 recent first round picks) on this team, better depth than almost every other team out there (cause it’s soooo easy to stack talent everyone else can’t see) and an unmatched ability to find guys to fill the incredible number injury holes in the line up, is clearly an idiot imho. It’s pretty easy with 20-20 hindsight to criticize the picks, but at the time the only real reach was English.