San Diego Chargers fans will finally have their wish. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the Chargers will fire head coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith at the end of the season.
Acee says Chargers President Dean Spanos began thinking about a month ago that Turner’s time as head coach was ending. In the past, Norv was able to hang onto his job after the team rallied late in the season. This season they have lost four in a row and are now 4-8.
Many people have similarly called for AJ Smith aka the “Lord of No Rings” to lose his job for years. Smith infamously sparred with the Manning family and took a hard-lined stance against franchise legend LaDainian Tomlinson. He had a great eye for drafting talent, but his abrasive personality has long been a source of controversy.
Current Chargers Director of Player Personnel Jimmy Raye is expected to take over as the team’s GM. There is no word on who might become the team’s next head coach.
Acee reports that the team is keeping Turner for the rest of the season because of the minuscule chance they can still make the playoffs.
Turner has long been criticized for constantly underachieving in San Diego. In 2010, Tony Dungy said Turner was responsible for some of the team’s problems. In 2011, Rex Ryan said he would have won Super Bowls with the talent the team possessed.
Though he is a great offensive mind, we never felt Turner should have been hired as the team’s head coach. He should have been fired a long time ago, and it seems silly for the Chargers to keep him for the next four games if they’re planning to fire him after the season.
Turner has coached three different teams and is 111-121 in his career. He is much better suited as an offensive coordinator. It’s about time the Chargers came to their senses.
