Cowboys might be right to give Turner a third chance
Jan. 22, 2007
By Clark Judge
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Tell Clark your opinion!
Now the subject turns to who replaces Bill Parcells, and one of the possibilities mentioned Monday was San Diego defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. That makes sense, because Phillips is a Texas guy who's a virtuoso of the 3-4 defense the Dallas Cowboys employ.
The other possibility makes sense, too -- but to me and, maybe, to Dallas owner Jerry Jones more than it does you. I'm talking about San Francisco offensive coordinator Norv Turner, and, please, just give me a minute to say why.
Hall of Fame QB Troy Aikman still holds former coach Norv Turner in high regard.
I know he failed in Washington. I know he failed in Oakland. I know people say he's one of those guys who's a better assistant than he is a head coach and that he doesn't deserve another chance because he has already flubbed two of them.
OK, fair enough. Now let's see why he might be considered.
First, there's that Dallas connection. There might be 31 teams uninterested in him as a head coach, but the Cowboys aren't one of them. Turner built a considerable reputation as an offensive coordinator in Dallas in the early 1990s and was held in such high esteem by Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman that Aikman had Norv present him at his induction in Canton.
That leads me to the second thing. Don't discount the alumni voice. Aikman will be one of those pitching for Norv, and his vote counts for something in Dallas. Jones hasn't had a head coach with an offensive background since Chan Gailey, and it might be time to make a change.
Then there's that Washington experience. People will tell you that's a strike against Turner. I don't know that I see it that way. All I remember is that he took the Redskins to the playoffs in 1999. Then he was 7-6 in 2000 when owner Daniel Snyder fired him.
Interim coach Terry Robiskie was 1-2. Marty Schottenheimer followed and was 8-8. Steve Spurrier followed him and was 12-20. Then, Snyder turned to Joe Gibbs to turn things around, and he was 6-10 in his first season.
In three years with the club, Gibbs is 21-27, and that tells me something. It tells me there's something in that environment that's not right. People won't hold it against Gibbs. So why hold it against Turner?
Which leads me to Oakland. Norv went there because, basically, he wanted another shot at a head job, and the Raiders were the only ones willing to offer one. So he jumped. Bad idea. You talk about an environment that's foul. The Raiders are Silver and Bad, with the NFL's worst record since reaching the Super Bowl in 2002.
Under Bill Callahan in 2003, they were 4-12. Under Turner in 2004, they were 5-11. They were 4-12 again in 2005. Then they hit rock bottom with Art Shell this season, when they plummeted to a franchise-worst 2-14.
When Turner was fired last year, critics swear he got what he deserved. Then the Shell era began, and suddenly, Norv doesn't look all that bad. Maybe it was another place he didn't have a chance to succeed, I don't know.
What I do know is that Jones should not hold it against Turner. I'm not saying Norv is the guy for the Cowboys job. Hey, it's one of the plum positions out there, and the Cowboys should have no shortage of attractive candidates. What I am saying is that if they show interest in Norv Turner, I wouldn't blame them.
He has a history. Jones likes him. Aikman likes him. And you can make the argument that he didn't have a prayer where he coached because he was handicapped by lousy ownership.
But there's one other thing. Turner went to San Francisco this season and turned quarterback Alex Smith from a struggling, bumbling quarterback into someone who could make it as a franchise building block. And he did it virtually overnight.
I was startled when I saw Smith the second game of the season and noticed the difference in how he stood in the pocket, surveyed the field and delivered the ball. Mostly, I guess, I was startled by his confidence. He actually looked like a quarterback, where a year ago he seemed like a confused student struggling to make sense of the theory of relativity.
Smith was lost in 2005. A year later he looked like a bona fide quarterback. And when I asked Smith about it, he pointed me in one direction.
To Norv Turner.
That could mean something, too. If you believe Tony Romo is the future of your franchise ... or if you believe he could be ... you'll want to dial Norv Turner's number. And it's not just because of what he did with Alex Smith or Troy Aikman.
I remember when he interviewed with San Diego in 2002 for the coaching job and what he told management. He said he thought the team's young quarterback should be the starter, not veteran Doug Flutie.
The quarterback he had in mind was Drew Brees.
Anyway, that's a long way of saying that if you hear Norv Turner's name come up as one of the candidates the Cowboys will consider, give the guy a break. Maybe he's not the answer, but he might be worth a look. And for all the right reasons.
By Clark Judge
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Tell Clark your opinion!
Now the subject turns to who replaces Bill Parcells, and one of the possibilities mentioned Monday was San Diego defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. That makes sense, because Phillips is a Texas guy who's a virtuoso of the 3-4 defense the Dallas Cowboys employ.
The other possibility makes sense, too -- but to me and, maybe, to Dallas owner Jerry Jones more than it does you. I'm talking about San Francisco offensive coordinator Norv Turner, and, please, just give me a minute to say why.
Hall of Fame QB Troy Aikman still holds former coach Norv Turner in high regard.
I know he failed in Washington. I know he failed in Oakland. I know people say he's one of those guys who's a better assistant than he is a head coach and that he doesn't deserve another chance because he has already flubbed two of them.
OK, fair enough. Now let's see why he might be considered.
First, there's that Dallas connection. There might be 31 teams uninterested in him as a head coach, but the Cowboys aren't one of them. Turner built a considerable reputation as an offensive coordinator in Dallas in the early 1990s and was held in such high esteem by Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman that Aikman had Norv present him at his induction in Canton.
That leads me to the second thing. Don't discount the alumni voice. Aikman will be one of those pitching for Norv, and his vote counts for something in Dallas. Jones hasn't had a head coach with an offensive background since Chan Gailey, and it might be time to make a change.
Then there's that Washington experience. People will tell you that's a strike against Turner. I don't know that I see it that way. All I remember is that he took the Redskins to the playoffs in 1999. Then he was 7-6 in 2000 when owner Daniel Snyder fired him.
Interim coach Terry Robiskie was 1-2. Marty Schottenheimer followed and was 8-8. Steve Spurrier followed him and was 12-20. Then, Snyder turned to Joe Gibbs to turn things around, and he was 6-10 in his first season.
In three years with the club, Gibbs is 21-27, and that tells me something. It tells me there's something in that environment that's not right. People won't hold it against Gibbs. So why hold it against Turner?
Which leads me to Oakland. Norv went there because, basically, he wanted another shot at a head job, and the Raiders were the only ones willing to offer one. So he jumped. Bad idea. You talk about an environment that's foul. The Raiders are Silver and Bad, with the NFL's worst record since reaching the Super Bowl in 2002.
Under Bill Callahan in 2003, they were 4-12. Under Turner in 2004, they were 5-11. They were 4-12 again in 2005. Then they hit rock bottom with Art Shell this season, when they plummeted to a franchise-worst 2-14.
When Turner was fired last year, critics swear he got what he deserved. Then the Shell era began, and suddenly, Norv doesn't look all that bad. Maybe it was another place he didn't have a chance to succeed, I don't know.
What I do know is that Jones should not hold it against Turner. I'm not saying Norv is the guy for the Cowboys job. Hey, it's one of the plum positions out there, and the Cowboys should have no shortage of attractive candidates. What I am saying is that if they show interest in Norv Turner, I wouldn't blame them.
He has a history. Jones likes him. Aikman likes him. And you can make the argument that he didn't have a prayer where he coached because he was handicapped by lousy ownership.
But there's one other thing. Turner went to San Francisco this season and turned quarterback Alex Smith from a struggling, bumbling quarterback into someone who could make it as a franchise building block. And he did it virtually overnight.
I was startled when I saw Smith the second game of the season and noticed the difference in how he stood in the pocket, surveyed the field and delivered the ball. Mostly, I guess, I was startled by his confidence. He actually looked like a quarterback, where a year ago he seemed like a confused student struggling to make sense of the theory of relativity.
Smith was lost in 2005. A year later he looked like a bona fide quarterback. And when I asked Smith about it, he pointed me in one direction.
To Norv Turner.
That could mean something, too. If you believe Tony Romo is the future of your franchise ... or if you believe he could be ... you'll want to dial Norv Turner's number. And it's not just because of what he did with Alex Smith or Troy Aikman.
I remember when he interviewed with San Diego in 2002 for the coaching job and what he told management. He said he thought the team's young quarterback should be the starter, not veteran Doug Flutie.
The quarterback he had in mind was Drew Brees.
Anyway, that's a long way of saying that if you hear Norv Turner's name come up as one of the candidates the Cowboys will consider, give the guy a break. Maybe he's not the answer, but he might be worth a look. And for all the right reasons.
posted by The Gryphon at 8:15 PM
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