Send him to Detroit.

Reminds me of this guy who also played for Norv.

Balchinian: Send him to Detroit.

I can't tell if you're serious or making a Kentucky Fried Movie reference.

Why is he still in San Diego?

1. Phil Rivers
1. Norv Turner
1. They suck
1. (apparently?) Takeo Spikes

If your team is looking for a head coach stock up on this!

No playoff realted thread is complete without:

Because they won't win enough games?

/That's the real reason any team doesn't make the playoffs after all...

Balchinian: Send him back to Detroit Cincinnati.

He was one of the few bright spots of the hapless Bungles back in the day.

I've been Norv's biggest defender, mainly because of injuries which he can't control, but after Sunday, even I've finally had enough. The playcalling was predictable and horrendous...AGAIN. Seriously, for most of the game, I knew what play was going to be called, and so did Denver. I'm finally on the "Fark Norv" bandwagon, albeit 3 seasons too late. Fark him and his face that looks like he played goalie for the darts team in college. I feel like I was the only one sticking up for him, and I would be vindicated at some point. Thanks, Norv. Fark you.

Norv and Andy can coach somewhere together.

Dat neck!

I thought the real reason the Chargers will not make the playoffs this year is because the kicker pissed away the season.

oh_please: I've been Norv's biggest defender, mainly because of injuries which he can't control, but after Sunday, even I've finally had enough. The playcalling was predictable and horrendous...AGAIN. Seriously, for most of the game, I knew what play was going to be called, and so did Denver. I'm finally on the "Fark Norv" bandwagon, albeit 3 seasons too late. Fark him and his face that looks like he played goalie for the darts team in college. I feel like I was the only one sticking up for him, and I would be vindicated at some point. Thanks, Norv. Fark you.

The two things that you can defend Norv with are injuries and AJ Smith. You can't win with all "skill position" players, you can't win when you antagonize your players for years on end, and you can't win if you don't build solid O and D lines to give you consistent play. I commend AJ Smith for having the right idea getting a basketball team to play WR and TE, but that's about all the good that he's done recently

facisto: Balchinian: Send him to Detroit.

I can't tell if you're serious or making a Kentucky Fried Movie reference.

The latter. I wouldn't wish a stint playing for the Lions on anyone, least of all a talented and level-headed guy who is already on a hard luck streak.

I've seen him win a championship - the 1994 GHSA AA State Championship. Probably the most feared player in the state - I remember an opposing fan telling my Dad at the state title game: "Someone tell this college team that they're at the wrong field!"

/He definitely was a one-man wrecking crew: Link (new window)
//Cool story, Bro

With the recent trend of cutting players so they can get opportunities elsewhere, I think the Chargers should release him so that he can play for a team that has a chance. Spikes has paid his dues in full, playing for some terrible Bengals, Bills, and 49ers teams and a Philly team that managed to suck for that year. Spikes doesn't have much longer to go in the NFL and I'd love to see him get the experience of being in the postseason, even if he's a backup and special teams player.

I was going to chalk it up to:

1. Wasting a #1 draft pick on a QB they didn't need in Manning Rivers.
2. Then letting Brees go for nothing.
3. Letting LT go for nothing.
4. Letting Sproles go for nothing.
5. Waiting to fire Schottenheimer until late enough into the offseason so that no viable coaching candidate was available.
6. Hiring a known waste as a head coach rather than taking a chance on a up and coming assistant.
7. Constant bickering with their top players over contracts going all the way back to LT's rookie season.

This was a team that should have played in, if not won, at least 2 Super Bowls in the last decade just on talent alone but mismanaged it to the point that the window of opportunity was closed and boarded up with only a lone AFC Championship game appearance to show for it. In a time with a division where the Broncos fell apart, the Raiders were completely hapless and the Chiefs were, well... the Chiefs, San Diego had it made and came away with nothing.

Even as a Raiders fan I find that level of waste appalling. Charger fans deserved better.

The way the Patriots are burning through defensive players this year, I wouldn't be entirely surprised if they made him an offer for next year, or possibly even for this year. Such a move would almost certainly get him into the playoffs.

Put him on the cover of Madden 13, and see if the curse rebounds.

the1hatman: . Charger fans deserved better.

No they don't

/Bronco Fan

hogans: The way the Patriots are burning through defensive players this year, I wouldn't be entirely surprised if they made him an offer for next year, or possibly even for this year. Such a move would almost certainly get him into the playoffs.

Yeah, only to have the Pats crazily finish 3rd in the division and out of the playoffs because the Bills get healthy and improve in the offseason and the Jets draft Trent Richardson and rediscovered their running game.

the1hatman: I was going to chalk it up to:

1. Wasting a #1 draft pick on a QB they didn't need in Manning Rivers.
2. Then letting Brees go for nothing.
3. Letting LT go for nothing.
4. Letting Sproles go for nothing.


Brees was a late bloomer and the team absolutely thought it needed a quarterback. Then Brees had a breakout season with Rivers waiting in the wings, and they had a choice to make: pay tens of millions per year just to keep Brees, or give the job to the young guy. You can't really fault them for those decisions. And Rivers has been pretty damn good most of the time.

LT, by the way, isn't really the old LT anymore. Sproles? Eh, players leave, he's not exactly the franchise guy who would have made all the difference this year.

Can't argue with the other items on your list, though.

the1hatman: I was going to chalk it up to:

1. Wasting a #1 draft pick on a QB they didn't need in Manning Rivers.
2. Then letting Brees go for nothing.
3. Letting LT go for nothing.
4. Letting Sproles go for nothing.
5. Waiting to fire Schottenheimer until late enough into the offseason so that no viable coaching candidate was available.
6. Hiring a known waste as a head coach rather than taking a chance on a up and coming assistant.
7. Constant bickering with their top players over contracts going all the way back to LT's rookie season.

This was a team that should have played in, if not won, at least 2 Super Bowls in the last decade just on talent alone but mismanaged it to the point that the window of opportunity was closed and boarded up with only a lone AFC Championship game appearance to show for it. In a time with a division where the Broncos fell apart, the Raiders were completely hapless and the Chiefs were, well... the Chiefs, San Diego had it made and came away with nothing.

Even as a Raiders fan I find that level of waste appalling. Charger fans deserved better.

1) Brees wasn't good until he was on the hotseat with Rivers behind him, then he was ridiculous
2) Brees only had 1 team show interest because he had a catastrophic shoulder injury that most in the know suggested could be career ending and definitely career altering. Good on Brees for working hard to overcome, but you play the smart money with quarterbacks because they're so expensive
3) They let LT go too late. They should have let LT go instead of Turner.
4) Sproles wasn't worth the franchise tag
5) Honestly, I thought Schottenheimer was a better option than Turner, but all of Schottenheimer's top assistants/coordinators were poached so they made the choice after that. It was a lose-lose situation for the Chargers.
6) Agree
7) Agree, AJ Smith is the reason they are where they are now

Missing: Never replacing o-line and d-line losses(Jamal Williams hurts the most) and never replacing the tackles lost when Donnie Edwards left while still keeping known overpursuer Merriman in the lineup(better known as when the Chargers forgot how to defend the run).

Takeo Spikes? That's a funny way to spell Tim Tebow.

IAmRight: They'd have looked like assholes, but they've been assholes to pretty much everyone else throughout Smith's time in SD.

Exactly. Reminds me of how the Yankees treat everyone not named Jeter.

Ah I did forget to add Turner to that list and IAmRight makes a good point that SD could have a backfield that has Turner and Sproles right now.

bhcompy:
1) Brees wasn't good until he was on the hotseat with Rivers behind him, then he was ridiculous

True but onece you realize you have a good QB and his future replacement sitting on the bench you deal one of them if you aren't going to pay for both.

2) Brees only had 1 team show interest because he had a catastrophic shoulder injury that most in the know suggested could be career ending and definitely career altering. Good on Brees for working hard to overcome, but you play the smart money with quarterbacks because they're so expensive.

I knew people would bring the injury up and it is a valid point but Brees was coming off a Pro Bowl season in 2004 (the year before the injury) and something should have been done then. Either commit to him then and deal the #1 draft pick being wasted on the bench or move Brees while he is hot and go with the kid. Rivers was drafted because they thought Brees was not good enough. Once it was shown otherwise a decision should have been made. They sat on it for 2 years and got nothing for Brees in the end.

3) They let LT go too late. They should have let LT go instead of Turner.

Agreed. I should have put Turner here but even so LT plus a re-signed Sproles would have been better than nothing.

4) Sproles wasn't worth the franchise tag

No but there was no need to franchise him. They could have simply resigned him except AJ won't hand out a raise to anyone without a dogfight.

5) Honestly, I thought Schottenheimer was a better option than Turner, but all of Schottenheimer's top assistants/coordinators were poached so they made the choice after that. It was a lose-lose situation for the Chargers.

Agreed. Schottenheimer was fired over a pissing contest more than anything esle and if the GM decided he didn't want this guy as his coach he should have dumped him at the end of their season while there were still viable candidates to be had. Even if you believe that Marty was let go because his staff was picked apart that tells me they thought his coaches were more important than he was. If so they should have ditched him and promoted one of them before realizing it after it was too late and then getting a retread like Norv.

Point is they handled every decision so poorly at every turn with such consistency that it's amazing the team was able to win as much as it did.

Hey the game is tied we have the ball, hey lets run the clock out! Durrrrr!!

IAmRight:
/not a fan of firing a guy unless you have an actual plan and a guy or two you have targeted
//if Norv was the guy they had targeted, then no, they shouldn't have fired Marty

Exactly!

IAmRight: bhcompy: Exactly. Reminds me of how the Yankees treat everyone not named Jeter

I don't remember the Yankees trying to be cheapskates with everyone no matter how much they've outperformed their contract.

They don't usually display nostalgia in the face of a declining player despite substantial contributions from that player. Bernie Williams is a good example of this, as well as a laundry list of pitchers.

IAmRight: the1hatman: IAmRight:
/not a fan of firing a guy unless you have an actual plan and a guy or two you have targeted
//if Norv was the guy they had targeted, then no, they shouldn't have fired Marty

Exactly!

I suppose there should be a Jerry Sandusky caveat, however, to the first slashie.

Well that is a special situation. Even so, because they took action when they did PSU will have plenty of time to discern who the good candidates are and make a decent hire. Unlike SD after Marty.

And before anyone says "no one will want to coach there now"... wrong. It's a high profile job with a major program and will pay big bucks. You can also keep the "it won't be so major when the NCAA gets done with them" line because NCAA is not getting involved with this situation as it is outside of their mandate.

the1hatman: Even if you believe that Marty was let go because his staff was picked apart that tells me they thought his coaches were more important than he was.

Marty was embattled because of his post season exits and there was uncertainty, but his staff was very good and intact and you can justify keeping it after a 14 win season(or whatever it was) because that's just real goddamn good. But when you have to start over because your OC and DC both leave and you're embattled, you're obviously not in the same position you were. I honestly thought they would have kept him if the staff stayed intact. What happened after his firing made no sense otherwise(and it only makes very little sense today).

the1hatman: I knew people would bring the injury up and it is a valid point but Brees was coming off a Pro Bowl season in 2004 (the year before the injury) and something should have been done then. Either commit to him then and deal the #1 draft pick being wasted on the bench or move Brees while he is hot and go with the kid. Rivers was drafted because they thought Brees was not good enough. Once it was shown otherwise a decision should have been made. They sat on it for 2 years and got nothing for Brees in the end.

Good things happen to highly rated QBs that sit on the bench for a while to learn the game, and bad things happen to those that get dropped in too early, which the Chargers were intimately familiar with(Leaf and Brees subsequently, despite the fact he turned it around after a few years of seasoning). They weren't going to throw another QB to the wolves too early, not after Leaf and Brees both were awful to start right out of college. Should they have traded him? Maybe, but he had only had one good season before his final season with the Chargers. Most teams aren't going to look at a guy who's had one good season out of 4 and give them high trade value. And if you're going to trade Rivers instead of Brees, what kind of value will you get for an unknown quantity? I'm willing to bet that Rivers was worth more on draft day than 2 years in with no real starting experience despite him being highly touted.

IAmRight: Oh, I was talking about people that still are damn good with the Chargers (Jackson, Sproles, LT, Turner, etc)

Williams sucked at the end.

LT was an RB, though. You can predict the lifespan of a starting RB much more accurately than pretty much every other position, and LT had already outlived the average lifespan for a top of the league RB.

I've not RTFA or the thread, but I assume it just goes to a picture of Norv, right?

/Or maybe Laserface throwing a pick-6.

I always found this amusing:

Marty Schottenheimer: 14-2 record, exit in 2nd round of the playoffs.
Norv Turner: 13-3 record, exit in 2nd round of the playoffs...get a contract extension that year???

Rivers is the 2nd best quarterback on the Chargers.

/Never been a fan of him. He yaps too much instead of focusing on the game, has a lousy throwing motion and as a result throws a weak out or a fluttering deep ball.

I remember being real excited when Brees went to the Saints. I immediately thought "we got a real QB now". So I don't buy the 'he was not that good' arguement.

/Saints fan

dripping with sarcasm: I remember being real excited when Brees went to the Saints. I immediately thought "we got a real QB now". So I don't buy the 'he was not that good' arguement.

No one ever said Brees wasn't good. Brees was a late bloomer, so he wasn't really tradeable for much. The Charger fanbase loved him and hated the team for switching to Rivers, but most people understood that it was a fairly standard business decision. You either had to go with someone that potentially had a career ending injury and sign them to a significant long term deal and trade your young QB that you're paying top draft pick money to ride the pine(I think there is little doubt he would have demanded a trade) or go with your young QB and let the potentially done QB go. There was a much higher chance that Brees would have ended up like P Manning this year than ending up the way he did.

IAmRight: Pratty: I always found this amusing:

Marty Schottenheimer: 14-2 record, exit in 2nd round of the playoffs.
Norv Turner: 13-3 record, exit in 2nd round of the playoffs...get a contract extension that year???

Kaeding missed FGs in both games that were lost by a FG, too.

/glad the Chargers keep holding onto a kicker that's at 50 percent accuracy in the postseason (thanks to one 4/4 game).

It always confuddles me why teams continue to think they can get by without a good kicker. Having a guy you can count on to nail that FG(See: Seabass, Vinetari) is really good.