The Cowboys are the first team to make a mistake today – they have decided to keep Wade Phillips on board for at least another year. I really don’t see that going well and think that they should have made a change, but what’s done is done. The Chargers really need to not make the same mistake – they must fire Norv Turner right away. Here are six good reasons why:
1. Three years, three division wins, nothing to show for it – The Chargers have twice lost in the divisional round, and once lost to the Patriots in the Championship game. You need to have more to show for it when you have had the talent and the opportunities that this team has had.
2. Killing momentum – Each of Turner’s three years with the team he has come into the playoffs off of nice winning streaks – 11 games this year, and four and six games in the past. Turner is obviously good at getting his team focused and in good form down the stretch of the regular season, but has a total inability to translate that post-season momentum into strong playoff play.
3. Best player played worst – Philip Rivers was absolutely terrible when it mattered against the Jets. He did nothing in the second half, and essentially handed the game to New York with an incomprehensible pick. He was as lousy against the Pats a couple of years ago as well. There are a lot of people, including Rivers himself, who has to shoulder the responsibility for the misstep of the best player on the team, but ultimately that has to rest with Turner.
4. He lost to a quarterback who threw for 100 yards – You just can’t do that with a team as talented as the Chargers – playing at home no less – and survive.
5. Stumbling out of the gate – In Turner’s three years he has started the season 1-4, 3-5, and 2-3. They have managed to turn things around each year, but in each case they would have been in far better position if the team wasn’t such a mess in September. That’s all on Turner.
6. He’s not making progress – Sure, it’s nice that he has won the division three years in a row and all. It’s not much of a division, though, and you have to remember that he took over a team that was 14-2 the year before he arrived. There is no way that you can say that this team is better under Turner than it was before him.
