Tag: Norv Turner

Remember when Commanders owner Daniel Snyder wanted Jeff George?

What if Dan Snyder had kept Brad Johnson and never signed Jeff George?

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Washington won the NFC East in 1999.

The then-Redskins had finished 10-6 to win the division and defeated the Lions before traveling to Tampa and losing to the Buccaneers in the second round 14-13.

Daniel Snyder had taken over the ownership of the team following the draft. Charley Casserley had already traded for quarterback Brad Johnson after Trent Green had determined to leave via free agency following the 1998 season.

The 1999 team was at times very exciting offensively. Stephen Davis ran hard for 1,405 yards. Michael Westbrook led the team in receiving yards with 1,191 yards. Brad Johnson passed for 4,005 yards, as well as provided veteran leadership at quarterback the team had not enjoyed in several seasons.

Consequently, when it was time for the next offseason, Mr. Snyder determined he would act as general manager, seeing Casserly had “resigned” just prior to training camp of the ’99 season.

Snyder signed aging veterans to outrageous contracts: Jeff George (4 years, $18 million),  Mark Carrier (5 years, $15.9 million), Bruce Smith (5 years, $25 million), Deion Sanders (7 years, $56 million).

Each veteran had already reached and passed his prime, yet there was Mr. Snyder giving them too much money for the year 2000. Apparently, he had no understanding of team chemistry verses bringing in several outside players and paying them more than your own homegrown players.

Even more, why did he mess with the most important position on the team, quarterback? No doubt Snyder immediately alienated Johnson, and why wouldn’t this move have angered Johnson?

Making things worse, the quarterback Snyder wanted and brought to town was Jeff George. They guy who in 2001 would say leadership was overrated. He had already played in Indianapolis, Atlanta, Oakland and Minnesota. One can only imagine how upset head coach Norv Turner was over such a move by Snyder.

Johnson (7-4 in the games he started) was still Turner’s quarterback, but George would be in the lineup, starting five games as Washington went 1-4 in those games. After a 6-2 start, Washington limped down the stretch to 7-6.

Snyder again thought the only answer was for him to make a huge splash. So he fired head coach Norv Turner. The Redskins looked lost and apathetic losing 32-13 to the Cowboys and 24-3 to the Steelers.

Johnson, a free agent, couldn’t wait to get out of town, left for Tampa and led the Buccaneers to 9-7 in 2001 and a Super Bowl title in the 2002 season.

Mr. Snyder’s quarterback Jeff George, in 2001 started 0-2; the team played so horribly, new coach Marty Schottenheimer determined he was better off without George and cut him.

What on earth had Daniel Snyder been thinking that he thought it would be best to shake up a division winner replacing Brad Johnson with Jeff George?

For Washington fans, we had no idea, it was only the beginning…

Former Commanders OC Scott Turner quickly finds new work

Scott Turner lands with the Raiders.

It didn’t take long for a former Washington Commanders coach to find new work.

Scott Turner, who came to Washington from the Carolina Panthers with Ron Rivera in 2020, has been hired by the Las Vegas Raiders Friday.

Turner was fired by Rivera after the Commanders failed to finish with a winning record for the third consecutive season of Rivera’s tenure in Washington.

Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels was looking for some help coordinating the passing game and chose the Commanders former offensive coordinator as his man.

Interestingly enough, Turner was actually a backup quarterback at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, receiving a bit of playing time in both 2003 and 2004 under then-head coach John Robinson.

Turner had the misfortune all three seasons in Washington of having a revolving door at the quarterback position, as the Washington offense had its struggles in each season. In total, Washington played eight quarterbacks in Turner’s three seasons (Dwayne Haskins, Kyle Allen, Alex Smith, Taylor Heinicke, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Garrett Gilbert, Carson Wentz and Sam Howell).

“I’m just happy to be a part of the staff, and it’s obviously coach [Josh] McDaniels’ deal, and I’m just going to be ready to contribute and help the best I can,” Turner said Friday. “I’ll get out there and get a feel for the team. It’s just everything’s so new right now.”

The son of former Redskins head coach Norv Turner played quarterback at Oakton High School [Virginia] while his father was coaching the Burgundy and Gold. Following his playing at UNLV, Turner was a graduate assistant at Oregon State and head coach at South County High School in Virginia.

For the next three seasons, Turner was an assistant at the University of Pittsburgh and, in 2017, on the University of Michigan staff.

Turning to the NFL, Turner served on coaching staffs for the Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, again the Panthers, and then the last three seasons with Washington.

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Raiders adding UNLV alum, former Commanders OC Scott Turner to staff

Former Commanders OC Scott Turner, UNLV alum, son of Norv Turner joining Raiders to staff

Even without Josh McDaniels letting go of any coaches on his staff from last season, he has added a new assistant. He is former Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Scott Turner.

Turner was the OC in Washington under Ron Rivera the past three seasons. He’s also the son of former longtime NFL offensive guru and Raiders head coach Norv Turner.

Prior to his three seasons in Washington, Scott was a QB coach with the Panthers for two season and with the Vikings for three season before that.

Cam Newton had his second best season in terms of passing touchdowns (24) and passer rating (94) in 2018 under Turner. And Teddy Bridgewater went to his only Pro Bowl under Turner in 2015.

Commanders fire offensive coordinator Scott Turner

Scott Turner is relieved of his duties after three seasons as offensive coordinator.

The Washington Commanders fired offensive coordinator Scott Turner Tuesday, two days after Washington’s season-ending win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Just hours before JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington broke the news on Turner’s firing, head coach Ron Rivera and general manager Martin Mayhew met with the media, where Rivera was asked about Turner.

“I think Scott did his job, did the things that he tried to do,” Rivera said. “We’re going to self-evaluate and go through that process.”

Turner was fired after a Washington Post report from the weekend stated nine offensive players complained about Turner’s play-calling, with some saying that Turner often tried to outsmart himself, even when the game plan was good.

Rivera released a statement on Turner:

“I met with Coach Turner today and informed him that we will be moving in another direction going forward with the offensive coordinator position,” the statement read. “Unfortunately, we did not live up to the expectations and standard that I expected to see from our offensive unit. I felt it was best for a fresh start at the coordinator position heading into next year. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Scott, and thanked him for his three years of service to our organization. I wish Scott and his family all the best in the future.”

Turner, whose father Norv was head coach of Washington from 1994-2000, was the team’s offensive coordinator for the past three seasons.

We’ll have more on this developing story.

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Former Washington offensive lineman Joe Patton dies

Joe Patton was a third-round pick in 1994.

In some sad news, former Washington offensive tackle Joe Patton died this week. Patton, 50, was a third-round pick by Washington in the 1994 NFL draft and spent five seasons with the team.

On Instagram, his former teammate, Tre Johnson, shared the news of Patton’s passing.

In his five NFL seasons, Patton played in 61 games for Washington, making 54 starts. He was a part of the same draft class as Johnson, which also included quarterbacks Heath Shuler and Gus Frerotte. While the quarterbacks were the headliners, Johnson and Patton were arguably the best players from that draft class.

Patton played college football at Alabama A&M.

In his Instagram post, Johnson noted he posted the news of Patton’s death on social media as a way to “link up with all my brethren who I don’t keep in contact with from those times like I should to not only alert you to this fact but see if you have additional information.”

A pair of longtime Washington sportswriters remembered Patton fondly.

Patton’s head coach in Washington was Norv Turner. Turner’s son, Scott, is now the offensive coordinator of the Commanders.

Two years in, how does Ron Rivera compare?

Ron Rivera just finished his second season as Washington’s head coach. We compare the first two years of every Washington head coach dating back to George Allen.

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Washington coach Ron Rivera completed his second season as the franchise’s head coach Sunday.

The thought occurred to me, since I have been following this team in my childhood, how have other Washington coaches produced in their first two seasons coaching this franchise?

1971: George Allen 9-4-1 regular season; wildcard 4th seed. In his 1972 season, Washington won NFC East Title at 11-3, the number one seed, a 26-3 NFC Championship win over defending Super Bowl Champion Dallas and a trip to Super Bowl VII where they lost 14-7 to the 17-0 Miami Dolphins.

1978: Jack Pardee started 6-0, but faded, finishing 8-8, and his 1979 team finished 10-6, but failed to make a top-four spot for the playoffs.

1981: Enter Joe Jackson Gibbs, who lost his first five games, before closing 8-3 to finish 8-8. His second season Washington was 8-1, plus 4-0 in the playoffs, winning Super Bowl XVII 27-17 over Miami.

1994: Norv Turner was in a total rebuild situation going 3-13 and 6-10 in his first two seasons.

2002: Steve Spurrier’s two seasons 2002-03, Washington was 7-9 and 5-11. You thought it was worse, didn’t you? You see, that proves our standards and expectations were higher then.

2004: Joe Gibbs agreed to return in 2004 going 6-10 and then 10-6 in 2005 with a playoff win at Tampa.

2008: Jim Zorn opened 6-2 in 2008, but then the team finished 8-8, followed by a 4-12 2009 and he was fired.

2010: Mike Shanahan’s first two teams were 6-10 and 5-11.

2014: Jay Gruden after a 4-12 first season won the NFC East at 9-7 in 2015.

2020: Ron Rivera followed a disastrous 2019 when Washington was 3-13, fired Jay Gruden and finished the season with interim coach Bill Callahan. Rivera battled his own cancer, endured the gruesome treatments, yet Washington won the weak NFC East in 2020 at 7-9. In 2021, Washington started 2-6, won four straight then lost four straight to division rivals Dallas and Philadelphia, finishing 7-10.

 

Washington signs a fullback to the practice squad

Washington added an experienced fullback to the practice squad on Thursday.

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Remember when they tried to tell you the fullback position was dead? Don’t tell that to San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan, who perfectly employs fullback Kyle Juszczyk in his offense, is one of the few NFL coaches who still uses a fullback.

While some other teams use fullbacks, Juszczyk is the face of the position around the NFL.

You can now add Washington to the list of teams who employ a fullback — well, sort of. On Thursday, Washington signed fullback Alex Armah to the practice squad, and, depending on what happens with J.D. McKissic Sunday, he could find a role on the active roster soon.

McKissic, injured in Monday’s win over the Seahawks, missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday with a concussion. His status for Sunday appears in doubt, which means Antonio Gibson and Jaret Patterson will carry the load for Washington. However, the team would add a third running back for the game, which likely will be Wendell Smallwood, who is also on the practice squad.

Washington, which has been one of the NFL’s best rushing teams over the last three weeks, could also choose to activate Armah, giving Gibson and Patterson a lead blocker, and add another dangerous element to the running game.

Armah, 27, entered the NFL in 2017 out of West Georgia. He was a sixth-round pick by, you guessed it, the Carolina Panthers, where he spent the first four seasons of his NFL career. The 6-foot-2, 255-pound Armah signed with the Saints in the offseason and was released earlier this week.

Offensive coordinator Scott Turner’s father, Norv, loved using the fullback over the years. Perhaps the younger Turner is intrigued about adding another element to Washington’s offense in 2021.

Armah may never see action with Washington, but it’s noteworthy the team added a fullback for the first time in years.

Listen: Norv Turner talks about what the Patriots are getting in Cam Newton

Listen to Turner talk about what New England is getting in Newton.

Former Panthers offensive coordinator Norv Turner knows what Cam Newton is capable of. When he was calling the plays in the first half of the 2018 season, Newton had a healthy throwing shoulder and was playing arguably the best football of his career.

While Newton won the MVP award in 2015, his accuracy and efficiency were far better in some respects during those first eight games. That bodes well for what he can do with the Patriots, who use a lot of the same quick-hitting concepts in Josh McDaniels’ offense.

Listen to Turner talk about what New England is getting in Newton.

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Norv Turner told Bill Belichick that Cam Newton would be a great fit

Former Panthers OC Norv Turner hyped up the former NFL MVP.

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Former NFL MVP Cam Newton finally found his new home with the New England Patriots after months of sitting on the free agent list.

It took time and patience, but Bill Belichick and Newton came to an arrangement that worked out for both parties. Newton, 32, received an incentive-laced contract and his health will be the main factor to be cognizant of. Belichick also had some help in making the decision, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

Former Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Norv Turner spoke to Belichick a couple months back and endorsed Newton. Turner gave Belichick a glowing review on Newton and explained how his injuries were the only issue.

“My whole deal is, when Cam was healthy, and we were there with him [in 2018], we were 6–2,” Turner said. “Just look at the tape—played his ass off. His issue was more health than anything else, and from what I understand, I don’t think these are health issues that he can’t overcome. He’s had the time off now. I think he’ll be great.”

Newton’s athleticism and knowledge of the game will give the Patriots an enormous advantage, considering the fact they planned on replacing Tom Brady with second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham. Newton’s contagious energy and charisma on and off the field will help fill the leadership role that Brady carried for two decades.

He dealt with a right shoulder injury two seasons ago and missed 14 games last season with a foot injury. The Patriots and Newton both believe he’s healthy and ready for a revamped season.

Newton was the best free agent available to help replace such a significant void that was left, and it could lead to another deep postseason run for New England.

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Report: Norv Turner won’t return to Panthers in 2020

Former Panthers offensive coordinator Norv Turner will not return to the team’s coaching staff in 2020.

Former Panthers offensive coordinator Norv Turner will not return to the team’s coaching staff in 2020, according to a report by Jourdan Rodrigue at the Athletic. Turner turned over play-calling duties to his son Scott after Ron Rivera’s firing. Scott will be following Rivera to Washington, but it wasn’t clear until now if Norv would be retained in any role on Matt Rhule’s staff.

The Turners have already been replaced by Joe Brady, who was LSU’s passing game coordinator this past season after spending two years on Sean Payton’s staff with the Saints.

Turner got a lot of criticism during his run in Carolina, but we think he actually did his job well. To some extent, he helped modernize a dinosaur-aged offense and when he had Cam Newton healthy they were capable of competing with any team in the league.

Unfortunately, Newton was only truly himself for about eight of the 28 games Turner was the OC.

Considering the pass protection and the level of quarterback play Turner had to work with, he did a solid job and he should land on his feet.

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