Tag: Scott Turner

Scott Turner discusses potential Raiders run game fixes

Interim Raiders offensive coordinator Scott Turner discussed how Las Vegas can find fixes in their struggling run game.

One of the biggest issues that has ailed a struggling Raiders offense has been its inability to establish and find consistent success in the run game.

Entering their Week 11 date on Sunday at the Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas ranks dead last in the NFL in rushing yardage with just 692 rushing yards. The Raiders’ 3.5 yards per carry average is also last in the league.

As Scott Turner takes over as the Raiders’ interim offensive coordinator, the former passing game coordinator discussed how Las Vegas can address its struggling rushing attack.

“We’ve had some issues, obviously. We know we’re not doing a great job right now of running the football. Trying to just make sure that the communication is great up front, so number one, we know who we’re getting to. Coach [Joe] Philbin, he’s going to do a great job, even in practice yesterday.

“Just really focusing on the fundamentals of hat placement, understanding what we’re trying to get out of every run. Hopefully we can stay a little healthier and have some continuity, which will help us get going
up front. And then the backs, just being decisive, don’t worry about making a mistake or putting the ball in the wrong place, just go hit it and run and get your pads going forward,” Turner said.

As Turner pointed out, the Raiders also have to give themselves more chances to run the football by extending drives.

Las Vegas’ 199 rushing attempts on the season are second-to-last, ahead of only the Dallas Cowboys.

“And then we got to get first downs, like you got to get first downs, whether it’s in the run or pass, to give yourself more attempts to run the football, because that’s where we’re lacking too. We’re lacking at attempts. We haven’t had great efficiency, but we’re also low at attempts as well,” Turner said.

Turner reiterated that communication will be the key up front for interim offensive line coach Joe Philbin and his bunch.

“I think our focus has got to be on communication. Like those guys got to communicate, and like I said, hopefully we can get some continuity. We have had changing lineups there, and you’re right, we’ve got some talented guys up front. And I think we got some guys that are young guys that are going to continue to get better.

“And I think the more they play, the more they communicate, if we can make things – again, you can’t just say we’re going to be super simple because you’ve got to go try to make plays – but as much as we can walk that line, that helps those guys as well. Because when guys know what to do, that allows them to play fast, which builds confidence, and then you play better,” Turner said.

The Raiders’ leading rusher heading into its Week 11 date in Miami is Alexander Mattison who has carried 92 times for 301 rushing yards with three touchdowns on the ground.

Zamir White also has 60 carries for 174 rushing yards with one rushing score thus far this season.

Interim Raiders OC Scott Turner details plan to restore Gardner Minshew’s confidence

Interim offensive coordinator Scott Turner detailed the Raiders’ plan to restore Gardner Minshew’s confidence.

The Las Vegas Raiders (2-7) are hoping that a much-needed bye week and offensive staffing changes can provide a spark in the season’s second half.

One of the series of changes that the Raiders made in the immediate aftermath of their 41-24 loss at the Cincinnati Bengals was to elevate passing game coordinator Scott Turner to interim offensive coordinator.

As Turner takes over the play calling duties, he also assumes the task of trying to restore confidence in Las Vegas quarterback Gardner Minshew who Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce confirmed will start again this Sunday at Miami.

Turner detailed the Raiders’ plans to help restore Minshew’s confidence.

“I think everyone, when you lose five games in a row and you’re 2-7 and you go into a bye, I think everyone kind of needed a little bit of a reset. And you look at the games, and like I said, I talked about the competitiveness of the games. One play here and there can kind of throw a game good or bad,” Turner explained.

“And so, I think when you look back and you show those guys, ‘See, hey, look at all these positives, look at all the good things you did,’ and then give them solutions to eliminate the negatives. The other team’s always going to make plays. That’s going to happen in every NFL game. I think you guys have seen enough to know that.”

Turner said that the Raiders have positive plays that they can build on, but that Minshew and Las Vegas are giving too many negatives away to the opposition.

“But what you can’t do is you just can’t give them plays. Some of the plays late in the down, whatever, we just got to be better, whether if it’s not in our favor to get to the next down, and then when it is in our favor, we got to capitalize on them.

“And again, there’s been good. We just got to build on that. And that’s what you got to focus on, kind of let them reset, let them get away from it. We did that. And now hit the ground running and try to put these guys in situations where they feel confident that they’re going to be successful,” Turner said.

That starts with Minshew who Turner said needs to be more consistent.

“Just consistency. He knows we’ve got to obviously take care of the football. And then just the consistency of it. I’m not going to get into the schematic details and everything like that, but just one play at a time and don’t try to do too much, just kind of take what they give you and move on to the next play,” Turner said.

Minshew admitted it’s been tough at times to keep the confidence up when there’s a rotating door at quarterback and when he and the team aren’t getting the results they want.

But, the sixth-year pro has ridden the NFL’s ups and downs before.

“It could be tough, man, no doubt about it. But I’ve been there before, been through it, and excited for the opportunity ahead. That’s really all we have. We got these days to prepare, and we got a game coming up. We’re focused on that and letting it rip,” Minshew said on Wednesday.

Minshew said the verbiage and bones of the offense should remain the same with Scott Turner taking over the play calling, but that there could be some tweaks in the way the game is called.

“I think kind of the approach for calling the game might be a little different, a little bit different flavor to it. So, we’ll kind of see how that develops as we move forward,” Minshew said.

The Raiders also hired former head coach and Scott’s father, Norv Turner, to the staff as a senior advisor during the bye week.

“It’s awesome, man. Those guys have been great. Obviously, kind of a wild situation with Norv getting in here, but he’s been awesome, man. So much knowledge and he’s fun to kind of joke with and mess around with in the quarterback room. But that dude knows his stuff, and I think he’s really going to help us,” Minshew said.

The Raiders travel to Miami this Sunday for a 10 a.m. PT kickoff inside Hard Rock Stadium with the game televised on CBS.

Scott Turner opens tenure as Raiders OC with moving tribute to recently passed Hall of Fame coach

In Scott Turner’s first press conference as Raiders offensive coordinator, he gave tribute to recently passed Hall of Fame coach, John Robinson.

Thursday, Scott Turner took to the podium for his first press conference since being named the Raiders interim offensive coordinator. But before he answered any questions, he had to pay his respects to a legendary coach who was a big part of his life.

“The sports/football world, and the Las Vegas community specifically, lost someone this past week in Coach John Robinson,” said Turner.

“He was my college coach, had a big impact on my life both professionally and personally. And then my dad [Norv Turner], who just joined the staff, obviously you guys know that, he played for him [Coach Robinson] at Oregon, he coached for him, and that’s how my dad met my mom, when she was his secretary at USC. So, obviously, a big, big part of our family, a tough loss, and it’s a tough loss for everybody in the football community. A legendary coach, College Football Hall of Fame.”

It’s hard to imagine a coach having more ties to a family than Robinson did with the Turner family. To coach both father AND son in college and also be the reason Norv met his wife and Scott’s mom?

In 1975, the San Mateo native Robinson returned home to coach running backs for the Raiders for a season before USC came calling for him to take their head coaching job. With the Trojans he went on to win four straight Rose Bowls and a National Championship (1978).

He then went on to the NFL as the head coach the LA Rams for eight seasons from 1983-91 before returning to USC for seasons.

His ties to Las Vegas came in 1999 when he took over as head coach at UNLV and in his final two seasons as a college head coach in 2003-04 Scott Turner played for him. Now two decades later, he recalled what stuck with him the most about playing for Robinson.

“The big thing that he did as the head coach, and what I said before is like, this is a relationship business, and I learned that from him, just like how he truly cared about all the players on the team,” Turner added. “And it didn’t matter if it was a walk-on or the highest recruit that we had there at the time, he knew about them and he found time to build relationships with guys to try to help them be the best that they can be. And that’s what coaching is about, and that’s why you get in this business.”

In 2009 — five years after Robinson’s retirement — he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. He passed away on November 11 at the age of 89.

Norv Turner conversation with son Scott about joining Raiders staff was so wholesome

Some things are bigger than football. And when Raiders interim OC Scott Turner asked his dad Norv to join him in Las Vegas reminder of that.

Some things are bigger than football. And sometimes, as with Norv Turner joining his son with the Raiders, it can fulfill both the football aspects as well as the life.

When the Raiders fired Luke Getsy as offensive coordinator, Antonio Pierce turned to passing game coordinator Scott Turner to take over as interim OC. To which, Turner had one request — bring my dad onboard.

“AP made the decision that he made and he contacted me and we went through the process and the only thing I really asked for was if we could have my dad come, just for some help,” said Scott of his father Norv. “He was good about that, when AP was a player he played against my dad when he was a coach, so he said he thought it was a good idea and that was pretty much it.”

Norv had coached at the NFL level, either as an offensive coordinator or a head coach for nearly 40 years. But this was about a lot more than his wealth of experience. For both of them, this was the bonds between father and son and grandchildren.

But first, it was about breaking the news to mama Turner that Norv was coming out of retirement.

“He just said don’t tell your mom. He was like ‘I got to find out how I’m going to break it to her.’ Scott said of his dad’s response to being asked to join him in Las Vegas. “She was good. She was like ‘I don’t know why he was so nervous’. I was like ‘Come on, you know why’. He’s living with me. My kids are enjoying it. They don’t see him much, but they will as we get to the end of the week and my mom will be out here in about a week or so.

“I coached with my dad before. He was the coordinator, I was the quarterback coach. So being able to live close to him was great. Now, my kids are older — 10 and 8 — so they’re like super fired up about having Papa around. So, that part of it on a personal note is really cool.”

On a professional note, Norv Turner is yet another former head coach and well-respected mind on this Raiders coaching staff. Joining the likes of Marvin Lewis and Tom Coughlin in senior advisory roles. And being that he’s had a personal interest in the Raiders of late due to his son being on staff, he isn’t coming into it completely fresh.

“Being able to have him see us at practice every day, not just watching us from afar and helping with input is invaluable,” Scott added.

“He watches football constantly. He knows what we’ve done one offense,” Scott said of Norv. “Obviously the verbiage is totally foreign to him, but I can just translate it. He just says what he thinks and I say ‘Oh, we call it this’ or whatever. So, it’s really not that hard.

“And just fundamentals, tidbits for the quarterback, he’s sitting in a lot of the quarterback meetings. Just stuff that you don’t even think of. Again, I can only see so much.

“We have a great coaching staff, those guys do a great job too. It’s just another set of eyes. With the wealth of experience that he has who also, he’s not afraid to tell me what he really thinks obviously, so that part of it is great also.”

So, welcome back to the Silver & Black, Norv. And to spending more time with your son and grandkids. You love to see it.

Raiders announce 3 new coaches including offensive coordinator

Scott Turner moves from passing game coordinator to interim offensive coordinator and two former head coaches get new titles as well.

There are some new faces in new positions on the Raiders coaching staff today. The team announced Tuesday the replacements on the staff who will be taking over for the three coaches they fired late Sunday.

The new addition to the staff is Norv Turner who joins the team as a Senior Advisor.

Norv’s son Scott Turner moves from passing game coordinator to interim offensive coordinator. Taking the job previously held by Luke Getsy who held the position for just nine games.

Stepping into the role of interim offensive line coach is Joe Philbin who previously had the title of senior offensive assistant. The job was previously held by James Cregg.

The only fired coach who didn’t have his title given to someone else was QB coach Rich Scangarello.

Norv Turner and Joe Philbin are both former NFL head coaches. Norv in particular coached the Raiders in 2004-05. He was brought out of retirement, having last been with an NFL team in 2019 as the OC with the Carolina Panthers.

Former Vikings OC Norv Turner comes out of retirement, joins Raiders staff

Norv Turner will come out of retirement to become an offensive assistant for the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Las Vegas Raiders fired several offensive coaches after Week 9 as the team stands at 2-7 on the season. They have had a rotation of quarterbacks this season and they decided they needed an offensive mind to get things going.

They decided to go deep into the well of great offensive minds and bring one out of retirement.

Norv Turner, former NFL head coach and Vikings offensive coordinator, will come out of retirement to become an offensive assistant for the Las Vegas Raiders. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media first reported the addition to Antoinio Pierce’s staff.

The move also reunites Turner with his son, Scott Turner, the new offensive coordinator for the Raiders. Scott Turner originally joined the Raiders staff in 2023 as their passing game coordinator.

Norv Turner spent three seasons with the Vikings from 2015 to 2016 before he unexpectedly resigned. As a head coach, Turner is 114-122-1 in games coached in the NFL.

Raiders hop into the wayback machine for coaching hire following Luke Getsy ouster

It’s been 20 years since Norv Turner roamed the Raiders sideline. And he’s back.

It’s been 20 years since Norv Turner roamed the sideline for the Raiders. It’s been five years since he roamed an NFL sideline at all. But today, he’s back, folks. Tuesday it was reported that in the wake of the Raiders firing Luke Getsy as offensive coordinator, they have hired former head coach Norv Turner.

Turner’s son Scott was already on the Raideres’ staff. Many have suspected Scott would be taking over offensive play calling duties with Getsy out. And that’s still possible. But whatever role he has, he will have his dad to help him out.

Turner is one of several longtime former NFL head coaches the Raiders brought in this offseason along with Tom Coughlin and Assistant Head Coach Marvin Lewis.

Patriots add to extensive OC search with two new candidates

The Patriots’ extensive offensive coordinator search continues

The New England Patriots have added two more names to their search for a new offensive coordinator. San Francisco 49ers pass game coordinator Klint Kubiak and Las Vegas Raiders pass game coordinator Scott Turner are the two new candidates, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

Kubiak served as the offensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos in 2022 and was the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings in 2021. He also served in the role of quarterbacks coach for the Vikings from 2019-2020.

Turner has been in his position with the Raiders since 2023. He has also worked with the Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers. He has experience at the collegiate level as well, serving as an offensive analyst for Michigan in 2017.

The Patriots are interviewing an extensive list of candidates, and it appears Los Angeles Rams tight ends coach Nick Caley could be one of the frontrunners for the position.

Breer wrote:

On offense, Rams tight ends coach and former Patriots assistant Nick Caley will get the first crack at a second interview: He flew in from Los Angeles on Sunday, with dinner that night and meetings Monday. Niners assistants Brian Fleury and Klint Kubiak interviewed along with Lions assistant Tanner Engtrand, and the team plans to talk with Raiders assistant Scott Turner and former Bears OC Luke Getsy. The Patriots also met with former Seahawks OC Shane Waldron, who ultimately landed in Chicago, and Robinson, who we mentioned above is headed for Atlanta.

It will be interesting to see who the Patriots hire, as they look to resurrect an offense that struggled throughout the 2023 season.

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Antonio Gibson likes playing running back, but looking back would choose wide receiver

Wide receivers get paid a lot more and Gibson was a pretty good wide receiver before making the switch to RB.

When the Washington Commanders selected wide receiver Antonio Gibson in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft, many fans believed they’d found Terry McLaurin’s sidekick for the next decade.

Gibson, who played for two years at a junior college before enrolling at Memphis, only appeared in five games in 2018. However, in 2019, Gibson would appear in 14 games, where he caught 38 passes for 735 yards and eight touchdowns. Gibson averaged a gaudy 19.3 yards per reception.

Gibson also displayed running back skills, carrying the ball 33 times for 369 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged over 11 yards per carry. He also averaged 28 yards per kickoff return.

When Washington selected Gibson, it believed he was the running back of the future. Before the end of training camp, Gibson was Washington’s starting running back before he ever played a game. The team even cut the legendary Adrian Peterson in training camp.

As a rookie, Gibson rushed for 795 yards and 11 touchdowns. In 2021, Gibson rushed for 1,037 yards and seven touchdowns. He also struggled with fumbles.

Not bad numbers for someone who’d never been a full-time running back — and doing it as a young player in the NFL.

Now entering his fourth season, Gibson is expected to play more of a third-down role, meaning he’ll be much more involved in the passing game, which excites him.

On Wednesday, Kay Adams of FanDuel TV was in Ashburn for Commanders training camp. She spoke to Gibson and asked him about playing running back and his time as a wide receiver. Adams asked Gibson if he ever thought of switching positions.

“Not switching now, I’m fine where I’m at, you know I got well acclimated, but if I definitely had the choice, I’d probably stay at receiver,” Gibson said. ‘I enjoy receiver, I always loved it, but I’m having fun with this running back role, especially over the years of learning it every year and finally putting it together.”

The question was in reference to the current NFL debate on running back pay.

You can’t blame Gibson. For one, wide receivers, even average ones, get paid well while the top running backs are being squeezed. And Gibson was a dynamic receiver before making the switch to running back.

Could Carson Wentz be the Raiders quarterback in 2023?

If Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t ready for training camp, could Wentz be an option for the Raiders? Some believe so.

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Could former Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz be back in the NFL with a new team soon?

According to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN, the Las Vegas Raiders could turn to Wentz if quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s foot injury isn’t ready for the season. When they signed him, the Raiders knew of Garoppolo’s foot injury, even adding a clause in his three-year contract to protect the team if he can’t pass a physical.

However, head coach Josh McDaniels has remained confident in Garoppolo’s return.

But if he’s not ready, here’s what Gutierrez wrote about the Raiders potentially signing Wentz:

If the Raiders have to look elsewhere, free agent Carson Wentz would seem to be the best option. Raiders pass game coordinator Scott Turner has experience with Wentz as the Washington Commanders’ offensive coordinator last season, for what it’s worth.

We aren’t sure if Gutierrez watched any of Wentz’s time with Turner last season in Washington or not. It didn’t go well for either man. Why would they want to reunite?

Well, for one, it may not be up to Turner. If the Raiders have no other options, turning to Wentz may truly be the best option. Also, Wentz may have no other option if he wants back in the NFL in 2023 — and he says he does.

It should be an interesting six weeks ahead of training camp.