Oh glorious day! Rapture! The evil Turner era in Redskins football is over! In all seriousness, the pain of losing to the Eagles today is completely mitigated by this news. I am ecstatic.
Redskins fans, other football fans, and passersby: comments?
[sub]No, I haven’t been able to get an online cite for this. It is what is printed in today’s paper, which is good enough for me. If this is later retracted I will slit my wrist and post a webcam URL to this thread so you can watch.[/sub]
I’ve doubted for awhile that Turner has what it takes to get the most out of his team. His teams make a lot of mental mistakes, they go up and down the field but don’t close the deal, and in his play-calling, he has a chronic tendency to forget about Stephen Davis for too many plays in a row.
I’d be happy to trade him for whoever turns out to be the best coach that Snyder can convince to come to D.C.; I have no doubt that the best would be pretty good, indeed.
Spurrier has, of course, been for some time one of the most inventive minds in college football. I’d love to see if he could replicate that success at the pro level, especially if he was doing so for my team!
I think Spurrier is a terrible coach and would fail miserably, given the chance to coach in the NFL. There is a very big difference between college and pro.
Let’s see here. My top 3 football “hates” are the Redskins, Steve Spurrier, and the University of Miami. If things go like the OP suggests, this DC area resident will be in contrarian heaven. BTW, loved watching the game today!
I’m sure Turner will be happier wherever he lands – he won’t have to suffer under the meddling of Dan “The Fan” Snyder.
I can’t speak for Spurrier or Davis, obviously, but I would have to think twice before leaving strong college programs which practically have the pick of top high school talent. Sure, there’s something to be said for succeeding in the NFL, too, but I don’t know if it’d be for me.
On behalf of the Philadelphia Eagles, we gladly accept any glee that Deadskins fans may have over the loss yesterday, and future possibilities for Messers. Spurrier or Davis.
Sounds like the Indigenous Persons have an owner who will jump in and churn things up any time there’s a problem. This is NOT good for the team’s long-term progress, no matter whether Turner is up to the job of coaching or not. I don’t think they’ll be going very far in the playoffs for a long time to come.
BTW, it isn’t Turner’s fault that Snyder is wasting so much cap space on guys who can’t do it anymore (i.e. Smith and Sanders), or in some cases never did (i.e. Wilkinson).
I seriously doubt Spurrier and Davis are really interested in leaving their current jobs to enter such an environment; but they wouldn’t mind using Snyder to leverage better contracts.
Norv Turner is soooooooo “out” in D.C. He decided to send Eddie Murray out to kick the last minute field goal despite Eddie advising the coach that it was beyong his range in that wind.
One of Norv’s peeves with the owner has been the firing of kicker after kicker (Norv didn’t fire them).
Norv basically said, “Here’s Eddie Murray, the kicker you wanted, now stick him and this 40+ yard field goal attempt up your ass, Mr Snyder.”
“E-A-G-L-E-S…EAGLES, EAGLES, EAGLES!”
OH!!! I love how the Redskins called a time out to “ice” their own kicker! Love that move!
Yes, that’s bothering me. I haven’t seen it elsewhere either. I can assure you that what I wrote in the OP was in the Sunday Houston Chronicle, pro football section, under a heading of “Around The NFC,” with news and notes concerning various teams. It cites unnamed sources, but I’m operating under the assumption that the article is true (not 100% sure obviously, but the alternative is too horrible to contemplate.)
Elvis, I don’t think you have taken a close look at the situation. Norv is leaving because he stinks, not because Snyder is a micromanager. Norv is a cancer. I don’t think they’ll go far in the playoffs this season, but with Norv at the helm, they’ll never go far in the playoffs.
A good coach could turn things around. The Redskins are loaded with talent (this is indisputable.) Norv has already shown he can’t get it done with them. Time and time again he has proved himself a loser. Even if the Redskins don’t crack .500 for the next three seasons (and I don’t think that will happen) I will still be glad we got rid of Norv.
I didn’t say he doesn’t stink - there’s no debate about that. I’m just saying that he’s not the entire problem, and Snyder’s meddling will keep ANY coach from making the team a winner, no matter how good he is. Furthermore, all the good coaches KNOW how Snyder works and won’t take the job anyway.
So don’t get your hopes up. The team may not get worse, but is unlikely to get better, either. Welcome to the twilight land of perpetual 7-9 to 9-7 records, with occasional slides down from there. Just like my beloved Patriots, who finally got rid of Pete Carroll but still have a meddlesome owner (though not so bad as Snyder), and are now looking at being able to draft Michael Vick. That’s you in 3 years or less, mark my words.
First off, Norv is a better offensive coordinator than a head coach, IMO. He could never get the team fired up enough to win the games they SHOULD win. I’m sorry, the Redskins should NEVER lose to Arizona. Never never never. (Gads, I still remember that game where Boomer threw for like 600 yards.)
However. With the Dan in there, no really good coach is going to come in. Spurrier would be a DISASTER. And Snyder is NOT going to give up personnel decisions. (That’s what makes me doubt this article.) Honestly, I wouldn’t mind seeing Art Shell come in and coach this team. However, he’ll never even get an interview. (And the why on that is a whole NOTHER issue, so I’ll skip it.)
Finally, some thoughts on Danny boy. He’s made some good decisions (resigning Daryl Green so he can retire a Redskin, bringing in Bruce Smith, signing LaVar…), and some BAD ones (Deion). I think what he’s trying to do is be like Jack Kent Cooke. He meddled too. Not like, say, Jerry Jones, but if the team did badly, JKC would let them KNOW about it. And fire 'em to boot. I’m giving Snyder the benefit of hte doubt and saying that I think he’s trying to emulate that. What I’m afraid of is that instead of being like Cooke, he’ll end up emulating Peter Angelos.
Please. Norv is SOOOO over-rated as an “offensive genius.”
With Dallas, he had Emmit Smith, Troy Aikman, and Michael Irvin as well as a power-packed offensive line.
Gilbert Godfried could have been Dallas’ offensive coordinator with that line-up.
Remember, Norv was especially touted for his ability to groom and mold a young quarterback as he had supposedly done with Aikman.
Let’s see, we started with Heath Shuler and went no where. Gus was a bust and Trent Green was promptly shipped out to St. Louis so we could bring in the veteran, Brad Johnson.
Given that there’s still been no sighting of this rumor in the DC press, I’d say there’s nothing to it.
But I’d still bet that this is Norv’s last season as Redskins’ coach.
If putting Murray out there to kick a FG that Norv didn’t think he’d make was an in-your-face from Norv to Danny, then I certainly don’t want a head coach who’s going to make decisions based on spite with the game on the line.
I’m not too worried about The Danny’s effect on either the attempt to get a better coach, or on the Redskins’ future in general. I think that, to the extent that he involves himself with decisions that are properly the head coach’s, it’s because Norv has no stature - and apparently little faith in his ability to get another job. If Snyder’s interfering in the way that you folks say, it’s hard to believe Norv hasn’t already said, “I’m leaving if you don’t get out of my hair.” If Norv doesn’t stick up for himself, it’s one more strike against him.
I think once Snyder hires a coach he actually respects, the interference, such as it is, will come to a quick halt. (I bet he’s not micromanaging the defense, for instance.)
I think Snyder is different than Angelos in that Snyder’s paying attention full-time, and he’s going to learn lessons from what happens. One of Angelos’ big problems is that he pays attention to the O’s intermittently at best, and never has a clue; as a result, most of what he does backfires. (Bye, bye, Moose.) Snyder wants to win, and will keep on trying things until he gets it right. And he will.
Here’s a reason why Steve Spurrier wouldn’t last in the pros; he’s too controlling. You can’t pull that “different QB every down” BS in the NFL. Spurrier would not go over well with todays pro players or with todays fans. Can you imagine what would happen if he was sending George in then Johnson, then George, then Johnson . . . Oh and the “Fun N’ Gun” would not work any better in the pros than the option would. Certain offenses work in college, especially at Florida, because of the lack of competition for most of the year.
I don’t buy that as the reason. The Redskins proved consistently all game that they could not manage 2 yards, especially when it mattered most (remember the goal line fiascos?) . I think they actually averaged less than 2 yards/carry. The field goal attempt was the right call, even though it didn’t work out.
