The Norv Turner Experience - Cam Newton's Deathbed

[Saca312]

They say change is a good thing. A breath of fresh air. A new morning.

So, when Ron Rivera fired Shula, many thought that change may finally be here. 

However, with recent events unfolding, that definitely is no longer the case.

Ron Rivera wants to play football like his days back during the '85 Bears. He wants a rough defense and an offense who's only sole existence is to attempt to control the ball and not be flash or bang. This is all despite having one of the most electrifying quarterbacks in Cam Newton, new generation type players in Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel, and an offense which definitely has the potential to be explosive with the right guy.

So, hiring Norv Turner would be the epitome of Rivera's pathetic ability of self-scouting and improving this team.

Turner comes from an era that is no more. His offensive designs lack creativity or ingenuity. He draws up designs from the '90s that clearly don't work in the modern NFL, and he pretty much is terrible at everything he does. 

Take a look at his past history, and you'll see why.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/TurnNo0.htm

The true definition of mediocrity. In fact, during his tenure with the 2011 Chargers, it's been noted he has been by far and wide the weakest link of the bunch. Take a look at what @rayzor dug up.

Quote

 

Turner’s play-calling is like clockwork. That’s not to say it’s akin to a finely tuned performance instrument. Rather, it’s to say that his play-calling is repetitive and predictable.

Let’s play a little game and check your play-calling acumen against Norv’s playbook, shall we?

Question one: If the Chargers have a lead, what will be the first play from scrimmage on first down?

That’s right, Mike Tolbert up the middle.

Question two: What will Norv call now that it’s 2nd-and-9 with the Chargers in the lead in the second half?

If you said Ryan Mathews off tackle, you’d be right again.

Question three: Now it's third and long, what will be the play from the sidelines?

Give yourself another point if you said Philip Rivers would drop back to pass. 

I know these answers, you know these answers, every defense in the league knows these answers. Yet Turner will stick with his tried and true tendencies ad nauseum until they eventually work—which they never will.

 

 

Sound familiar? Get used to this.

The Chargers overcame poor coaching with talent. Having the likes of Phillip Rivers, Vincent Jackson, Malcolm Floyd, Antonio Gates, and a top tier offensive line at their peak allowed this team to flourish.

Turner's archaic designs stress the importance of having elite tackles and long, developing plays. His style may have worked in the '90s when defenses didn't have as many pass rushing nor athletic freaks as the league does today, but obviously that won't work now. He is simply uncreative and terrible at being an offensive coordinator.

In simpler terms, he lives off of long developing plays with very poor blocking schemes to compensate. Basically an older version of Shula.

Billy has done the hard work and pretty much dug up a bunch of these on twitter and showed exactly why he's bad. I'll highlight a few of them down below, but there's a bunch more where this came from here.

https://twitter.com/BillyM_91/status/950874829783171073

You have a 3x1 here with a dig, drag, and a post. All these are long and developing routes and require the offensive line to hold for a long time. Basically even more ancient than Shula's old scheme.

This requires elite OTs to even stand a chance. The amount of time the QB is forced to hold the ball is crazy. This is like 2016's offense all over again.

And of course, the guy giving up the fumble is Matt Kalil.

As for the next one, you have two posts on the wins side with a drag from the TE and a deep hitch mixed in. Long developing plays yet again, but what gets worse is how the offensive line is schemed to block.

I don't even know what kind of protection is this. Pathetic scheming all around.

Even @Jeremy Igo recognizes a coaching issue when it comes to the offensive line play. Scroll down towards the middle post and you'll see his take;

http://www.carolinahuddle.com/boards/topic/139210-quick-analysis-matt-kalils-film-is-depressing-but-steps-hes-taking-in-the-off-season-provides-hope/

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...The first gif for example...

Looks like 44 went to the outside first then came back inside for the blitz. 

Poor blitz recognition. Poor communication. Poor execution. 

So much of that is coaching related and poor quality along the offensive line in general. 

 

Simply put, Norv Turner likes getting his quarterback killed.

Finally, he certainly knows how to not get anyone open. This is terrible.

Since Norv Turner hates seeing people go off script and rips at them for such, I don't even know if Cam can save this atrocity. Turner is a huge downgrade from Shula in this day and age of the NFL, and that's just how Rivera likes it.

Good luck.

[Saca312]

Remember when everyone hated Shula's long developing plays?

That's Norv Turner's favorite dish. Get ready for a whole lot of these if he becomes our OC.

[LinvilleGorge]

I'm definitely concerned about Norv if he's the hire. I think the game has simply past him by. He fielded terrible, bottom of the league type offenses his last two seasons as a coordinator. 

[Dhagans06]

It would be the Panthers that would make the amazing move (fire shula) and then completely go left within a couple hours. Nothing seems to ever actually change. 

[*FreeFua*]

Malcolm Floyd that’s it.

Been trying to think who was there with VJax for way to long today.

But yep, the long developing plays with Matt Kalil at LT...

What could go wrong?

[Saca312]

Even worse, the Coryell system is something that even Shula admitted he never fully grasped. It involves a large and insanely complex set of terminology to even function.

Greg Jennings from the Vikings shares his struggles trying to learn this system.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000345571/article/greg-jennings-norv-turners-offense-tough-to-grasp?campaign=tw-articleshare

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"My head is spinning, even though the offense is coming, and it's starting to sink in," wide receiver Greg Jennings said Wednesday. "... The different formations that we can run with the same play, different variations that comes with the same play, your head is spinning at all times."

The ninth-year pro, who's played his entire career in the West Coast offense, said Turner's scheme is "a lot more complex" than what the team ran last season.

"If last year's offense was complicated, guys will struggle with this one, for sure," Jennings said.

Most definitely not something that can be done in just one season if this is the direction we're now headed in.

[countryboi]

I can't tell if Norv is awful or Bridgewater is not very good.

[t96]

If Saca's against it there's a pretty damn solid chance that Norv becomes the best OC in the league next year.

[Cary Kollins]

Well that’s just like ur opinion and stuff man

[JARROD]

You guys are depressing me to death. 

Mans there’s no Jerry to step in and say “the air has been sucked out” and fire everyone like he did Seifart

[Saca312]

1 minute ago, thomas96 said:

If Saca's against it there's a pretty damn solid chance that Norv becomes the best OC in the league next year.

Really hope that's the case and my reverse jinx works.

[Jon Snow]

2 minutes ago, Saca312 said:

Even worse, the Coryell system is something that even Shula admitted he never fully grasped. It involves a large and insanely complex set of terminology to even function.

Greg Jennings from the Vikings shares his struggles trying to learn this system.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000345571/article/greg-jennings-norv-turners-offense-tough-to-grasp?campaign=tw-articleshare

Most definitely not something that can be done in just one season if this is the direction we're now headed in.

Not really, we are already running the same offense, albeit unsuccessfully, but it's the same.

[Lumps]

Just think there’s a better direction to go here. But Rivera, loyalty, only have 2 years to prove himself. He’s probably scared of changing anything.

[Car123]

Shula’s offense is from the 70’s. I’d take a 90’s style offense in a heartbeat.