Norv Turner in high demand -- as assistant coach
As teams continue interviews to fill NFL head coaching slots, and a handful of retread coaches are emerging as favorites, maybe the greatest retread of them all will have interesting choices to make. That retread is Norv Turner.
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Turner is an interesting, coveted and radioactive assistant coach candidate. His days of being a head coach are over after being fired by the San Diego Chargers, but I'm told numerous teams are looking at Turner as offensive coordinator.
Why is a coach who has been fired so much still being coveted? He's remarkably good with play-calling and quarterbacks, maybe the best in the NFL, and many of the teams building staffs have struggled in both areas.
This is what's happening. Almost every team with a vacancy (minus the Chargers, of course) has contacted Turner. ESPN reported Turner is on the Jets' list of offensive coordinator candidates (the team will likely fire Tony Sparano) and I'm told the same. The Cowboys, yet again, are interested in Turner, but Turner told the San Diego Union-Tribune the Cowboys won't be his next destination.
Turner shouldn't be so sure. Jerry Jones is desperate, and it remains slightly possible he cans a bunch of offensive assistants and convinces Turner to return by paying him a ton of money. It would create a massively awkward situation, which is likely why Turner would resist, but Jones can be extremely convincing.
The Jets might be front-runners for Turner's services, which is highly ironic since Rex Ryan once mocked Turner for not winning more. Turner was irritated, but Ryan apologized.
Time heals all blabbermouths. Ryan, league sources explain, is willing to turn over the entire offense to Turner.
“So, from an offensive standpoint, if I was in an offense somewhere and I had the opportunity to bring in my guys -- the guys who know the types of things that we're trying to do -- that would be important to me,” Turner told the Union-Tribune.
Turner's next job will be his ninth in the NFL since 1985, including three head coaching stints -- in Washington, Oakland and San Diego. One would think Turner has had enough chances and teams would look for fresh blood.
But that isn't happening. Turner, once again, is drawing massive interest from NFL franchises.
