Sad news: The San Diego Chargers have just Fired one of their best player
Following a season marked by breathtaking comeback victories and mounting fan ire, the team that captured the AFC West in 2006–09 has seen a dramatic decline with the firings.
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It was not a good day to be an NFL coach when Turner was fired. Andy Reid in Philadelphia, Lovie Smith in Chicago, Pat Shurmur in Cleveland, Romeo Crennel in Kansas City, and Chan Gailey in Buffalo are among the other people who lost their jobs on Monday. Twitter reports claim that Ken Whisenhunt was fired in Arizona as well.
Turner, who has a 114-122-1 head coaching record overall, was fired by the Chargers, becoming the third team to do so.
Smith and Turner never led the Chargers to the Super Bowl, even though for a number of seasons they had what was regarded as one of the most talented rosters in the NFL.
Especially on the offensive line in front of $94 million player Philip Rivers, Smith’s obvious roster deficiencies contributed to San Diego’s 7-9 record, which marked the team’s first losing season since 2003.
Much of the season was spent under siege in Rivers. He was sacked 49 times and committed 22 turnovers, for a total of 47 in two seasons, as a result of having to scramble for his health.
The Chargers had a string of collapses following a 3-1 start.
They lost on October 7th in New Orleans after blowing a 10-point lead in the third quarter.
On Oct. 15, the Bolts’ epic Monday night faceplant against Denver was captured on camera. They gave up a 24-0 lead at halftime, and Peyton Manning guided the Broncos to a 35-24 victory with ease.
On fourth-and-29 on November 25, the Chargers gave Baltimore’s Ray Rice the opportunity to convert on a dump-down pass. The Ravens prevailed by forcing overtime.
Dean Spanos, the president of the Chargers, also had to think about business matters. The Los Angeles Chargers were losing millions of dollars in potential revenue due to four blackouts, including three in a row.
The fact that no Charger was selected for the Pro Bowl was another indication of the roster’s decline. Eleven Chargers, including five starters, were selected for the NFL all-star game six seasons ago.
Turner was the first person Smith hired. The Chargers started a slow decline after he took over a 14-2 team and made it to the AFC championship game in his first season. They didn’t win the playoffs until after the 2008 campaign. After the 2009 season, they made their final playoff appearance, losing to the New York Jets in a humiliating home game. Turner’s four-year contract extension was announced by the Chargers the following evening.
Spanos had sided with GMs over coaches on two occasions. Just two years after the Chargers won their only Super Bowl, in 1996, he fired Bobby Ross and retained Bobby Beathard. Because of what Spanos described as a “dysfunctional” relationship between the coach and Smith, Marty Schottenheimer was fired in February 2007. According to reports, the two had not spoken to one another for the preceding two years.
This time, the long-term partners, the coach and general manager, were fired.
Turner is the “right coach at the right time” for the Chargers, according to Smith. Turner was 24 games below 500 when he was hired. He had previously played for Washington from 1994 until his firing with three games remaining in the 2000 season, going 49-59-1, and Oakland from 2004 to 2005, going 9-23.
Smith said, “I’m pretty much aware of who he is and where he’s been” at the time. However, this is not Oakland, nor is it Washington. The San Diego Chargers are the team.
Turner had an overall record of 56-40 with the Chargers, but his last two seasons were just 24-24.
Turner’s contract is for $3 million for the remaining season. With $2 million a year, Smith has two more years left.
After his boss, John Butler, passed away from cancer in 2003, Smith was promoted, and the Chargers were 3-5 in the playoffs in ten seasons under his leadership.
Under Turner, they finished 3-3 in the playoffs.
Having worked as offensive coordinator for two of Dallas’ three Super Bowl teams in the 1990s, Turner was well-known for his skill as an offensive schemer.
However, he had trouble controlling the game, and his first four Chargers teams were infamous for having sluggish starts before crazy last-ditch efforts to make the playoffs. As the Chargers prepared to open Turner’s first season with a 3-1 record, supporters started yelling in honor of Schottenheimer, “Mar-ty! Mar-ty!”
Smith, who preferred tough negotiation strategies, had disagreements with the media, agents, and even his own players and coaches. He failed to properly replace Darren Sproles, Michael Turner, Vincent Jackson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, and other stars who were allowed to leave as free agents.
Some outsiders believed that Smith’s ego contributed to the roster’s weakness and that some of his arguments turned personal.
He made fun of Tomlinson, whose career is worthy of the Hall of Fame and included winning the NFL MVP award in 2006. To Smith, Tomlinson’s transgression was disclosing a serious groin injury that occurred toward the end of the 2008 campaign. Before Peyton Manning signed with Denver in April, Smith had made fun of the Manning family as well.
With players, Smith had his successes and failures. The most well-known thing he did was select Eli Manning first overall in the 2004 draft, against Archie Manning’s wishes. He later traded Manning’s rights to the New York Giants in exchange for Philip Rivers and draft picks, which he used to select Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding.
Later in life, Eli Manning won two Super Bowls. Rivers is still without a game.
But Smith seemed to feed off the vapors of that 2004 draft, and his most recent drafts have yielded more busts than impact players.
In 2009, Smith had the option of choosing Clay Matthews, but he chose Larry English instead. He went up sixteen spots in the 2010 draft to select Ryan Mathews, who was Tomlinson’s apparent heir. Matthews has struggled with mishaps and injuries. Troy Polamalu was an option for Smith’s first draft in 2003, but he went with Sammy Davis instead.
While Smith did sign rookie Antonio Gates out of the undrafted class in 2003, he also released Wes Welker after just one game in 2004.
