Holy Crap! - Tell me if this doesnt sound exactly like an article today. Listen to what the players said.
Al Davis had more sense than Spanos.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/art...red-2507546.phpNorv Turner became the sixth NFL head coach to be fired in the past three days when the 4-12 Raiders dismissed him today following two losing seasons.
Turner, 53, met with team owner Al Davis just before noon and was given the news everyone expected. The Raiders' 2005 record helped cement his departure: Davis also fired Joe Bugel and Bill Callahan following 4-12 finishes, in 1997 and 2003, respectively.
Turner's Raiders had a 9-23 overall record and 1-11 division record -- including an 0-6 mark against the AFC West in 2005, a first since Davis' association with the Raiders began in 1963.
The team's streak of three losing seasons also is a first for Davis, 76, who became frustrated by the Raiders' lack of scoring and consistency, despite a roster boasting big-name, big-money players in quarterback Kerry Collins, wide receivers Randy Moss and Jerry Porter and running back LaMont Jordan.
Under Turner, the Raiders led the NFL in penalties in 2004-05, a perennial problem for a franchise that sees itself as unfairly targeted by NFL officiating.
He had one year remaining on a three-year contract worth about $8 million, a club option that the Raiders declined. Turner, however, will receive the remaining $1.75 million unless he finds work with another NFL team.
Despite Turner's lack of success in Oakland, he remained popular with his players. In the final days, following a season-ending 30-21 home loss to the New York Giants, many of them publicly defended their head coach and his staff.
"You fire Norv, and boom -- you bring in a whole new staff, a whole new system, and I don't know if that's the best thing," safety Stuart Schweigert said before the firing.
Said safety Jarrod Cooper, "I think it would be a waste. Why would you do that? The coach had nothing to do with dropped balls, missed tackles or nothing like that.
"Everyone just has to get on the same page. This is the best team I've been on. All we have to do is just get it right. We could bring in 10 new coaches, but 10 new coaches aren't going to do anything for nobody if all the players aren't on the same page."
Only Moss, who finished his first season as a Raider with 60 receptions for 1,005 yards and eight touchdowns, seemed to openly reject Turner's leadership.
The enigmatic star refused interview requests by Bay Area reporters following a Sept. 8 loss at New England, saying he wanted his play to speak for him. He offered a tepid opinion of Turner during a November 15 interview with ESPN.
Asked for his opinion of Turner as a head coach, Moss paused for nearly 15 seconds, then responded, "I think his approach, being an offensive-minded coach, is something that I can accept. ... He's the man. I leave it at that."
But Moss made a telling statement about his feelings for Turner and the '05 season last Saturday night, when he bolted from the Coliseum locker room before Turner addressed the team following the loss to the Giants.
Collins, who passed for 3,759 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2005 -- his most productive season since 2002 with the Giants -- was the target of boos, along with Turner, for completing 54 percent of his passes, losing and throwing 12 interceptions.
He said last week he would like to return in 2006 and would be willing to consider restructuring his contract, which calls for him to be paid $8.5 million in salary and bonuses. But Collins also said Turner's fate "will have some effect" on his decision to remain in Oakland.
For now, Turner is the fall guy.
Read more:
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Raiders-coach-T urner-is-fired-2507546.php#ixzz2DYNaBl13
