San Diego Chargers: A.J. Smith and Norv Turner Will Return for 2012 Season

The San Diego Chargers are reporting through the team's website that General Manager A.J. Smith and Head Coach Norv Turner will be brought back for the 2012 season.

This directly contrasts a Saturday report from Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune that reported that Turner would be fired after Sunday's game against the Raiders. 

Turner's Chargers defeated the Raiders on Sunday, giving them an 8-8 record on the season. They have missed the playoffs for two consecutive seasons.

This move is baffling. When the report broke on Saturday that he was going to be let go, I wrote this, and nothing has changed my opinion. The only thing that's happened since then is the Chargers beat the self imploding Raiders on Sunday, keeping them out of the playoffs. 

That's nice, but it's hardly good enough to justify him being kept for another season. They have missed the playoffs for two seasons in a row. This season, a team with that much talent couldn't even manage a playoff appearance in a division that was won with an 8-8 record. 

The division will not be that bad next year. 

The Chiefs will be healthier, more resembling the division champions of 2010. The Raiders have a wealth of offensive talent, and will have a returning Darren McFadden, as well as a full Training Camp with either Carson Palmer, or a returning Jason Campbell. The Broncos are an enigma, but are certainly in better position than they were at this time last season.

Turner is just not a head coach. He's a fine coordinator, but he doesn't have the ability to get the most out of his players. Since he's been in San Diego, the results have gotten worse every year. 

He started in 2007. Take a look at the team's results.

Year	End Result	Playoff Record
2007	L-AFC Championship Game	2-1
2008	L-AFC Divisional Playoffs	1-1
2009	L-AFC Divisional Playoffs	0-1
2010	Missed the playoffs	N/A
2011	Missed the playoffs	N/A

As the team has gotten more of Turner's influence in, their production has decreased. There's no excuse for them to be 8-8 and missing the playoffs, playing in the AFC West. But for the second year in a row, that's what's happened. 

They can bring Turner back. But the Chargers' are kidding themselves if they think the results are going to get any better. This is a gigantic step towards staying mediocre.

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