San Diego Chargers Coaching Staff Ready to Shock Critics

Soon after Norv Turner was hired as the Chargers head coach, some know-it-all analyst on ESPN could be heard saying that if San Diego didn't reach the Super Bowl in his first season, maybe he and general manager A.J. Smith should be fired.

Turner didn't take the Chargers to the Super Bowl in that first year, but he came awfully close. The Bolts were upended by New England in the 2007 season's AFC Championship Game. Then, last year the squad lost to the eventual world champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in the divisional round.

So why hasn't Turner been fired, you might ask? The answer: Because Chargers management has a clue, unlike that unnamed ESPN "analyst."

A statement like that prior to a coach's first year is more than irrational. Who knows what will happen over the course of a season? 

Injuries, bad calls, funny bounces—they’ve all been known to happen, right? The analyst’s point, however, is that expectations for the Chargers were high when Turner took over and they continue to be today.

Turneras hired after Chargers management fired Marty Schottenheimer, who was let go for several reasons—including that debacle in the 2006 postseason against New England and his insistence that he be allowed to hire his brother as defensive coordinator.

All that Schottenheimer stuff is history under the bridge now. All A.J. Smith would ever say about Schottenheimer and his relationship was that the two football men's philosophies were “galaxies apart.”

Charger fans have turned the page. But that doesn't mean they've all warmed to Turner, who guided the Dallas Cowboys' powerful offense during the '90s. 

Before coming to San Diego, Turner had a dismal 58-82-1 record as a head coach. Let’s just say there were no busts in Canton already in the works at that point for head coach Turner.

But who knows, there could be one day.

Simply put, Turner is now in charge of a team with endless weapons and a franchise quarterback in Philip Rivers. This is not the Washington Redskins, circa 1996; or the 2003 Oakland Raiders. Smith praises Turner for his cool under pressure and his play calling.

Those traits will be put to the test again this season, but he'll have more help running the show as former Browns offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski has been hired as assistant head coach.

The Chargers didn't make many big moves on the free agency front—they really didn't need to—but Chudzinski's assistance in game management could look awfully smart when the season comes along.

The most important coach under Turner will be Ron Rivera. The defensive coordinator, who took over for Ted Cottrell after he was fired at last season's mid-way point, is known for his aggressive blitz packages. With Shawne Merriman healthy and the arrival of first round draft pick Larry English, Rivera will have some toys to play with.