San Diego Chargers: Why the Team and Fanbase Have Quit on Norv Turner

When San Diego Chargers' general manager AJ Smith hired Norv Turner in 2007, the majority of Chargers' fans shared the same reaction: Why?

Marty Schottenheimer was a fantastic regular season coach, but he couldn't get the job done in the playoffs. 

In Schottenheimer's place, many Chargers' fans hoped for a young, energetic head coach like Rex Ryan or Ron Rivera. Instead, Smith gave his franchise's fans an old, unexciting coach in Turner.

However, Chargers' fans tried to rationalize the Turner hiring by telling themselves that he had been a victim of unfortunate circumstance in the past.

In Washington, Turner was given the most expensive team in the NFL by owner Daniel Snyder. What Snyder didn't know is that all the expensive players he signed were past their prime and that signing a perceived all-star team would not be beneficial to gaining victories.

As the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, Turner was essentially a figurehead. Al Davis held the real power in Oakland and he was in the process of running the franchise into the ground. 

In Turner's first season with the Chargers, he quieted critics by leading an injury-riddled roster to the AFC championship game.

From there, his results got worse. In Turner's second season, his team finished with an 8-8 record, narrowly making the playoffs. 

Turner's third season featured a fantastic 13-3 record. Unfortunately, the Chargers lost their first game of the playoffs to the New York Jets.

In the loss to the Jets, Turner's team looked eerily similar to Schottenheimer's disappointing Chargers. 

Last season appeared to be the low point of Turner's coaching career with the Chargers. The Chargers missed the playoffs with a 9-7 record and fans were calling for his head.

However, Smith left San Diegans scratching their heads when he allowed Turner to continue in his capacity as head coach.

The offseason featured a slew of stories from various media outlets saying that Turner would not allow his team to start off slow and miss the playoffs again.

Turner's 4-1 start to the season kept the sharks at bay for a bit. Then, the Chargers began their ongoing six game losing streak.

In his postgame press conferences, Turner has sounded ridiculous while giving endless excuses. The fact of the matter is that the Chargers have looked unprepared for years and their unpreparedness is directly attributable to their head coach. 

No one knows why Turner still holds a job in San Diego. The fact that Smith has yet to fire Turner shows his unwillingness to own up to his mistake. Chargers' fans are well aware that this isn't the first time Smith's ego has damaged the Chargers.

Turner's reputation coupled with his progressively worse performance each season has left Chargers' fans with a terrible taste in their mouths.

It is clear that the players have quit on Turner and the fans quit on him a long time ago. Luckily for the Chargers' fan base, Smith will likely be canned with Turner at the end of the season.

It is time for a new regime in San Diego. The fans and players both deserve it.