Chargers not ready to make a change
SAM FARMER / ON THE NFL
Despite team's struggles, GM says Norv Turner's job is not in jeopardy
Reporting from San Diego — That tick-tick-ticking the San Diego Chargers are hearing is the NFL season winding down. It is not -- as some of their fans might hope -- the clock expiring on the Norv Turner era.
Turner will be the coach in 2009. His boss said so this week.
"Hasn't been discussed. Ever," General Manager A.J. Smith said of a potential coaching change. "The man's a year and a half on the job, and I understand the win-loss record isn't good this year. We're disappointed in that, but it's not over yet with six games to go."
Despite having one of the league's most talent-laden rosters, the Chargers are 4-6, two games behind Denver in AFC West, and haven't won consecutive games since late September. They play host to Indianapolis tonight.
Smith first confirmed Turner is on solid ground earlier this week, when asked about it by reporters from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
"The reason the question was asked was because the community was up in arms with all kinds of e-mails and opinions that the coach has got to go. And we responded to it," he said in a phone interview. "I thought it was ridiculous. But if you're asking me the question, I guess I'll answer it."
There is a road map back to respectability for the Chargers, although it sounds a lot more simple than it actually is. They just need to repeat what they did last season.
The Chargers were 5-5 at this point last season and coming off a loss a Jacksonville. They returned home to face Baltimore, and on Nov. 25 -- the anniversary is Tuesday -- beat the Ravens for the first victory in an eight-game winning streak that would carry them all the way to the AFC championship game at New England.
So is there a flicker of hope this season's Chargers can make the same kind of run? To hear Smith tell it, the turnaround has to start with the defense. He said the decision to replace defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell with Ron Rivera is already paying dividends, even though the Chargers are coming off an 11-10 loss to Pittsburgh.
Smith said that after the 37-32 loss to New Orleans in London last month: "I thought the spirit was diminished and the fire was done and the bottom had fallen out. I felt very strongly about that, as did other people."
Immediately after that loss, Smith had his regular midseason meeting with Chargers owner Dean Spanos, Turner, and Ed McGuire, vice president of football operations. That's when the decision was made to fire Cottrell.
