Chargers win vindicates Enright as well as Turner

When the San Diego Chargers won their first-round playoff game January 6, the win quashed criticism about Chargers coach Norv Turner.

Turner’s ability to win a first-round playoff game, which eluded his immediate predecessor, was also pleasin to Turner’s college coach, Fallbrook resident Dick Enright.

“I was so glad to see Norval win,” Enright said.

Enright was the head coach at the University of Oregon in 1972 and 1973.

In 1972 Turner was the backup to Dan Fouts, who spent the ensuing 15 years as a quarterback for the Chargers. Turner and junior college transfer Herb Singleton split Oregon’s quarterbacking duties for the 1973 season.

Enright’s perception of Turner’s coaching was first recorded prior to the 1973 season when Enright was interviewed by a group of writers covering what was then the PAC-8 conference. Enright’s quotes to the writers included “Turner has a great deal of knowledge of the game” and “It’s just like having another coach on the field”.

Turner was Oregon’s starter in 1974 and started his coaching career the following year as a graduate assistant at Oregon before spending nine years as a USC assistant coach.

Turner first became an assistant coach in the National Football League with the Los Angeles Rams in 1985.

In 1994 he obtained his first head coaching position, with the Washington Redskins, and compiled a record of 49-59-1 prior to his firing during the 2000 season.

The record does not include one playoff win and one playoff loss in 1999.

After spending 2001 through 2003 as an assistant coach, Turner became the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2004 and 2005.

The Raiders, who finished 4-12 the year before Turner arrived, were 5-11 in Turner’s first year and 4-12 in 2005.

The Raiders did no better without Turner.

“The next year they were terrible,” Enright said.

In 2006 the Raiders had a record of 2-14, scored a total of 168 points for the season, and lacked an offensive touchdown in eight of their 16 games.

Turner’s record as a head coach led to criticism when he was hired by the Chargers in 2007, but a significant difference existed between the 2006 Chargers and the 2003 Raiders.

“Now he took over a 14-2 team.

That’s wonderful,” Enright said.

The Chargers replaced not only previous coach Marty Schottenheimer but also their 2006 offensive and defensive coordinators.

Turner started his Chargers career with a win over the Chicago Bears, whose previous game was Super Bowl XLI.

The Chargers’ next game was against the New England Patriots, who didn’t lose any of their other 15 regular-season games.

“They were exposed by the Patriots,” Enright said.

San Diego’s third game of the year was against the Green Bay Packers, who also earned a division championship for 2007.

“They did exactly what the Patriots did,” Enright said.

A loss to the Kansas City Chiefs placed Turner’s record at 1-3 after four games and created calls for his departure.

The win was one more than Bobby Ross had in his first four games as the Chargers’ coach.

“People forget that.

He was a great coach,” Enright said of Ross.

Only two Chargers head coaches have won a majority of their first four games.

Schottenheimer posted a 4-0 record in 2002 prior to an 8-8 season finish while Mike Riley’s 1999 season began with a 3-1 record and concluded at 8-8.

Ross led the Chargers to an 11-5 record in 1992, the same final record the Chargers achieved in Turner’s first year.

Don Coryell, who took over the Chargers during the 1978 season, also lost three of his first four games.

Coryell won seven of the season’s final eight games, although at that time a 9-7 record was not sufficient for a playoff berth.

The loss to the Chiefs was followed by a 41-3 win over the Denver Broncos.

“That was their turning point,” Enright said.

The remainder of the 2007 season included a win over the Indianapolis Colts, who won Super Bowl XLI.

Turner thus became only the second Chargers coach to beat both of the previous season’s Super Bowl entrants; Coryell defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Rams in 1979 and the San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals in 1982.

The Chargers also won their division in 2007.

“Good guys don’t always finish last,” Enright said.

Ross endured an 8-8 season in 1993 before leading the Chargers to their only Super Bowl appearance the following season.

Neither Ross nor Schottenheimer ever coached the Chargers to a second consecutive division title, so Turner joins Coryell and Sid Gillman as the only Chargers coaches to defend a division championship.

Coryell lost his first Chargers playoff game while Schottenheimer’s post-season experience with the Chargers consisted of two first-game home losses.

Gillman’s first post-season contest with the Chargers was the initial American Football League championship game won by the Houston Oilers, so Ross is the only Chargers coach other than Turner to win his first playoff game with San Diego.

“The only problem with Norv is he tries too hard sometimes,” Enright said.

“He’s so competitive he tries to take it too much upon himself.”