We knew in Washington that Turner was a terrific offensive coach. So the fact that San Diego is dominating offensively is no surprise. Give Turner a quality quarterback (Brad Johnson in 1999) and watch him roll. He’s an aggressive play-caller and when his offenses work, they’re very fun to watch.
Here are a few other thoughts from his time here:
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1. He was insecure. Turner was a first-time head coach and perhaps he’s different now. But he loved making excuses after losses; it’s why the joke here was that he never lost a game — the players did. The day after a loss, Turner often would stand in the lobby chatting with a favored reporter and giving all the reasons why they lost. After his press conferences, others in the organization would call a reporter or two to ask, “Who did he blame today?” But some of that also stemmed from Turner’s belief in his system — “What we do works,” — and himself. He’s doing something right to have now served as a head coach for three teams. Sometimes he was overconfident, as in his belief that he could make something out of Michael Westbrook. Before the draft it was known what sort of guy he was; but Turner was adamant that he could make it work with him. So they selected him and not Joey Galloway.
2. He was not the best communicator. He was different on the conference call with us Wednesday; less starting and stopping sentences and changing thoughts mid-stream. So maybe he’s improved in that regard. But what I remember is a coach who was difficult to transcribe because of the starting and stopping. As one player said at the time, “It’s tough for us too.”
3. He believed in a star system. That was true even with the media. After seven seasons, some beat reporters were convinced Turner did not know their names. It was like that with players, too. He knew their names, but some were convinced that there were different rules for different players, a Jimmy Johnson philosophy.
4. He was a decent guy. One thing that always stuck with me about Turner is how he would arrange his schedule to be at his son’s football games. He’d come to work earlier on Friday mornings so he could put in his work and still make it to his games that night. And the morning of his son’s first high school practice, Turner was at the field — despite arriving home early in the morning from training camp. Also heard that how supportive he was of the program and didn’t try to big time anyone. These qualities are why he had some major supporters in the organization; one person called Turner the best person he ever knew.
5. The hug. I’ll never forget the hug. After Washington beat San Francisco to win the NFC East title in 1999, he and owner Dan Snyder had probably the most fake, and awkward, hug you’ll ever see. It summed up their relationship. Though they vacationed once together, they weren’t exactly close. Snyder didn’t hire him and knew what the fans knew: Turner hadn’t done much before 1999. Certainly Turner didn’t appreciate the chewing out after a loss in Dallas, in earshot of players. It wasn’t easy for Turner to coach here — he twice had to stop Snyder from firing defensive coordinator Mike Nolan.
