News of Norv!

The Panthers have beaten one team that's above 500. But go on. The knock against Norv has always been that he can't do squat without all star players. His greatest success came with a stacked team. I'm impressed that he has his team in the top half offensively, but a loss against Pittsburgh was easy to predict and I see the bottom falling out shortly. Its only been the last 2 games they've been higher than the mid-20s in offense. That's the longest a Norv team has been at that level since before he was a Viking.

if he can maintain it, you have my permission to post a picture of me with my foot in my mouth.

Yeah, I thought the Panthers were in the fast lane to 9-7 last year too around the time they played the Vikings, but they won that game and made the playoffs. I never think Carolina is going to be any good, but they make the playoffs more often than not lately-four of the last five years. So, I am not about to wait for the crash that may never come.

As for Turner's acumen, or lack thereof? Yeah, his teams have been all over the place offensively in his career. Usually in the top half, and true, that was with Dallas and San Diego. Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Philip Rivers and LaDanian Tomlinson, et cetera. But, there are exceptions. He did manage to get the 1999 Redskins to 2nd in yards and points with Brad Johnson and Stephen Davis-solid players, but not perennial Pro Bowlers by any means. He got upper half offensive production out of the 2002 Dolphins with Jay Fiedler and Ray Lucas teaming up with Ricky Williams.

You show me a coach whose system produces no matter who you plug in. Mike McCarthy's offenses look decidely more ordinary when Brett Hundley is playing instead of Aaron Rodgers. Andy Reid's Alex Smith-led offenses were efficient if unextraordinary...but Pat Mahomes has them putting up incredible numbers. Josh McDaniel's tenure in Denver with Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow was a tad less successful than his times in New England.

Is Sean Payton a genius, or does having Drew Brees as your starting QB for all but two games (in reality, 3 because Taysom Hill took the first snap against the Vikings, but come on) of your career make you look pretty damn smart? Tom Moore's system worked no matter which QB you used so long as it was Peyton Manning. So on, and so forth.

Norv Turner had Aikman, Smith and Irvin and he won Super Bowls. He has Bridgewater, Asiata/McKinnon, and Charles Johnson and it sputters? No way.

I don't know what Norv Turner is doing in Carolina, and I don't really care. The biggest knock I had with him in Minnesota was that he ran the same gameplan no matter who was playing or what the situation was. Far too often, he did not account for pass rushers by holding the running back in place or keeping the tight end in to block. He refused to mass protect, and he called plays designed to get five yards when twelve yards were needed.

Turner certainly is no neophyte when is comes to offensive design, but that may have been part of the problem. Dallas had Pro Bowl and Hall of Fame linemen to protect Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman; the Vikings had a bunch of broken down mules, but Turner kept calling seven step drops to three deep receivers running simple nine routes or long crossing patterns when a quick pass would likely have been better in that situation.

If it is 3rd and 10, why even have a two yard check down? There is a very low percentage that that player will make a first down, and he would be better off blocking to allow the deeper players to have time to get open. Yes, that player does hold a linebacker in place, but that doesn't really help the deep passes get open, as the linebacker is not likely assigned a deep zone to begin with.

What it really comes down to is trying to call high percentage plays for the situation. Draw plays and bubble screens on 3rd and 13 are low percentage. Out routes for three yards when nine are needed are unlikely going to get the YAC needed because of angular momentum; the same can be said for routes where the receiver sets up under the zone three or five yards from the sticks. It is very difficult to get YAC needed when the receiver is stopped or coming back to the ball. It is much better to push those zones back and set up beyond the first down or to run a comeback two or more yards beyond the needed yardage. That doesn't mean three go routes.

Turner didn't use clearing routes or pick routes much either, and those make a huge difference in today's NFL. Sometimes the tertiary route has to be given up to free the primary, and increasing the play percentage to the primary is the key to good play design whether it is down field routes or the blocking scheme that adds the most upside to the play. That is, a higher percentage to make the needed yardage rather than a higher percentage to make some yardage. Unless a team is backed up to the goal line, there is almost no statistical advantage to getting three yards on 3rd and 10 as there is from just throwing the ball away if the needed routes are not open. Having a two yard outlet pass in that situation is almost meaningless. Norv Turner never understood that - at least not in Minnesota.

Thats redonkulous. 3 weeks ago the Panthers were 28th offensively.

He couldn't and didnt even try to adapt his playcalling, as Minniman has eloquently detailed. It was the same old stuff that didn't work, over and over and over.