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Raiders expected to fire head coach Turner
/ Associated Press
Posted: 2 hours ago
ALAMEDA, Calif. - The Oakland Raiders had such high expectations when they headed to New England to open the season in a nationally televised night game against the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Randy Moss had arrived following seven seasons in Minnesota to be the biggest star of what was considered a high-powered offense also including Kerry Collins, Jerry Porter and LaMont Jordan.
Failure to get more out of talented wide receiver Randy Moss could be just one reason why the Raiders are expected to fire Norv Turner as head coach. (David Zalubowski / Associated Press)
Now, coach Norv Turner is expected to be fired as soon as Tuesday, and a big reason is he didn't find a way to get more out of Moss and the rest of his talented offensive players — a perplexing situation considering Turner is so highly regarded as an offensive coach.
He tried backup quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo in place of a struggling Collins against the Jets on Dec. 11, but that didn't work either. Oakland lost 26-10.
The Raiders scored only 51 points, with just six touchdowns, in their final five games and lost their last six overall and eight of nine. At 4-12, they finished with one fewer victory than in Turner's first season a year ago.
Perhaps the most glaring statistic is Oakland's failure to win a division game for the first time since owner Al Davis came aboard in 1963 to coach and eventually own the team. The Raiders went 1-11 against the AFC West during Turner's two seasons.
On Sunday, a day after ending the season with a 30-21 loss to the New York Giants, Turner said he had no regrets — and wouldn't discuss what he would have done differently if given a chance to go back and start again.
"I'm appreciative of this team, and I'll say for the most part - because it's never 100 percent - these guys have hung in there, they have tried to do what we asked them to do, and they've gotten themselves ready on a weekly basis,'' Turner said. "So, the loyalty part of it is a part of this game and, sure, you appreciate that.''
If Davis ousts Turner, the 76-year-old owner will begin searching for the franchise's third head coach in five years. Davis fired Bill Callahan after the 2003 season, less than a year removed from the Raiders' Super Bowl loss to Tampa Bay and former coach Jon Gruden.
Many of Turner's players say another coaching change is the last thing they want.
"I think it would be a waste,'' safety Jarrod Cooper said. "Why would you do that? The coach had nothing to do with dropped balls, missed tackles or nothing like that. Everyone just has to get on the same page. This is the best team I've been on. All we have to do is just get it right. We could bring in 10 new coaches, but 10 new coaches aren't going to do anything for nobody if all the players aren't on the same page.''
Moss didn't speak to the local media again since the Sept. 8 season-opening 30-20 loss to the Patriots, standing by his training camp vow to keep to himself and let his play speak for itself. He apparently bolted after Saturday's loss before Turner addressed the team.
Moss didn't have the kind of season he'd hoped for, and at times it seemed Collins wasn't even looking in his direction. Moss had his only multi-touchdown game in Saturday's loss to the Giants, making seven receptions for 116 yards, with TD catches of 15 and 44 yards. He finished his first Raiders season with 60 catches for 1,005 yards and eight touchdowns.
Most players insist they should take the blame for the mess that was this season.
Oakland's defense did make major strides, with defensive tackle Warren Sapp having a comeback season before it was cut short by a shoulder injury that required surgery. And end Derrick Burgess, Oakland's lone representative for next month's Pro Bowl, led the NFL with 16 sacks, establishing a franchise record in the process.
Linebacker Danny Clark, who stood before the Raiders in March and asked his teammates to look inside themselves to turn things around, is left wondering why things went wrong.
"It's a situation where you have to lick your wounds,'' Clark said. "You've got to have an optimistic at ude. That's something that I have. Being a captain of this team, I feel like we have to as a whole have some deep self-improvement. As far as looking ourselves in the mirror, what do we want to get done the following season? Right now we have a little bit of time to do that. It's really tough to watch the playoffs.''
Collins could be looking for a new job, too, though he hopes not. He will count $12.9 million against the salary cap next season, but is willing to restructure his deal to stay. He said the coaching situation "will have some effect'' on his decision.
"I want to be here, but I'm not going to play for peanuts either,'' he said.
The 33-year-old Collins started out well this season, but couldn't maintain any consistency. He completed 302 passes for 3,759 yards - his most since 2002 with the Giants - and 20 touchdowns, was sacked 39 times and threw 12 interceptions. He didn't have a turnover Saturday for the first time since a win over Dallas on Oct. 2.
"I wish I had a good explanation,'' he said. "It was different things every game that ultimately led us to not be able to execute and score the amount of points we wanted. I'll take responsibility. It was disappointing.''
