De-Norvization has to continue this weekend!

[MattGeorge85]

I got me some sweet tickets to watch the Skins kick the Raiders' @$$! I wonder if Norv is going to start crying like when he got canned?

:raidersuc

[Larry]

BC, If you really want to have a "post your favorite Norv moments" thread, I guarantee you'll get traffic.

Mine involves a game @ Detroit. (A team against which we had the longest winning streak of any team in the NFL. The Lions hadn't beaten the Skins for something like 40 years.)

In the first half, the Skins played the ball they were capable of. Steven Davis had something like 22 carries, and averaged 5.5 yds/carry. Our D had held the Lions to a FG. Halftime score, Skins 10-3.

Second half, though, Norv (in what I thought of as The Norv Maneuver) abandoned a running game that was working. In the 3rd Q, Davis got the ball twice, for 5 yards each or so. The Skins went three-and-out several times. Lions had several long drives, but the D kept them out of the end zone. After 3, score was Skins 13-9.

Fourth Q. Skins still leading. But no running plays. Davis touches the ball once. The D was able to keep the Lions out of the end zone, still. But the Skins lose, 13-15.

Back then, redskins.com had a thing on their page called "Ask Norv". You could e-mail the coach your question, and he would pick one question to answer on his Monday TV show.

My question to Norv was: "How can you lead by 10 points at the half, lead by four points after 3, average 5.5 yds/carry running the ball, and lose to a team that didn't score a single touchdown?" (The answer, of course, is: "You take your all-pro running back, who gained 100 yards in the first half, and in the second half you call a total of three running plays.)

(He didn't pick my question to answer.)

And FWIW, here's an article that implies (to a sportswriter) that he's still doing it.

[tr1]

I've always found it odd that the last coach to make the playoffs, and was still in the hunt when he was fired, is the considered "symbolic of the Redskins futility during post-Gibbs" era.

Considering the amount of talent he constantly had, he should have done a lot better.

He always, always found a way to lose the big game. Did I say always? Always.

[tr1]

And since Marty was brought up in the thread, you see this year why he has never gone far into the playoffs. It happened again last weekend. He has the lead and goes into a prevent defense or when he has the ball, calls three running plays...and he loses. And he never changes. He hasn't figured it out yet.

[tizzod]

I saw clips of Norv's press conference after the Raiders lost to the Chiefs. He was talking about how his team "competed". I wanted to laugh my *** off. I remember that "we really competed" line after almost every Norv loss here. How I hated that! I can't believe Al Davis hired him. WHAT was he thinking???

My brother gripes about the same thing!

And don't forget "we need to get better." That's all he ever talked about was having to get better. Because they never did!

[zallera]

Second half, though, Norv (in what I thought of as The Norv Maneuver) abandoned a running game that was working. In the 3rd Q, Davis got the ball twice, for 5 yards each or so.

That's the one thing I remember most about Norv. He always lost his composure and would COMPLETELY abandon the running game, even though that's what his offense was built to do. God that was frustrating to watch. I would scream at the TV to run the effen ball. And god forbid if we were losing by as little as 2 points, the running back would be lucky to even see the field.

Then in the mid-week press conference he would talk about how the team is built to run the ball, that's what it was geared to do, and they need get back to that. Man that was a frustrating time.

[betsy thurman]

That pretty much describes every single Redskin game of the Norv Turner era.

here. here!!! glad to see him go :loser: :ciao:

[Ball Coach]

I certainly don't think he was/is a coach of the year type, but he hasn't been the Redskins coach for years, and some of us still want to blame the mentality of the team over the past few years on him?

[Hog Fever]

The identity of the team as “underachieving chokers” stayed around after Norv left. I can’t explain it any better than that. You learn to lose just like you learn to win. The whole identity of the team needed to change and that takes a plan and time. We can all see what having the right guy in charge has done for the culture of the team. This year feels like the old days to me and I like it. I like it a lot. When was the last time we’ve seen the team play this well? I’m not talking about wins and losses, but real quality play. It’s been since Joe left.

Norv was the captain of the ship for seven years during the longest stretch of underperformance for this team in the last 35 years or so. That’s why Norv will never be respected or accepted here in DC. Good man, lousy head coach.