If you want a "proven" retread, all of those people talk about except Cowher crapped out and were fired for suckdom.
Listening to NFL Radio, a fan from Cleveland called in with this about Chud: "...in that game, Derrick Anderson threw four interceptions. Chudzinski was the coordinator."
Well! I guess that's it! I mean a guy who orders his quarterback to throw interceptions is obviously incompetant! This guy should be in Congress!
I need to remind everybody of this, too: Chud (or Turner) never dropped a pass, fumbled, blew a route, or threw an interception.
There's no reason why Chud can't be a good or great head coach. He has a solid history as a position coach and coordinator, especially for those who comprehend that he doesn't blow routes/drop/fumble/throw interceptions.
Somehow, some people in Cleveland blame this guy for DA's inexplicable regression, Braylon Edwards dropping every fifth pass (much higher percentage in red zone), K2 getting injured, holes in his offensive line, weak recievers, and weak running backs, but I assure you he didn't do all that stuff.
That's why he was immediately re-hired by another team as a coordinator-where he tweaked and diddled his offense for the rookie Cam Newton. EVERYBODY said that Newton wasn't polished enough and would need a year to develop as a pro, but Chud got results immediately, and is widely admired for it.
I also insinctively like Chud because he grew up here and is one of us.
Here is a copy/paste of the entire email I got from my old pal Judge Mental:
Oh no another no name head coach! He wants norv turner (who has failed everywhere he has been). I know you will still be a Schill but oh well. You owe me .600 big ones that has to be thousands by now.
Norv Turner has been a below-average head coach but is universally respected as an EXCELLENT offensive coordinator whose offenses are always near the top in most categories.
He's further regarded as very good with quarterbacks. He's given maybe too much credit for developing Troy Aikman, but he certainly had a lot to do with it, as with his arrival Aikman in his second season was possibly the best quarterback in the NFL.
...and the Cowboys went from the basement to two Superbowl wins upon his arrival.
Turner's offense is an offshoot of Don "Air" Coryell's. It is a timing offense like the West Coast, but uses more deep routes.
Naturally Turner's version is unique to himself, and to date was most likely altered to fit the players he had to work with.
His offenses have been called "predictable", and maybe they are, because for each game he scripts thirteen or so first down plays. On fridays and in pre-game warmups, those are the only plays the offense practices.
Norv's priority is execution, so he doesn't have a 400-page playbook. He has a number of basic plays, but the same plays can be run from different formations in order to isolate a defender and confuse the defense. This is Peyton Manning's favorite offense.
Each reciever has two or three route options based on his reads. The recievers need to be smart, because the quarterback will throw to a spot before he makes his move.
Coryell wanted two deep recievers, but Turner has been sending one guy deep and sending others underneath. With the arrival of Chuck Muncie, Coryell also sort of pioneered the one-back spread offense, too--but I digress.
Norv loves the 2-back, and his base formation is a 21 (two backs, on tight end, two wide recievers).
Unlike Pat Shurmer, Norv likes to use a blocking fullback. I say unlike Pat Shurmer because Shurmer doesn't use a blocking back, so that's why Vickers was let go so shut up.
Ahead of the draft and free agency, and just talking about the roster he will inherit as of now, and based on tweaks he might make based on this, I will now speculate on what he might turn the Browns offense into:
Alex Smith last season worked as a fullback and H-Back in Shurmer's offensive system. Brad Smelley was a seventh-round rookie tight end who projected to a similar role. Owen Marecic was a true fullback thought to be a good blocker, but it's looking kinda grim for him, even with the system change.
Now, I simply don't buy that Turner wants a roster space taken up by a back who blocks but can't run or catch. Here I may be projecting my own biases, so there's your disclaimer.
Given Smelley and Smith, I believe he'll tweak the "fullback" into more of an H-Back who will line up at different spots and go in motion sometimes, and who will be an outlet reciever when not protecting or lead-blocking.
Smelley is a shorter, smaller guy who didn't do a lot of lead-blocking in college, but there's no reason he can't be good at it in his second season, and he can certainly line up anywhere. In fact, his shorter stature helps him change directions quicker and gives him more leverage.
Smith was a highly-touted tight end prospect with speed to go with blocking, but underachieved early-on, and was injured.
Heckert grabbed him cheap, and since he has been on this team he's done a great job. Shurmer actually tweaked his offense to get him on the field more, as he had to give Cameron some reps and to favor Ben Watson as a true tight end.
I do believe that what Turner will run here will technicly be a two-back, but with an expanded role for the fullback.
Coryell and all his followers wanted a strong-armed quarterback who could threaten every part of the field. This is Weeden and not the other guys. His arrival means that unless McCoy is much stronger this season, barring a free agent the Browns will sink or swim with Weeden.
Aside from the absence of a pure goon fullback, every other part of this offense is exactly tailor-made for Norv Turner to use. He's got the burners in Josh Gordon and Benjamin (and in reality Little can go deep), the running backS, the tight ends...
Speaking of which, all these guys can be wing and move tight ends. They can line up in the slot or wide, and they can run wide reciever routes. Coryell exploited this, and you can expect Turner to do it too.
The presence of a lead-blocker reduces the need for a Fanika-type pulling guard, and a smashmouth bulldozer line is perfectly okay. Joe Gibbs was also a Coryellian, and rode the Hogs to the Superbowl.
We can only hope: The Cowboys were 1-15 or something one year with the rookie Aikman, then they hired Norv and won a Superbowl. We can only hope that he can do the same for Weeden.
Norv's offense is deliberately simpler than Shurmer's West Coast, and there are a lot of similar concepts so that the transition won't be as tough as it could have been. This offense might even feel "easy" for Weeds.
The first read is always deep, and the progression comes down from there. This will make it easier for Weeden to progress through them, and make him happy because he's a mad bomber at heart.
The second back makes it harder for a defense to send extra people after him, and (if I'm right about how he'll adapt to the people he's got) there will be no shortage of bail-out catch-and-runners...
If Brandon Weeden trusts his reads and GETS RID OF THE DAMN BALL. Remember when he banged his head on Thomas's leg and was concussed? Did you see Joe's non-reaction? They won't say it, but trust me, the offensive linemen are sick of protecting him for eight or nine seconds and still giving up a sack.
I've had Gene Hickerson in my taxi cab. He hated Bernie Kosar! Later in his carreer, Saint Bernard took a whole bunch of 9-10-second sacks. I suggested he was trying to get Belichick fired. Gene wouldn't comment on that.
Another thing about Turner the OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR is that he's a great playcaller.
Here's the best Article written by Norv Turner on his offensive philosophy. I've found
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