SAN DIEGO – Were those tears in Norv Turner’s eyes or just remnants of the rain?
“It’s probably the rain,” Turner said when asked about his watery red eyes.
If Turner did shed a tear after his Chargers defeated the Titans 17-6 yesterday to win the franchise’s first playoff game in 13 years, who could blame him? Turner wasn’t a popular hiring last February when he was chosen to replace Marty Schottenheimer, who was dismissed despite going 14-2 during the 2006 regular season. And when the Chargers got off to a 1-3 start this season, Turner was criticized in the media and booed by fans, who chanted: “Mar-ty, Mar-ty.”
But the Chargers’ win yesterday was sweet vindication, though Turner wouldn’t admit it to the media after the game.
“I don’t buy into those things,” Turner said. “If you’re a coach it’s always about next week. I’m going to enjoy this (win). We did the things we needed to do. Next week is a big game for us.”
His players were more revealing saying Turner was “emotional” after the game – and deservedly so.
“Norv was brought here in an odd situation,” LaDainian Tomlinson said. “It was either get us back to the playoffs and win in the playoffs or you’re a failure. He was given the raw end of the stick even early on when people were booing him and yelling, ‘Mar-ty.’ That was unfair for him.”
Wide receiver Chris Chambers played for Turner in Miami and probably knows him better than most of the Chargers.
“It meant a lot to him,” Chambers said. “It’s great to see him come back from where he has been. He kept plugging. To see where the team was and where the team is right now is a big difference.”
After the Chargers’ recent postseason failures, Turner had to win at least one playoff game to have this season and his hiring judged a success. Now he’ll carry a seven-game winning streak to Indianapolis, where he’ll be trying to upset the defending world champion Colts on Sunday.
The Chargers beat the Colts 23-21 in San Diego last November when Peyton Manning threw six interceptions and Adam Vinatieri missed a 29-yard field goal with 1:31 remaining.
“I yelled ‘miss it’ when Vinatieri kicked that last time,” Turner said. “We’ve had some things happen that have been good for us. We’re a physical team and we’ve improved in the areas we needed to get better. We’ve improved our pass coverage. We’re a lot better on our pass defense. We’re a lot better passing team. Those combinations of things will help us.”
