San Diego Chargers officially fire Norv Turner and A.J. Smith

Adam Schefter reported this morning that the San Diego Chargers would fire both head coach Norv Turner and General Manager A.J. Smith, and both have unsurprisingly been canned by the Chargers after another incredibly disappointing season for this franchise. It is difficult not to feel bad for Chargers fans (unless if you are a fan of another AFC West team, especially the Oakland Raiders), because this team has been mediocre and underperforming for too long.

The Chargers finished the season 7-9, and the offense was mostly to blame. Since Turner controls the entire offense, it’s safe to say that most of the blame falls on him. I have no idea how he wasn’t fired much sooner, because this move has come far too late. There was a slim chance that Smith could have been kept, but he also deserves to be fired.

San Diego was once rumored to be the “favorites” to land Andy Reid, since it would have been an attractive landing spot for the now-fired Philadelphia Eagles coach. But he most likely won’t be headed to the Chargers, since Adam Schefter has reported that he is not currently a candidate for the coaching gig in San Diego. He could end up with the Jacksonville Jaguars or the Arizona Cardinals if those coaches are fired. Mike Mularkey will likely be staying, but Ken Whisenhunt will likely be on the way out after the Cardinals fired GM Rod Graves in an unsurprising move. It sounds like Whisenhunt’s status with the team has not been decided yet, but usually head coaches and GMs get fired together, just as Smith and Turner did.

Smith’s antics in the front office have costed his team over the past couple of years, and it will be interesting to see where he lands up. He still has plenty of cred as an exec and should end up as an upper-level guy for another franchise due to his talent. Turner is a good offensive mind and a solid OC, especially as far as play-calling goes. I doubt he ever gets a chance to be a head coach again, especially since he seems to be less of a player’s coach and is a poor motivator. That’s one of the most important traits that separates good offensive coordinators from good head coaches. We will likely see Turner being snapped up as an OC soon.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.