Raiders name interim OC, hire former NFL head coach as advisor
The Raiders are reaching into their past to try to get their struggling offense going.
The team hired Norv Turner, its former head coach, as a senior advisor Tuesday. The Raiders also promoted pass game coordinator Scott Turner, Norv’s son, to interim offensive coordinator. Norv Turner is expected to help his son diagnose the team’s offensive problems and find solutions for the last eight games of the season.
Scott Turner was promoted after coach Antonio Pierce decided to fire offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, offensive line coach James Cregg and quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello on Sunday after a 41-24 loss to the Bengals.
Senior offensive assistant Joe Philbin is taking over for Cregg on an interim basis. The Raiders have not named a new quarterbacks coach.
Norv Turner, 72, was the Raiders’ head coach for two seasons in 2004-05. He also coached Washington from 1994-2000 and the Chargers from 2007-12. His teams had a 114-122-1 regular-season record and went 4-4 in the playoffs.
Turner also has a lengthy track record as an assistant coach. He was the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator from 1991-93 and helped develop Troy Aikman into a Hall of Fame quarterback. Dallas won Super Bowl 27 and 28 during Turner’s time with the team.
The Cowboys scored the third-fewest points per game in the NFL the year before Turner took over. They ranked sixth, second and second in scoring during his three years there.
Turner was also the offensive coordinator of the Dolphins, Browns, 49ers, Vikings, and Panthers. He began his NFL career in 1985 and retired after the 2019 season.
The Raiders, who fell to 2-7 after dropping their fifth straight game Sunday, are on their bye week and don’t play again until Nov. 17 against the Dolphins.
A huge priority for the team is turning its offense around. The Raiders are scoring 18.7 points per game, the seventh-fewest in the NFL. Their 76.9 rushing yards per game rank dead last.
The blame is widespread. Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell and Desmond Ridder haven’t provided high-level quarterback play. The offensive line has struggled to open holes. And the team has been without two key weapons in the passing game for much of the season. Wide receiver Davante Adams was traded to the Jets on Oct. 15 and tight end Michael Mayer has been out six games for personal reasons.
A major issue for the offense has been consistency.
The Raiders have scored an opening-drive touchdown in five of their last six games. They’ve then had issues moving the ball the rest of the way. Pierce said after firing Getsy that’s one of his frustrations with his team.
“We’re coming out scoring opening possessions, going down the field, second possession pretty good and then we kind of like hit a brick wall,” Pierce said Monday. “And as you’re watching, three-and-outs or turnovers show up in those last five games.”
Pierce hopes the changes to his coaching staff give the offense a jolt moving forward.
“It just became apparent that obviously, we weren’t doing enough as a staff and as a team to overcome our mistakes and downfalls,” Pierce said.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.