Could Pitt Take Ron Turner Off Our Hands?

by Adam T on Feb 7, 2009 11:55 PM CST Comment 18 comments

Get ready for this long shot here, but could Dave Wannstedt be the Chicago Bears' unsuspecting savior?

Wannstedt is the head coach of the University of Pittsburgh. His offensive coordinator was Matt Cavanaugh. Cavanaugh is expected to be named the quarterbacks coach for the NY Jets. A list of names has surfaced as potential replacements and there is one name you would not expect to be on it: Bears OC Ron Turner.

One name that has surfaced is Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner, who preceded Cavanaugh as Wannstedt's offensive coordinator with the Bears from 1993-96. Turner, like Harris, played at Pacific and was head coach at Illinois from 1997-2004 before returning to the Bears in '05.

Turner is the brother of San Diego Chargers coach Norv Turner, who coached alongside Wannstedt with the Dallas Cowboys. Turner is also the uncle of Pitt graduate assistant Scott Turner, who is Norv's son.

This certainly only counts as rumor and speculation at this point, but Turner has to be feeling the wind blowing in his direction as the Bears OC. If he was offered the job, maybe he'd consider it his escape hatch.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but "Bring it home, Wanny!"

Helmet Tip: Devin47

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ProFootballtalk.com

Earlier today, John Taylor of CFT noted that the next offensive coordinator at Pitt could be the current offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears.

Since then, Turner’s agent has said that it’s unlikely to happen — unless the Panthers are prepared to pay up.

Taylor has the details, courtesy of Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun-Times.

larry has that system down to a science. Especially with the way the economy is….big wigs like larry coming in dressed in their mink coats and 24k gold cigarrete holders with pockets lined with coke make for a large draw during shift changes.
by BobbySouthSide on Dec 9, 2008 4:24 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

by Jbasic89 on Feb 8, 2009 12:26 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

perhaps we should start a collection fund and donate to the cause

by reprisal on Feb 8, 2009 2:58 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

or start emailing the staff at pitt and sending some reccommendations

by Jbasic89 on Feb 8, 2009 4:09 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

At the same time...

strike up the band to play welcome home Shanahan.

by ifuwannacrownem on Feb 8, 2009 7:23 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Hmmmm...

I’ll say a couple quick things here:

1) Wanny is so bad he doesn’t even know it. LOL. No wonder Pitt stinks. He had Matt Cavanaugh (his old Bears OC) running the offense. It didn’t work here, and it didn’t work there.

2) Unless the Bears have the inside track on an extremely qualified OC like Martz or Shanahan (not likely), or one of Shanahan’s top coaches (more likely)… I’d rather see Turner stay in Chicago. Piss on Turner all you want, but he did a pretty darn good job overall last year with some of the worst talent ever assembled.

I'm not going to even bother trying to update this sig everyday anymore... that's what the standings column on ESPN is for.
Updated on May 25, 2008

by SackMan on Feb 8, 2009 9:06 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Oh I'd Love to Watch Pitt run

FB dives on the goal line and get stood up during the backyard brawl. Pitt fans will be asking ‘Why are we in the Papajohns.com bowl again?’

by GallopingGhost on Feb 8, 2009 10:39 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

except

Pitt has never played in the Papajohns.com bowl.

by Cjast18 on Feb 17, 2009 8:55 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

keep him

Ron Turner was (whether you like it or not) a part of the 2006 SB run, and, as SackMan said, put together a respectable offense in chicago (compared to previous years) with a Rookie RB, Ortan and 0 WRs.

by jeepdays on Feb 8, 2009 11:08 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Are you kidding?!?

He gave away the Super Bowl! One of our earlier possessions we had momentum, we were driving. It was 2nd and 3ish. i dont remember the sequence of the next two plays were, but we had one where Grossman got sacked, and Kruetz had a bad snap. Then we had something rediculous like 4th and 20. With the running game that we had, we should have pounded that bitch up the middle and keep sticking it to the colts. There were many other situations that he blew it too, but that is just the one that comes to mind. but no, now we are still sitting with 1 Super Bowl.

"I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying" - Michael Jordan, the one and only...

by LPLancer23 on Feb 8, 2009 12:43 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah umm...

if that was the only reason why the Bears lost the SB. It wasn’t Turner’s fault Rex had a case of fumblitis, threw right into the strength of the Colts defense often, or the defenses inability to tackle, the O-lines failure to run-block well (TJ early long run excepted), etc. etc. I’d say keep him unless another more qualified OC can replace him. Plus, why would Turner want to make a lateral move for less money?

"I'm not so mean. I wouldn't ever go out to hurt anybody deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." - Dick Butkus

by propheteer on Feb 8, 2009 3:58 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry.."That wasn't the only reason why"

"I'm not so mean. I wouldn't ever go out to hurt anybody deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." - Dick Butkus

by propheteer on Feb 8, 2009 3:59 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs