EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — There was a sense within the Minnesota Vikings organization dating back to at least January that this might be Norv Turner’s final season in coaching.
That was around the same time the Vikings hired Pat Shurmur to coach tight ends, giving the appearance — and there was a lot of truth to it — that Shurmur was the likely offensive coordinator in waiting whenever Turner, 64, or the team moved on.
What nobody anticipated was the succession plan would take hold now, with the Vikings coming off consecutive ugly losses, but still owning the NFC’s second-best record at 5-2 as they prepare on a short week for Sunday’s divisional home game against the Detroit Lions.
Turner’s resignation — not a retirement, at least not yet — early Wednesday morning was a shock to everybody, including Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, Shurmur and players, most of whom found out about the move from media reports before they arrived at the facility.
Know this about Zimmer: He’s a defensive-minded coach who’s as hands-off with his offense as anybody. Every head coach makes recommendations during the week, as they should, but Zimmer stays out of it on game day, doesn’t overrule play calls, etc.
“I would say that since Norv has been here, I've given him almost 100%, total free will in everything that they've done offensively,” Zimmer told reporters.
It’s clear there were differences of opinion about how the Vikings offense could get back to playing the way it was before duds the past two weeks at Philadelphia and Chicago. Injuries have decimated the O-line, leaving little way to solve the problems through lineup changes.
But differences aren’t unusual in the NFL, especially when things aren’t going well. It’s just rare they run off a coach as accomplished as Turner, who told NFL Media: “I don’t want anyone to think I am bailing. It just wasn’t working.
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