In a very surprising move, Norv Turner has officially resigned as the offensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings midway through the regular NFL season. According to Turner, his stay with the Vikings was just not working out.
According to sources, Turner officially resigned from the organization on Wednesday after the Vikings suffered its second straight loss to the Chicago Bears. The move by Turner was heavily criticized by fans of the Minnesota franchise but according to the offensive coordinator, it had to be done.
During a recent press conference, Turner explained his decision to step away from the team. Although he noted that he looks up to head coach Mike Zimmer, their conflicting views regarding the team's offense eventually pushed him to resign.
For him, his departure was for the best interest of the Minnesota franchise.
"I have tremendous respect for Mike Zimmer, our coaching staff and our players and at this time I think it is in the best interest of the team to step down," he said. "I thank the Wilf family for my time here in Minnesota and want to see our players and coaches achieve success."
"I think it's just we have different views on where the offense was going," he added.
Turner officially joined the Vikings when was hired as their offensive coordinator. However, ever since his debut year with the team, Zimmer has always turned to Hue Jackson, who was with the Cincinnati Bengals at that time, to discuss strategies in terms of offense.
Because of this, both Zimmer and Turner began to develop different perspectives on how to run the Vikings offense.
As for Zimmer, he noted that he was taken aback by Turner's decision to leave, who he referred to as a very good friend.
As for Turner, it is not yet clear if he will be able to join another franchise this season especially since there are currently no reports of teams looking for a new offensive coordinator. But, given the way he looked over the team during his time in Minnesota, he probably won't have a hard time looking for a new home.
In the meantime, the Vikings have appointed tight ends coach Pat Shurmur as the interim offensive coordinator of the team.
