Saunders talking to Oakland about job
Chiefs may contact ex-Raider Turner
By ELIZABETH MERRILL
The Kansas City Star
Could two of the NFL’s most bitter rivals swap offensive gurus?
About the same time Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders was leaving a job interview in Oakland, newly hired Kansas City coach Herm Edwards floated the possibility Thursday that he may contact former Raiders head coach Norv Turner.
Turner, who was fired earlier this month after back-to-back losing seasons in Oakland, would be a candidate for the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator job.
“I haven’t gotten ahold of Norv yet,” Edwards said. “But obviously he has been a candidate. He’s going to be a candidate on a lot of guys’ lists. He’s a fine football coach.”
Edwards had yet to talk to Saunders as of midweek, and the man who was the architect of a Chiefs offense that finished No. 1 in the NFL the last two years is still on the move. Saunders will be in Detroit this morning to interview for the Lions’ coaching vacancy. He’s also made stops in Houston and Minnesota.
Saunders was spotted at a hotel in the Bay Area on Wednesday night by a San Francisco TV crew. Saunders, lugging some binders, told KPIX that his interview stretched from roughly 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Pacific Time. He has known Raiders owner Al Davis since the 1960s, when Saunders served as a ball boy.
Oakland might be the best fit for Saunders, who got his master’s degree from Stanford and spent six years as an assistant at California. Davis is an offensive-minded owner, and Saunders’ unit put up a league-high 387 yards per game in 2005.
Saunders interviewed for the Chiefs’ head-coaching job before it went to Edwards. Saunders, who’s been known to answer the phone in his office at Arrowhead Stadium after midnight, hasn’t returned phone calls to The Star.
Turner could be a good fit for the Chiefs. He has a long history with Chiefs quarterback Trent Green, grooming Green from a young former CFL quarterback who warmed in the bench in Washington to the franchise’s starter in 1998.
Green still speaks fondly about Turner and how he helped him adapt his regimented in-season routine of film study and preparation.
Should Saunders not return, the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator job would undoubtedly be considered one of the top assistant coaching jobs in the NFL. Besides Green, the Chiefs will have seven-time Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez back along with running back Larry Johnson.
Johnson ran for an AFC-high 1,750 yards in just nine starts this season.
Also Thursday, Edwards said he’s requested permission to talk to some of his former Jets assistants. One person Edwards is believed to be interested in is defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson. But Henderson is a head-coaching candidate, and Edwards said Wednesday that he’s keeping Gunther Cunningham as the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator.
“I’m interviewing guys — obviously all the guys on this staff,” Edwards said. “I’m not trying to keep any secrets, but I’m trying to get a hold of some guys and sit down and make some tough decisions. This has been a good football team. It’s got good football coaches, and I think sometimes when you make changes people think that the reason you make the change is because the coach is not a good coach. That has nothing to do with that at all.
“Some of it has to do with philosophy, some of it has to do that, in your mind, you want to do certain things a little differently. There are certain guys you’ve met in your career as a coach that you feel you might like to add to the mix. At the end of the day, the head coach has to feel comfortable about his staff.”
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I really hope we can keep him and I think we need to if he doesnt sign with anyone else.
Chiefs may contact ex-Raider Turner
By ELIZABETH MERRILL
The Kansas City Star
Could two of the NFL’s most bitter rivals swap offensive gurus?
About the same time Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders was leaving a job interview in Oakland, newly hired Kansas City coach Herm Edwards floated the possibility Thursday that he may contact former Raiders head coach Norv Turner.
Turner, who was fired earlier this month after back-to-back losing seasons in Oakland, would be a candidate for the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator job.
“I haven’t gotten ahold of Norv yet,” Edwards said. “But obviously he has been a candidate. He’s going to be a candidate on a lot of guys’ lists. He’s a fine football coach.”
Edwards had yet to talk to Saunders as of midweek, and the man who was the architect of a Chiefs offense that finished No. 1 in the NFL the last two years is still on the move. Saunders will be in Detroit this morning to interview for the Lions’ coaching vacancy. He’s also made stops in Houston and Minnesota.
Saunders was spotted at a hotel in the Bay Area on Wednesday night by a San Francisco TV crew. Saunders, lugging some binders, told KPIX that his interview stretched from roughly 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Pacific Time. He has known Raiders owner Al Davis since the 1960s, when Saunders served as a ball boy.
Oakland might be the best fit for Saunders, who got his master’s degree from Stanford and spent six years as an assistant at California. Davis is an offensive-minded owner, and Saunders’ unit put up a league-high 387 yards per game in 2005.
Saunders interviewed for the Chiefs’ head-coaching job before it went to Edwards. Saunders, who’s been known to answer the phone in his office at Arrowhead Stadium after midnight, hasn’t returned phone calls to The Star.
Turner could be a good fit for the Chiefs. He has a long history with Chiefs quarterback Trent Green, grooming Green from a young former CFL quarterback who warmed in the bench in Washington to the franchise’s starter in 1998.
Green still speaks fondly about Turner and how he helped him adapt his regimented in-season routine of film study and preparation.
Should Saunders not return, the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator job would undoubtedly be considered one of the top assistant coaching jobs in the NFL. Besides Green, the Chiefs will have seven-time Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez back along with running back Larry Johnson.
Johnson ran for an AFC-high 1,750 yards in just nine starts this season.
Also Thursday, Edwards said he’s requested permission to talk to some of his former Jets assistants. One person Edwards is believed to be interested in is defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson. But Henderson is a head-coaching candidate, and Edwards said Wednesday that he’s keeping Gunther Cunningham as the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator.
“I’m interviewing guys — obviously all the guys on this staff,” Edwards said. “I’m not trying to keep any secrets, but I’m trying to get a hold of some guys and sit down and make some tough decisions. This has been a good football team. It’s got good football coaches, and I think sometimes when you make changes people think that the reason you make the change is because the coach is not a good coach. That has nothing to do with that at all.
“Some of it has to do with philosophy, some of it has to do that, in your mind, you want to do certain things a little differently. There are certain guys you’ve met in your career as a coach that you feel you might like to add to the mix. At the end of the day, the head coach has to feel comfortable about his staff.”
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I really hope we can keep him and I think we need to if he doesnt sign with anyone else.
