Ian Allan
More so than anybody in the league – including Al Davis – Norv Turner is a believer in getting the ball downfield to his wide receivers. Turner rarely uses his wide receivers on short, possession-type routes. He wants to get them deep downfield.
And it can be seen in the numbers.
Turner has an extensive body of work. He’s been in charge of an NFL offense for each of the last 18 years as either a head coach or an offensive coordinator. And essentially every year, his wide receivers finish close to the top in average yards per reception. The Chargers were No. 1 last year, with their wide receivers collectively averaging 16.4 yards per catch. Among receivers with at least 40 catches, Vincent Jackson ranked No. 2 behind only Bernard Berrian, averaging 18.6 yards on his 59 receptions.
Below, see the stats of each of the leading receivers of Turner’s NFL offenses. Only one of these players – Chris Chambers – averaged less than 15 yards per catch. And only five others (out of 18) failed to average over 16 yards per catch.
Take it to the bank: Vincent Jackson will run plenty of downfield routes this season. He’ll probably again average over 17 yards per reception.
Norv Turner’s leading wide receivers, 1991-2008
No Yds Avg TD Year
93 1523 16.4 8 1991 Michael Irvin (Dall.)
78 1396 17.9 7 1992 Michael Irvin (Dall.)
88 1330 15.1 7 1993 Michael Irvin (Dall.)
74 1397 18.9 6 1994 Henry Ellard (Wash.)
56 1005 17.9 5 1995 Henry Ellard (Wash.)
52 1014 19.5 2 1996 Henry Ellard (Wash.)
29 562 19.4 5 1997 Leslie Shepherd (Wash.)
43 712 16.6 8 1998 Leslie Shepherd (Wash.)
65 1191 18.3 9 1999 Michael Westbrook (Wash.)
39 762 19.5 3 2000 Albert Connell (Wash.)
71 1125 15.8 6 2001 Curtis Conway (S.D.)
52 734 14.1 3 2002 Chris Chambers (Mia.)
64 963 15.0 11 2003 Chris Chambers (Mia.)
64 998 15.6 9 2004 Jerry Porter (Oak.)
60 1005 16.8 8 2005 Randy Moss (Oak.)
40 733 18.3 3 2006 Antonio Bryant (S.F.)
41 623 15.2 3 2007 Vincent Jackson (S.D.)
59 1098 18.6 7 2008 Vincent Jackson (S.D.)
59 1010 17.0 6 Average
—Ian Allan
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