Jason Garrett played three seasons under San Diego Chargers’ head coach Norv Turner, back in the day, when Garrett was a bright-eyed backup quarterback for the Cowboys and Turner was the team’s offensive coordinator. That’s not all that big of a span, but ask Garrett now, and he’ll tell you that Turner had a great influence in the way he runs his offense.
Of course, as much is apparent by watching tape, as the Chargers and Cowboys run pretty much the same system. But Turner’s influence, Garrett said Thursday, goes beyond Xs and Os.
“It goes back to Sid Gilman and those guys with the Chargers way back in the 1960s and then [Don] Coryell and [Ernie] Zampese and Norv,” Garrett said, per ESPN Dallas. “A number of teams are using it now and you can make a compelling argument that Norv’s run it as well as anybody ever. He’s certainly been a big influence on me that way but it goes beyond that. He taught me how to play quarterback in this league and in a lot of ways his influence on me and other as a coach has influenced me as I’ve coached, so he’s been a big part of my life.”
Turner, who was reportedly close to becoming the Cowboys head coach back in 2007, remains a fan of the franchise and of Garrett.
“You have great leadership. You have ownership that supports you,” Turner said. “You have great staff. You have great people around you. Then you have a chance to be successful in the job that Jason has. I know that he’s organized. I know the things he believes in. He’s going to do great.”
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