Ding-Dong, The Turner Witch is Dead

The Bears made the dreams of at least one little boy come true today by firing offensive coordinator Ron Turner.

(If Turner calls a fullback dive one more time I'm throwing this ball at his nuts.)

The Bears said Tuesday they have dismissed offensive coordinator Ron Turner, as well as offensive line coach Harry Hiestand, quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton, tight ends coach Rob Boras, offensive assistant/assistant offensive line coach Luke Butkus and offensive assistant/assistant wide receivers coach Charles London.

If anyone is the least bit upset about this move and think the Bears are making a mistake, here are the Bears rankings in points and yards since Turner took over play calling duties in 2005.

Before anyone gets excited about the 2006 numbers, remember the Bears defense and Devin Hester contributed a good portion of those points during their Super Bowl run.

Defensivley, it was first reported that Rod Marinelli would take over defensive playcalling duties, but it now appears that their will be a search outside the organization. Either way, Lovie is going to hand over the clipboard.

I'm sure we'll hear some names over the next few weeks, but if the Bears want to make a splash that doesn't involve firing Lovie Smith and hiring a big name coach, the coordinators of three Super Bowl teams are both available - Charlie Weiss and Romeo Crennel. Crennel is less likely of an option, first it looks like the Chiefs are about to hire him and second, I believe the Pats were a 3-4 defense. Charlie Weiss may not be head coaching material, even at the college level, but much like Norv Turner, his work with quarterbacks and playcalling has always been admired.

UPDATE

Another name to throw into the ring is USC coordinator Jeremy Bates who worked with Cutler in 2008 as the Broncos quarterback coach. Cutler has nothing but good things to say.

"Jeremy is one of the best offensive minds in football,” Cutler said. “He was extremely innovative with our offense and took our playbook to the next level with some of the things he did, keeping defenses off balance and changing our look, but at the same time keeping it simple for us players. Some of the things he did were amazing to watch. He was always watching other teams and coming up with new ideas for our offense.

“He helped me grow into my third NFL season and helped me reach the Pro Bowl along with some of the other goals I set for myself. As a unit, our offense became one of the most productive in the league with Jeremy calling plays. He brought a lot of excitement to the meeting room and on the field. He made me want to come to work every day and get better. Jeremy will do great things in his new role, and USC couldn't have picked a better guy."

Ron Turner on the other hand made us want to fall on a rusted samurai sword and pluck our eyes out with a staple.