Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner resigns

Norv Turner resigned as the Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator, the team announced on Wednesday.

Tight ends coach Pat Shurmur will take over the role for the Vikings, who scored 20 points in losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears in the last two contests.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Turner resigned for personal reasons and that he was "pretty set in his ideas" about stepping down.

The move caught many Vikings players by surprise, with some saying they did not know of the decision until they were informed by the media.

Quarterback Sam Bradford said he had heard the news from his wife, who got an alert on her phone.

Informed that Shurmur would be taking over, running back Matt Asiata said, "Is he the guy?"

Shurmur served as the offensive coordinator of the Eagles, where he worked with Bradford. The Vikings acquired Bradford after Teddy Bridgewater suffered a serious knee injury before the start of the regular season.

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The Vikings, who are also without star running back Adrian Peterson due to a knee injury, have struggled to both protect Bradford and create running lanes after the team’s 5-0 start. Bradford was sacked 11 times and the Vikings averaged 75 yards on the ground over the last two games. 

That dropped the Vikings to 31st overall in total offense with 293.3 yards per game. 

The Vikings are the fourth team to change offensive coordinators this season, following the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Contributing: Tom Pelissero

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