When the Oakland Raiders fired defensive coordinator Ken Norton, it took many players by surprise. One of the most shocked players happened to be linebacker Bruce Irvin, who recently open up about how the move sent a message to the entire defense.
“Guys saw the Norton situation, and that kind of got guys fired up, I would say, and more focused,” linebacker Bruce Irvin recently told NBC Sports California. “Once again, I think guys are looking at that situation and thinking, ‘Man, we can get fired, too.’ It’s not only coaches. It falls on the players, too. It was a wake-up call for us, and guys really started to hone in and get in their books. We’re practicing better, and it’s starting to translate on Sundays now.”
During the initial moments of the firing, Irvin was hurt.
“Ken Norton’s like a father to me,” Irvin said. “He has changed my life in so many ways, not only on the field but off the field. It was a tough situation. I basically came to Oakland for him, and he was let go.”
At the time of the firing, Bruce Irvin tweeted out the less polite version of BS.
“The tweet was just me,” Irvin said. “I’m a very outspoken person, anyway. I’m going to say what I want to say when I want to say it. I was mad at the moment, but I talked to Jack (Del Rio) and he understood. He didn’t hold anything against me. He just gave me a few days, and it blew over.”
With Ken Norton gone, the defense hasn't really improved.
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