At least one member of the Oakland Raiders defense is not happy about defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. being fired. After the news broke, linebacker Bruce Irvin took to Twitter and voiced his blunt feelings on the move.
Irvin called the move B******t, which can be seen unfiltered here.
It only makes sense that Irvin would feel a loyalty towards Norton. Norton was Irvin’s linebacker coach with the Seattle Seahawks from 2012-2014, and he had been his defensive coordinator since Irvin joined the Raiders in 2016.
But that doesn’t change the fact that in essentially every possible metric, Oakland has one of the NFL’s worst defenses. The unit has gotten no better over the last year, which should be the goal.
Now, a case could be made that the problems are more based on the personnel than the scheme. In that case, the problem is more about general manager Reggie McKenzie than Norton. But Norton wouldn’t even be the first NFL coach this week to fall on that particular sword.
Irvin may not be happy, but the Raiders’ defense has just not been good enough this year. He may not like seeing Norton fired. But objectively, the move is hard to question.