(Reuters) ? The San Diego Chargers said on Tuesday head coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith will return next season, ending speculation that the duo would be fired after the team missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season.
The Chargers, who won four of their last five games to close out the 2011 National Football League season with an 8-8 record, said Turner and Smith give the team the best shot at winning.
"Bottom line I believe these two men give us the best chance to get back to the playoffs," Chargers President Dean Spanos said in a statement. "A.J. Smith is the best man to improve our roster and Norv Turner is the best man to lead that roster on the field."
Smith has been general manager since 2003 and has helped create team which won five AFC West division titles.
Turner took over as head coach in 2007 and led the Chargers to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons but has fallen short the past two years.
"Despite the number of wins we have had, the net bottom line is it doesn't mean anything unless you win a championship, said Spanos "That's our goal and I am committed to winning a Super Bowl for San Diego."
The decision to back Turner removes one option for former Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher who had been linked with the job in his native state.
On Tuesday, the Miami Dolphins confirmed they interviewed Fisher for their head coaching vacancy. Fischer is also being linked with the vacancies at Tampa Bay and St. Louis.
(Reporting by Simon Evans in Miami; Editing by Frank Pingue)
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