When Vikings Offensive Coordinator Norv Turner held the same role for the Cowboys, he not only won Super Bowl XXVII in 1993 but also witnessed Michael Jackson's halftime performance.
Turner recalled two Troy Aikman touchdown passes that occurred within an 18-second window to wrap up the first half when he spoke with "Voice of the Vikings" Paul Allen on KFAN 100.3-FM Thursday morning as part of this week's "Super Bowl Stories" segment on the *9 to Noon* show.
"I hate to be this way, but we scored twice in the last four minutes of the half and went up 28-10," said Turner, hesitant to revel in the score. "We did what we had to do and went into the locker room for halftime. Halftime is so long, we hustled back up to the press box and I actually got to see most of Michael Jackson's show. It was being a fan for a few minutes."
Aside from the late King of Pop performing, Turner told Allen that the Super Bowl is just like any other game.
"You know, there's a lot going on in the two weeks before – and in our second Super Bowl we only had a week, which I thought was too fast – but the thing [former Cowboys Head Coach Jimmy Johnson] stressed and we reiterated for him was, 'Once this ball is kicked off, it's like every game you've been playing since you started playing football,' " Turner said. "The things that win during a Super Bowl are the things that win during a regular season."
The Cowboys defeated the Bills in both Super Bowl XXVII and Super Bowl XXVIII, during which time Turner was coaching Aikman, a Hall of Famer who totaled three Super Bowl championships and six Pro Bowls.
Turner has coached several talented quarterbacks over the years and now adds Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to the list. Bridgewater played in his first career Pro Bowl on Jan. 31 and threw for two touchdowns, including a 50-yard deep ball to Jaguars wide receiver Allen Robinson.
In 2015, Bridgewater recorded 14 passing touchdowns and finished the season with a 65.3 completion percentage and 88.7 passer rating.
"We have a lot of pretty good plays [for Teddy]," Turner said. "We didn't use as much [in 2015] as we normally would. I think we did the things that were suited best for our personnel, and then you want to keep going and keep getting better. That's our purpose right now."
Turner and his staff, including new offensive line coach Tony Sparano and new tight ends coach Pat Shurmur, are already focused 100 percent on the 2016 season and in returning to indoor football. According to Turner, playing at U.S. Bank Stadium will be an advantage for Bridgewater in his third season.
"If you look at any quarterback, [throwing indoors is a benefit]," Turner said. "You're in prime conditions for throwing the football, and Teddy's record right now – when he's played in a dome, he's played awfully well."
In five career indoor games, Bridgewater holds a 70.6 completion percentage and 95.1 passer rating. He is 2-2 in four starts, including wins at Detroit and Atlanta and an upset attempt that fell just shy at Arizona in 2015.
To listen to this radio segment in its entirety or hear other interviews with Paul Allen, visit the 9-Noon page on ****KFAN.com***.*
*
View some of the best images of Teddy Bridgewater from 2015.
*