Just when we thought the annual NFL coaching carousel was finished, the Tennessee Titans threw us all for a loop when the organization announced the sudden departure of long time head coach Jeff Fisher. I’ve always been someone who has been in Jeff Fisher’s corner. He comes across as a hard nosed guy, having served under the likes of Mike Ditka and Buddy Ryan – two hard nosed guys themselves. He also comes across as a nice guy, which, judging by the full-page ad he placed in the Nashville Tennesean, he apparently is. But, enough of that emotional stuff. Save that for Valentine’s Day next Monday. Did the guy deserve to get the heave ho?
We can all agree that the timing of this move was dreadful… even Al Davis made a move before the Titans did. What Jeff Fisher did in between the end of the regular season in early January and his dismissal in late January to cause his ouster is beyond me. Nonetheless, we’ll be seeing him on a T.V. network in all likelihood this fall, provided there is a season.
Sports Geek felt that Fisher went wrong by giving owner Bud Adams too much say so. (For those of you who are unfamiliar with Mr. Adams, feel free to take a peek at this clip… makes me laugh every time!) Adams is the guy who essentially gave the keys to the car to Vince Young. Unfortunately, it was Jeff Fisher’s car before Young got there. Fisher and Steve McNair nearly won a Super Bowl in that car, and that caused friction right off the bat between the two. Fisher lost his authority and therefore was possibly undermined in the locker room.
Optimist Prime places a lot of the blame on the organization’s handling of the Vince Young saga. Adams continuously said that Young was his guy, and his persistence lead to a lot of uncertainty regarding Fisher’s future. The firing also brings an uncertain future as it has been a long time since a guy not named Jeff Fisher has been roaming the sidelines in Nashville. Besides, as Prime points out, the Titans did post double digit wins in 2007 and 2008.
Here’s where I decided to go with this verdict. Optimist Prime states in his argument that, “… the whole Young/Fisher saga makes me wonder what kind of organizational leadership the Titans have these days.” Hmm… isn’t Jeff Fisher part of that organizational leadership? He is the head coach after all. It is ultimately his responsibility to get those 53 guys ready to play for 16 games every season.
Unfortunately, something had to give. Adams has decided to move on from both Young AND Fisher, and it’s the right move. Besides, for all the hoopla surrounding Fisher, look at his overall record as a head coach. It’s not like we’re talking about Vince Lombardi. He’s 146-120, made it to ONE Super Bowl (and lost), made it to the post-season six times in 17 seasons, and hasn’t won a playoff game since 2003! Someone besides fantasy football owners need to take advantage of having Chris Johnson on a team.
Maybe Tennessee takes a step back this year with new coach Mike Munchak. But perhaps he will also provide some stability. This year, at least, you really could see Fisher lost that team, and it was obvious a change was necessary.
Perhaps somewhat lost amongst all the Super Bowl build up and hoopla was the departure of Jeff Fisher from the Tennessee Titans. We were long led to believe that either quarterback Vince Young or Fisher had to leave Music City, and when it was announced that the Titans were moving on from the Young era, it was widely assumed that Fisher had won the tug of war inside Titans camp. Young and Fisher had never seemed to be on the same page, but now they are, because that page is headed out of town. The change at the top has left the Titans organization scrambling to find a suitable replacement for Fisher.
The news of Fisher’s departure was definitely surprising considering the timing. Obviously, it got the staff here at The Sports Debates wondering if the move was a mistake. Should Tennessee have fired Jeff Fisher?
Sports Geek feels that the Titans made the correct move by moving on from the Jeff Fisher era while Optimist Prime feels like the Titans made a mistake by parting ways with such a long tenured and well respected coach.
In the words of last night’s Super Bowl halftime entertainment performers Black Eyed Peas, ”Let’s get it started in here.”
Many football fans were surprised by the Tennessee Titans’ sudden dismissal of head coach Jeff Fisher. His dismissal came after the generally accepted “silly season” of coaching staff turnover and led many to question not only the timing of the decision, but the thinking behind the decision as well. I was definitely one of those people, and I’ve happily accepted my assignment to throw a few more logs on that fire. I do not believe the Titans should have fired Jeff Fisher.
I accept the Titans definitely do not fall into the category of being one of those teams that grew impatient with a coach and jettisoned him too early. Fisher was the coach of the Titans for 17 years, so it’s definitely hard to make the argument that the organization just didn’t give him enough time. Beyond that, what made the decision even stranger was the obvious affinity that the Titans organization has for Fisher. If you see any of the media availabilities surrounding his firing, all involved (even Fisher himself) seemed to act exactly the opposite of the way you would expect surrounding a firing.
That all throws the firing into question, I believe. There are two arguments that the Titans should have hung onto Fisher. First, I think it’s very difficult to make an argument that the Titans were slipping into oblivion as a football team. While the 2010 season record was a disappointing 6-10, two of the previous three seasons saw the Titans register double digit wins. Based on those statistics (and Fisher’s over .500 winning percentage as a head coach), it’s very difficult to say the team and the organization was headed in a negative direction.
The second argument for why the Titans should not have fired Fisher rests on the organization’s handling of the Vince Young soap opera during the 2010 season. There were many conflicting statements from ownership and organizational leadership regarding how the Titans were going to handle Vince Young after his antics began to affect the team. That all came to a head in a game on November 21 when Young apparently threw his shoulder pads into the stands and stormed out on his team after telling off Fisher. Bud Adams, the 88-year-old Titans owner, made statements after that saying the team intended to hang onto Vince Young, seemingly leaving Fisher dangling in the wind. It seemed obvious to outside observers that Fisher and Young would not be able to co-exist. The organization continued to contend that both would stay. However, there were soon very loud whispers that the Titans were attempting to trade Vince Young, and those loud whispers were eventually followed by the Titans’ surprising announcement that Jeff Fisher had been fired.
That whole Young/Fisher saga makes me wonder what kind of organizational leadership the Titans have these days. Given their aged owner and somewhat schizophrenic public statements, don’t you think they would have benefitted from having a steady hand on the tiller during this time of change? They’ll obviously have a changeover at quarterback, and the team’s public statements do not give fans a sense that a steady hand is on the tiller anywhere in the organization. The organization should not have escorted their one symbol of stability out the door.
However, this situation will end up benefitting Fisher in the end. He’ll be long gone when the Titans struggle through a change at quarterback and coaching staff upheaval, with his well-regarded reputation intact. Do I think this was a positive move for Jeff Fisher’s career? I do. However, it was one of the worst things the Tennessee Titans could have done this off-season.
Getting fired sucks. There is just no way around that. But, getting fired after 16 years on the job? That sting has to feel worse, like when you bang a knee playing football outside in 20-degree weather. That is the kind of sting that stays with a person for a while. That is what Jeff Fisher is likely still experience after he was fired by Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams.
Granted, the timing was terrible. But as the old, tried and true business axiom goes – hire slow and fire fast. Once a team realizes a coach is not the right coach for the team – regardless of the reasons – leadership should act quickly and fire the head coach. The Tennessee Titans acted prudently in their firing of Jeff Fisher, setting the team, and the entire organization, on a much better path for success. Even though it may be difficult to see that right now.
It is unfortunate that the seeming majority of upper echelon coaching candidates were off the market by the time Fisher was let go. But if Fisher wasn’t the right coach for the long term, his firing was unavoidable – no matter what other potential coaching candidates were available.
There are some organizations in sports where owners have far too much influence. In fact, they meddle. Fisher was willing to put up with Titans’ owner Bud Adams and his opinions about personnel. But Fisher erred early in his relationship with Adams by allowing the owner too wield much influence. That early mistake opened the door for the beginning of the end for Fisher, and drafting Vince Young sped up the inevitable.
Vince Young’s bad attitude and ability to receive and miraculously maintain an advocate in Bud Adams prevented Fisher achieving the success he enjoyed early in his head coaching career. But that situation was Fisher’s fault.
Fisher failed because he was unable to oust Young after Young churned through three of his offensive coordinators – including the very well respected Norm Chow. Regardless of how much affection Bud Adams has – or had – for Vince Young, Fisher should have not given into Adams. Adams is not a head football coach, and Fisher should have played the coaching card. It was clear to Fisher early on that Young was not the right quarterback for his style of team. Instead of just standing up for his beliefs and style, he relented to keep his job. It’s hard for a coward to lead a football team.
Without an advocate for a head coach, the team began to take on the persona of its supposed star player, Vince Young. Young’s flighty, unreliable approach to the game infected the rest of the players. The players – it was clear- were given far more power and influence than they should have received. Fisher failed to maintain his hold on authority for his team. They were desperate for a leader able to unite the team, and Fisher could not longer do that. When a leader fails to lead in a business, that leader must be replaced. And Fisher has now rightly been replaced.
Fisher was a good coach at one point. He led a team to within the nose of the football of defeating the vaunted Best Show on Turf in the 2000 Super Bowl. But over time Jeff Fisher allowed his influence and respect to be undermined. He failed to live by his core values, and it is very hard to lead when that is the case. He had to be replaced, though he was once considered one of the game’s best coaches – and probably will be again.
Bud Adams should have fired Jeff Fisher. But in doing so he must also take time and address other issues that are plaguing his organization. The Titans needs a leader who is able to unify the locker room. If the Titans expect to have a fighting chance when they return to the gridiron (whenever that will be), Bud Adams needs to reflect seriously on the management style of his next coach. Hire slow, and fire fast. The timing stinks, but Adams must now take his time and architect a winning organization from the ground up.
But, one thing is clear – Jeff Fisher was not the coach to lead the team anymore. Once that decision is made, it’s best to cut ties. Fisher’s firing was justified.
Late July is coming, folks. For me that means two things, and one of those things is NOT the end of the Tour de France. One thing is the MLB trading deadline, which is July 31. The other is the beginning of NFL training camps.
NFL training camps are a topic The Sports Debates will address in earnest all of next week, as that content will be devoted to football – and let me tell you, we are excited. But as a teaser, we are going to give a little sneak peak today. As a member of the media I would want to attend several training camps, as many have interesting storylines. Teams with good story lines include Washington, Seattle, and Pittsburgh. But I would really love to attend the training camp of the Tennessee Titans, which is set to begin on July 31.
First, the Titans really aren’t a bad team. While it’s true the team missed the playoffs last season (finishing the season 8-8 after starting the season 0-6), many of the same pieces from the team that went 13-3 two seasons ago are still in place. As someone with credentials, though, that would not be why I would show up at Titans camp. I bet you can guess the very first person I want to go talk to!!
Here’s how it would go.
“Vince… Loyal Homer with The Sports Debates… do you have a second? Thanks! Guess you really did bomb the Wonderlic test right out of college, huh? What were you thinking, Vince? Was it really necessary to get in a fight at a strip club? Didn’t you think there would be cameras in every room there? Is it that easy to provoke you?”
Okay, maybe I wouldn’t say all that, but you get the drift.
Seriously, this guy messed up again, and while it appears he’s once again going to get a free pass from the league… for now… you have to wonder how many chances he’ll get on and off the field. He is an incredible talent on the field, however, and he’s supposedly worked on his accuracy a lot during the off-season. The Atlanta Falcons used to say that about Michael Vick, too, but apparently they weren’t talking about football when referring to him.
Second, I want to see how this Chris Johnson contract saga plays out. Mr. Johnson has been an absolute stud on my fantasy team the past two seasons, and I would want to thank him for that (if he actually shows up at camp). Look at his numbers. Johnson is not happy with his rookie contract (in which he is set to make $550,000 this season), and I really can’t blame him for that. But, depending on how you feel about holdouts, he is under contract, as head coach Jeff Fisher so appropriately put it. Contract holdouts are the kind of stories that linger over training camp and give media members something to write about. Those stories drive coaches and players insane, so all parties involved are hoping the situation resolves itself.
These are two stories that have nothing to do with anything on the field. But if I had credentials for NFL training camps, that is why I’d want to be at the Titans camp.
The NFL Draft kicked off yesterday and I could not have been more lukewarm about it. You have probably heard the expression “No news, is good news”, but that is not really the case for a football fan around the NFL Draft. There just was not that much to get excited about. Aside from, Brandon Marshall’s deal to the Dolphins and Donovan McNabb’s in-division trade to the Redskins, things have pretty much been a total yawnfest. The biggest story leading up to this NFL Draft was the lack of stories leading up to the NFL Draft.
Ben Roethlisberger did more than his fair share to try and stir up NFL storylines and prompt trade talk, but the deal never got done. Although Big Ben did not verbally demand a trade out of Pittsburgh, his actions sure did. After putting himself in compromising situation after situation, the Steelers’ QB made himself increasingly expendable, and when the news broke just days ago that he was going to be suspended for six games during the 2010 season, he really gave the Steelers a reason to let him go. There were plenty of teams who would have benefited from the on-field talents of Roethlisberger under center (and he is sure to keep the local legal team busy with defense cases), but only the Oakland Raiders emerged as serious suitors. It seemed like the Oakland Raiders were a logical match who would surely jump at the opportunity to acquire a quarterback with a Super Bowl winning pedigree, but the two sides could not come to an agreement. Maybe the Raiders thought they could get off cheaper trying to draft a quarterback or maybe they were just trying to protect the co-ed population in the greater Oakland area, but it seems that Big Ben will be back in Pittsburgh in 2010 after his suspension runs its course.
There was hope that things might pick up after Donovan McNabb was traded to the Washington Redskins. Many thought that this was a sign of wilder wheeling and dealing to come, but again… nothing. There There was some minor speculation that Washington might sign free agent Terrell Owens, which is a deal I wish had gone down because it would have been supremely entertaining. Watching McNabb and TO team up again while both are trying to prove they are still elite competitors would have been either an unbelievable comeback story for the once dynamic duo, or a delicious train wreck of epic proportions. Either way the public would have gotten to enjoy the show, but are instead left wondering about what might have been.
Another Redskin, Albert Haynesworth, got the rumor mill going as well this off season, as trade talk emerged about a potential return to Tennessee for the former Titan. Despite cashing in on a huge payday last season signing with Washington, Haynesworth seemed to have no interest in adjusting to the Redskins’ defensive schemes. There was talk that he might make his way back to Tennessee in time to mix up the draft board for the two teams and potentially add some more drama to the draft. But like every other rumored move lately it did not happen. The big man may still rumble back in to the Music City, but he’ll do so after the kickoff of the NFL draft.
I really did not see this wave of inactivity coming. Usually the NFL is abuzz with pre-draft stories and big moves. Picks and players swapping teams set the tone for an entertaining draft, but this year it was all quiet on the football front leading up to draft day.
In the end, the draft itself proved to be far more exciting (with Cowboys trading up to get Dez Bryant and Tim Tebow being drafted above Jimmy Clausen) than any pre-draft story.
Read the arguments from Loyal Homer and Sports Geek about which teams or conferences won the Thanksgiving football feast over the long weekend.
It has been a tale of two seasons for the Tennessee Titans in 2009. After losing the first six games of the 2009 campaign, the Titans are going to need all the help they can get for any chance, no matter how slim it may be, of reaching the postseason.
Drastic times call for drastic measures, and starting a season at 0-6 (especially after finishing the prior season with the NFL’s best record) certainly qualifies as a drastic time. The downward spiral in Nashville culminated in week six of the season, during which the winless Titans gave up a record-setting FIVE touchdown passes to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots during one quarter, all on the way to a 59-0 drubbing at the hands of the Patriots. Mercifully, the Titans followed that game with a bye week where extra time was taken to evaluate and retool the game plan. As part of the retooling, Titans head coach Jeff Fisher announced the decision to start Vince Young over 2008 Pro Bowler Kerry Collins at the quarterback position.
Since Young’s return to the starting role the Titans have found new life. Thanks to a combination of Young’s revitalized play and some MONSTER performances turned in by running back Chris Johnson, the NFL’s leading rusher, Tennessee won each of the last four games leading up to yesterday and were at least in the discussion as long shots for one of the AFC Wild Card spots.
Considering only one team in history has ever reached the playoffs after losing the first four games of the season (the 1992 San Diego Chargers), and NO team has ever reached the postseason after starting the season at 0-5 (let alone 0-6), the simple fact that the Titans were even getting mentioned for the playoffs before Sunday’s game was a major victory, although the team was nowhere near out of the woods yet. The margin for error in Nashville is virtually gone. The Titans need to finish the season in near perfect fashion to remain in contention, and even that may not even be enough. In order to successfully finish an improbable postseason run, the Titans also require a great deal of assistance from many other teams currently in the hunt.
This weekend, the Titans received a lot of that help!
The team once again helped its own cause thanks to OUTSTANDING contributions by Vince Young and Chris Johnson. Johnson dominated on the ground as he tied an NFL record with his sixth straight 125 plus yard game on the ground, including an 85-yard touchdown scamper in the third quarter of the game. But, it was Young who would become the hero. With less than three minutes remaining in the game, Young orchestrated a 99-yard drive down the field to lead the Titans to a stunning 20-17 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
Elsewhere in the AFC, many other teams seemed more than willing to lend assistance to the Titans’ cause. Entering yesterday’s matchups, the Titans trailed the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4), Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4), Denver Broncos (6-4), Baltimore Ravens (5-5), Miami Dolphins (5-5), and the Houston Texans (5-5) in contention for the two AFC Wild Card seeds. Of those six teams, only the Broncos and Ravens managed to win, allowing the Titans to draw within one game of the current Wild Card leaders for the 2009 Playoff Race.
Although the Titans face the biggest test of the “new” season this week against Peyton Manning and the 11-0 Indianapolis Colts, right now they are one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL thanks to new life behind Vince Young and Chris Johnson, who needs only to average 120.8 rushing yards per game to reach 2,000 total rushing yards for the season (with 1,396 rushing yards and a 126.9 yards per game average already this season, he is on target to reach 2030 by week 17), making him only the sixth person in NFL history to reach that mark. The Titans have rallied around their stars once more, and have completely turned the season around.
With nothing to lose and everything to gain, the Titans took advantage of every opportunity they were presented with this past weekend, and once again refused to concede the season.
Read Sports Geek and Loyal Homer’s arguments about which preseason playoff contenders in the NFL have already blown their chance at the postseason.
Expectations are a funny thing. In school, one student’s C-plus could be perceived as a greater accomplishment than another student’s A-minus. What is the difference? Expectations.
Similarly, a 4-12 finish for the Detroit Lions could be perceived as a wild success, while a 4-12 finish for the New England Patriots would be abysmal failure.
Realistically, some teams did not have a chance to compete for the postseason, even before the season began. Sure, there will always be surprises like the Denver Broncos, a team that has begun the season at 4-0 despite the expectations they would likely not be in the running for a playoff spot this season. For every surprise, though, there is another disappointment.
One such team that has disappointed this year is the Pittsburgh Steelers.
If not for the fortunate blessing of a coin toss going their way in overtime during week one against the Tennessee Titans, it is entirely possible that the Steelers would have been sitting a 1-3 right now. Although they did win that coin toss (along with the game against the Titans), and are actually the owners of a 2-2 record, the Steelers still lost their chance to compete for the postseason. That is right, I said it!
I am not arguing that the Steelers are the worst team in football (look to the St. Louis Rams for that dubious honor right now). The Steelers are talented as a football team, and will win games (even against some “good” teams). But do not let last night’s 38-28 victory over the San Diego Chargers fool you, the Steelers are not the same team they were last season.
The biggest challenge facing the Steelers, who were the best team in the NFL LAST season, is that they are now chasing the Baltimore Ravens – a team that may be the best team in football THIS season. After losing to the Chicago Bears and the Cincinnati Bengals, the Steelers fell two games behind the Ravens who jumped to an impressive 3-0 start on the season before giving one game back to Pittsburgh with a loss against the New England Patriots yesterday.
The Steelers were fortunate to pick up a game on the Ravens yesterday, but do not look for this to happen often. The Ravens have been playing very impressive football behind second-year quarterback Joe Flacco, and are the new favorites to win the AFC North Division in 2009. The Steelers catching the Ravens is difficult with a schedule that includes the Broncos, the Minnesota Vikings – who are at 3-0 behind the arm of Brett Favre – and the 2-1 Green Bay Packers. Not to mention a second game against the very Bengals that already beat Pittsburgh once this year. Then there is the two games against the Ravens, still.
Speaking of the Bengals, did you notice that they are also at 3-1 right now, and one game ahead of Pittsburgh as well? Although I am not ready to buy into the hype of Cincinnati yet (especially after witnessing a CLOSE escape in Cleveland with a victory yesterday against the Browns), the fact remains that Pittsburgh will also have to catch the Bengals to hang onto hope of playing football in January.
Let’s face it, the season is already a quarter of the way finished and the Steelers are in third place in the AFC North, trailing a team that has already beaten them once and another team which is viewed by many as the best team in the league.
I am sorry to tell the fans of the Black and Gold this: It looks like the “Steel Curtain” may be closing on Pittsburgh early this year.
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Posted by Loyal Homer 
The Firing Jeff Fisher Debate… Hire Slow and Fire Fast
February 7, 2011Read the opposing argument from Optimist Prime.
Getting fired sucks. There is just no way around that. But, getting fired after 16 years on the job? That sting has to feel worse, like when you bang a knee playing football outside in 20-degree weather. That is the kind of sting that stays with a person for a while. That is what Jeff Fisher is likely still experience after he was fired by Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams.
Granted, the timing was terrible. But as the old, tried and true business axiom goes – hire slow and fire fast. Once a team realizes a coach is not the right coach for the team – regardless of the reasons – leadership should act quickly and fire the head coach. The Tennessee Titans acted prudently in their firing of Jeff Fisher, setting the team, and the entire organization, on a much better path for success. Even though it may be difficult to see that right now.
It is unfortunate that the seeming majority of upper echelon coaching candidates were off the market by the time Fisher was let go. But if Fisher wasn’t the right coach for the long term, his firing was unavoidable – no matter what other potential coaching candidates were available.
There are some organizations in sports where owners have far too much influence. In fact, they meddle. Fisher was willing to put up with Titans’ owner Bud Adams and his opinions about personnel. But Fisher erred early in his relationship with Adams by allowing the owner too wield much influence. That early mistake opened the door for the beginning of the end for Fisher, and drafting Vince Young sped up the inevitable.
Vince Young’s bad attitude and ability to receive and miraculously maintain an advocate in Bud Adams prevented Fisher achieving the success he enjoyed early in his head coaching career. But that situation was Fisher’s fault.
Fisher failed because he was unable to oust Young after Young churned through three of his offensive coordinators – including the very well respected Norm Chow. Regardless of how much affection Bud Adams has – or had – for Vince Young, Fisher should have not given into Adams. Adams is not a head football coach, and Fisher should have played the coaching card. It was clear to Fisher early on that Young was not the right quarterback for his style of team. Instead of just standing up for his beliefs and style, he relented to keep his job. It’s hard for a coward to lead a football team.
Without an advocate for a head coach, the team began to take on the persona of its supposed star player, Vince Young. Young’s flighty, unreliable approach to the game infected the rest of the players. The players – it was clear- were given far more power and influence than they should have received. Fisher failed to maintain his hold on authority for his team. They were desperate for a leader able to unite the team, and Fisher could not longer do that. When a leader fails to lead in a business, that leader must be replaced. And Fisher has now rightly been replaced.
Fisher was a good coach at one point. He led a team to within the nose of the football of defeating the vaunted Best Show on Turf in the 2000 Super Bowl. But over time Jeff Fisher allowed his influence and respect to be undermined. He failed to live by his core values, and it is very hard to lead when that is the case. He had to be replaced, though he was once considered one of the game’s best coaches – and probably will be again.
Bud Adams should have fired Jeff Fisher. But in doing so he must also take time and address other issues that are plaguing his organization. The Titans needs a leader who is able to unify the locker room. If the Titans expect to have a fighting chance when they return to the gridiron (whenever that will be), Bud Adams needs to reflect seriously on the management style of his next coach. Hire slow, and fire fast. The timing stinks, but Adams must now take his time and architect a winning organization from the ground up.
But, one thing is clear – Jeff Fisher was not the coach to lead the team anymore. Once that decision is made, it’s best to cut ties. Fisher’s firing was justified.