As a Tennessee Titans follower, I missed seeing Jeff Fisher roaming around the sideline. I'm not sure if that has to do with his accomplishments from 1994 through 2010 or if I'm just bored from seeing current Titans head coach Mike Munchak looking like a wax statue on the sideline no matter the situation. The Titans were 9-7 in Munchak's first season as a head coach.
With that said, I feel like it was the right decision to part ways with Fisher. I'm also glad to hear the reports that Fisher has accepted the head-coaching vacancy from the St. Louis Rams. After unsuccessful coaching terms from Scott Linehan and Steve Spagnuolo, I think a prestigious coaching hire was an appropriate strategy for them. The Miami Dolphins and Rams were the top candidates to lure Fisher out of his one-year retirement.
So what should the Rams expect from their new hire? Will this turn them into a Super Bowl contender? Will Fisher frustrate fans as he shows them why he was given the nicknames "Field-goal Fisher" and "Coach Ocho?" How much of Fisher's successes and failures were because of management and ownership?
Fisher coached the Titans for 17 seasons (16 full seasons). He accumulated a record of 142-120 with a 5-6 playoff record. He led the Titans to two AFC championship appearances and one Super Bowl appearance in 2000. That was the game where Kevin Dyson was stopped one yard short in a 23-16 loss to the Rams. That was also the season where they needed the "Music City Miracle" just to get out of the first round.
That begs the question: does Fisher's resume still look as appealing if that kickoff return was overturned? That would've meant a 2-6 playoff record in 16 full seasons.
Many Titans enthusiasts will criticize Fisher by pointing out that seven of his 16 seasons were 7-9 or 8-8, hence, "Coach Ocho." However, four of those seasons were in his first four full seasons of coaching from 1995 through 1998. From 1999 through 2008, The Titans had six teams that posted 10 or more victories. The Titans posted 11 or more victories in four of five seasons from 1999 through 2003.
Fisher's downfall began when Vince Young was forced on him by owner Bud Adams. Fisher never gelled with Young. Young kept making poor decision on and off the field. Adams appeared like he was more loyal to his Texas quarterback than Fisher.
There was blame to go around for everybody involved in this mess, especially with Adams. Fisher had been the coach for more than one decade when Young was drafted. Adams should've allowed Fisher to pick the quarterback that he knew would fit his offense and locker room.
But I can't say that Fisher is just an "Average coach." Does an "Average" coach go 13-3 with a backfield starring Kerry Collins and LenDale White? Fisher did well with what he had to work with since 2003. He wasn't the culprit of mediocrity as much as he was the culprit of a mediocre front office and questionable ownership in Nashville.
I don't think Fisher will have much success with the roster that the Rams currently have. But surround him with some talent and a quarterback that he trusts and can develop? I don't see any reason why the Rams can't compete for NFC West championships.
But do the Rams have the front-office personnel to build a winner? Do they have the ownership that will exude some patience during a rebuilding period these next couple of seasons? I don't know. There is a possibility that they hire the Titans vice president of operations, Lake Dawson.
Joshua Huffman graduated from Middle Tennessee State University as a marketing major in 2009. He's been a Middle Tennessee resident from 1986-88 and 2001-present. He lived in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin from 1988-01 and for approximately eight months in 2009-10 while completing a 20-game volunteer position with the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers. His favorite sports organizations include the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Cubs and Nashville Predators. He also follows the Tennessee Titans, his favorite AFC team.
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