Five Increasingly Common Misconceptions About Jeff Fisher Revisited
by Jimmy on Dec 31, 2009 1:00 PM CST
in Tennessee Titans Commentary
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PrintAugust did a post yesterday about some of the "misconceptions" surrounding Jeff Fisher. Today we will talk about how those "misconceptions" might not be misconceptions at all.
1: This was a Super Bowl caliber roster, and Jeff Fisher blew it.
I agree here with August. This was not a Super Bowl caliber roster, but the real question here is who is at fault for that. While I know that Jeff Fisher does not hold the title of general manager, most people who have inside knowledge of how the organization is run will tell you that Fisher does in fact call the shots. Now I know he has financial limitations, but outside of that he is responsible for the personnel decisions.
August wants to excuse him because a lot of the defensive players took steps backward because of age, but I am pretty sure that Fisher has access to their birth certificates. He should be able to figure out that having that many aging players on the same side of the ball is a recipe for disaster.
I don't blame Fisher for Albert Haynesworth leaving, but I do blame him for not forcing some defensive scheme changes early in the season because of it. My number 1 criticism of Fisher is that he is too slow to change the way he does things. He believes that his way is the only way until something like 0-6 forces him to re-think things. SuperHorn said it best in the comments on August's post:
I just felt that Fisher was reactive, not proactive. This defense doesn't work unless you can get pressure with the front 4. I'd like to think he could have identified that sooner.
This has always been a problem with Fisher. You don't have to look any further than his refusal to remove guys like Reynaldo Hill, Lamont Thompson, Justin McCareins, and Nick Harper from the starting lineup.
And let's not even talk about the fact that this team doesn't have a return man.
2: Jeff Fisher goes into prevent defense and runs the ball as soon as he gets ahead.
August conceded this point, but then went on to say that it isn't a problem because he is so good at holding fourth quarter leads on the road. I agree that the 47-2 record is extremely impressive, but that is a road stat that doesn't tell us anything about the margin of the lead. I can think of a few games off hand at home that have been blown or sent to overtime because of his refusal to continue running the offense with a fourth quarter lead. I would also like to know the margin of the lead in those games. SuperHorn referenced the Football Outsiders post where Fisher wasn't in the top 10 in holding one score 4th quarter leads, and he added this from the FO post:
Turning our attention to head coaches, seven of the last 10 Super Bowls have been won by coaches who rank among the 10 best at holding a one-score, fourth-quarter lead (Table 3). Nine of the top 10 have either been to a Super Bowl or coached in multiple championship games, with the exception being Jim Haslett.
I think sometimes we lose the point that winning a Super Bowl is the ultimate goal here; not just being competitive year in and year out.
3: Jeff Fisher's W/L record is insufficient.
August's argument against this one:
Provided we win Sunday, in 14 full years at the helm Fisher has led us to exactly 4 sub .500 seasons. Since the team landed in Nashville full-time, we've only seen 3 of them, and all but one came after Floyd Reese's mismanagement of contracts led to the team being completely blown up in 2004 as 6 key veterans were released. Bud Adams isn't excatly know as the most posterboy for an NFL owner, but Fisher has successfully juggled all of this over and over again.
The goal in the NFL is to win a Super Bowl not rack up above .500 seasons. This team has been a legitimate Super Bowl contender 5 seasons in Fisher's 15 as coach.
4: Jeff Fisher has stunk in the playoffs since 2003.
I am not sure who argues this one. The Titans have only been in the playoffs twice since 2003 (that's the real problem) and neither loss was a result of coaching.
5: Jeff Fisher doesn't like rookies, and we suffer because of that.
Again, not the real problem. No one is saying that every draft pick, or even just the early round ones, should automatically be put on the field, but is a major problem when Kenny Britt is sitting on the bench while Justin Gage and Nate Washington start. I know Britt gets plenty of playing time, but the fact remains that the best receiver on the team is on the sideline in every two receiver set.
Another example that sticks out to me is Lavelle Hawkins. All we hear about is how he doesn't know where to line up, but anytime we see him on the field he is making plays. Someone in the huddle can help him get to his spot if it is that big of a problem. You think Peyton Manning doesn't do a lot of that?
The issue seems to be that we keep drafting guys that can't learn our scheme. Who is that on?
Honestly, I can't decide if I think it is time for Fisher to go or not, but I know that another season with the bone-headed decisions of this one will make it a no-brainer.
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The goal in the NFL is to win a Super Bowl not rack up above .500 seasons.
Come on, Jimmy. You should know better than a “Super Bowl or bust” mentality. Super Bowls are won by players, and more often than not, Quarterbacks. Yes, there is the 2000-01 Ravens, but keep in mind that in 2000-01 there was only 2 or 3 Quarterbacks who were in their prime. Brett Favre, Kurt Warner, and probably one or two I am missing. The point is siting exceptions only proves the rule. When Fisher had McNair, he went to one Super Bowl and one AFC Championship. When he doesn’t have McNair, he gets nowhere in the playoffs. This is his fault??
Super Bowls on a coaching resume are highly, highly overrated. Barry Switzer has one. Marty Schottenheimer doesn’t. Who do you honestly think is a better coach? If you say Switzer, you’re a moron.
Coaches sink or swim based on their Quarterbacks. Want Jeff Fisher to win a Super Bowl? Pray that Vince Young develops into a top 5 QB in the NFL. If he does, you’ll all be singing Fisher’s praises.
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citing, not siting
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by T--Rac's Posse on Dec 31, 2009 1:13 PM CST up reply actions
Eh, I guess.
What about the Giants with Eli? He’s good, but not top 5. Beyond that, look at all the teams that have just made it to the Super Bowl and not won.
Bears, Seahawks, Eagles, Panthers…
Look at Superbowl XXXVII, Rich Gannon against Brad Johnson.
Hell, Kerry Collins even played in a Super Bowl with the Giants.
A HOF quarterback obviously helps, but it isn’t required.
Eli is great at times
his problem is consistency. he was pretty hot on that run from what I remember…
Rich Gannon one the league MVP that year. Not too shabby. As for the Super Bowl that year, I could have played Qb for the Bucs and won because the Raiders still used Gruden’s plays, signals and audibles. The Bucs defense barely even had to try with that kind of advantage.
I’d submit that once the rule changes for DBs after the Colts/Indy AFC championship, an elite QB became a requirement.
Music City Miracles blogger and official Jon Bovi tour manager.
Re:
As for the Super Bowl that year, I could have played Qb for the Bucs and won because the Raiders still used Gruden’s plays, signals and audibles. The Bucs defense barely even had to try with that kind of advantage.
That’s not really, my point. The point is that he got them there. If Fish was consistently getting to the Super Bowl, I don’t think we’re having this discussion. I’d be thrilled to have the “Marv Levy” of our generation, or at least happier than the results we have been getting.
Marv Levy
Fisher might well be this generations Marv Levy, when you consider that the salary cap has implications for keeping a roster together that Marv Levy didn’t have to deal with much during the Superbowl runs his teams made.
Look at it this way—if you want to compare Fisher to other good coaches who haven’t won a Superbowl, you’re basically saying something like “I would rather have Andy Reid than Jeff Fisher.” Or “I would rather have John Fox than Jeff Fisher”.
I wouldn’t. I would rather have Bill Parcells. I would rather have Bill Cowher. I would rather have Belichik. I would rather have Dungy. Holmgren is a maybe. And that’s about the list.
Those are known commodities, though.
What people need to remember is that Bill Parcells was a nobody before he was a legend. Same with Belichick. And, so on.
There is another great out there somewhere. He may be difficult to find, but a coach doesn’t have to have head coach experience to become one of the greats. Look at Bill Walsh, among others.
Yea
Thats a good point. Who knows. Of all the coordinators milling about these days, who impresses you? Ron Rivera? Russ Grimm?
I don’t really know. It seems like something people with a lot more football knowledge than me would. The question is: is Bud Adams that person? I guess we’d need a real GM first, someone capable of making that call with a football background.
I think if you want to get rid of Fisher, then you need to have an idea of someone lined up that has a higher ceiling.
You're right, it isnt a requirement for one lucky run
Eli won with one of the most remarkable catches of the decade in a game that if played 10 times, the Patriots win 9 of those times. Giants haven’t been close since.
The Bucs fall under the category of the Ravens. Neither team has come close to repeating.
I know it isn’t a requirement, but the teams that have won without a great QB had 1 of 2 things:
1) A historically great defense that played against a team with a mediocre QB; and/or
2) An unbelievable amount of luck.
Fisher hasn’t had either of those, nor does he control either of those.
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by T--Rac's Posse on Dec 31, 2009 1:31 PM CST up reply actions
Re:
When Fisher had McNair, he went to one Super Bowl and one AFC Championship. When he doesn’t have McNair, he gets nowhere in the playoffs. This is his fault??
Then, how long do we wait? What if Vince isn’t a top 5 QB? Does Fisher get a pass and another try in the draft to find a diamond in the rough? And, the scariest question of all, what happens if we do find that guy, and Fisher can’t win it all?
At some point Fisher has to be held responsible for some of this, right? At some point, it’s not some incredible coach that has managed to survive horrible circumstances. It’s just an average coach that has a record just above average that has done what I’d expect out of any coach who’s had the luxury of coaching for 16 years.
I'm not claiming he is incredible or great
I am claiming that coaches don’t matter nearly as much as people are claiming, and that Fisher is just as good as any other coach the Titans could replace him with. For me, it’s 6 in one, half dozen in the other. Coaches don’t matter unless they are historically bad. I mean, shit, Wade f***ing Phillips is in the playoffs this year. Did he figure out how to coach? Or did Tony Romo have a really good season and Miles Austin turned into Jerry Rice circa 1995?
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by T--Rac's Posse on Dec 31, 2009 1:34 PM CST up reply actions
"What if Vince isn’t a top 5 QB?"
In Fisher’s defense, that would be on Bud.
Music City Miracles blogger and official Jon Bovi tour manager.
Perfect.
So if Vince is anything less than top 5, it’s, “Well Bud, you forced my hand on this one. Now, let’s go draft another one and see what happens in five years.” Right?
Here's my fear in all this:
I think Vince has the potential to be really, really good. Top 5-10 good. Good enough that even with bad coaching and personnel management that we could manage 10 wins a year.
I’d just hate to see those years of great play from CJ and VY squandered, because Bud isn’t ever going to fire Fish after a 10 win season that gets them into the playoffs. If you don’t make a move in a different direction, it could be difficult to down the road.
if Vince develops into a top 5 QB, the Titans will be a Super Bowl contender
Jeff Fisher won’t screw it up. Name me one Super Bowl run that was directly screwed up by Fisher.
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by T--Rac's Posse on Dec 31, 2009 1:49 PM CST up reply actions
This year? Seriously? Super Bowl run?
And if you mean last year, then how does Fisher control Alge Crumpler and LenDale White from fumbling? Did he not do enough tire drills and forcing them to sleep with the football?
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by T--Rac's Posse on Dec 31, 2009 2:03 PM CST up reply actions
You're joking, right?
There isn’t a coach in the history of the NFL that could’ve gotten this team to a Super Bowl.
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by T--Rac's Posse on Dec 31, 2009 3:41 PM CST up reply actions
If I recall correctly
Fisher said this was the best team he has ever coached.
"We really feel like we can go 10-0 in these last ten games...we’re trying to do something nobody has ever done." Chris Johnson
"This is the only building in the NHL that the fans get up and cheer for no apparent reason just to support us." - Dan Ellis
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by Aditya T (smashville) on Dec 31, 2009 6:03 PM CST up reply actions
And
Maybe I’m letting my stupidity show, but exactly how was this team not a super bowl team if last’s year’s team was?
Well
but this squad got old, quick
So I guess, in a round-about way, my point is, who should see that guys are getting old and do something about it?
I almost asked who’s fault is it that the players got old, but figured that I shouldn’t blame the falling of the sands of time on Fisher- he caught enough crap for Jerseygate.
THANK YOU!
Now everyone wants to say it wasn’t but at the beginning of the year…most on here thought it was!
we were very, very wrong
the other big difference between this year and last (albert being the fat difference) is health. last year’s team was ridiculously healthy until the ratbirds bent CJ over backwards. this year’s team got really unlucky in that the injuries all came to the same squad at the same time (first the secondary, then the LBs)
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Give me one Super Bowl run any coach has "directly screwed up".
There aren’t many. The wins come with good game planning and conditioning the week before.
last yr
keeping collins in playoffs instead of changing up by putting a running qb in that no one saw all yr/ qbs that r not seen n a while or never seen but r nfl ready tend to b famous examples k. warner p ramsey k collins m cassel f reich b roethlisfag t brady d brees t couch d anderson d culpepper g blandagood one left oilers stats went to nothing w moon same way j montana left sf made hall of fame on 49ers name only true qbs marino p manning bradyaikman most qbs leave down road enjoy them while they last
excellent point super......
he has to be held responsible ,15 years…… 1 super bowl appearence, he has had his chances. time to move on unless we wanna keep looking at 8-8
not true
he took a franchise of rebuilding a team when no one else could handle the pressure he is a great coach only one to take them to a superbowl appearance started with shitty houston fans who turned their back the oilers everybody falls he can gat them back up he was trying to get the fans behind vince and the team he built this team let him retire we will win a sb under him if he stays fans booed young off the field last yr over 3 int s but cheer favre hint the mosts ints in league history fans give up too easily. so dont let someone else com n to butcher the team n make us like the browns or let fisher run front office n bring his long time friend and nemesis bill cowher in
I am not even saying Super Bowl or bust
I would feel the same way if they had won in 1999. The point is we give him a pass because he is consistently a “winner.” I am saying I don’t think “winner” should be defined as just finishing above 8-8.
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"What if I was Peyton Manning?"- CJ to the ref after they picked up a personal foul flag for a late hit on him.
I think 5 legitimate SB contenders in 15 years is not a bad track record.
In fact, I think that explains a lot of the latent satisfaction with the organization. Thus, a better explanation might be 5 Superbowl caliber teams in 15 years with NO Superbowl and two 1-and-done playoff appearances, both of which coincided with truly excellent teams.
Even this year, the team had the sheer TALENT to win 10 games. That didn’t happen because of blatant mismanagement (i.e. no return/fair catch game) and not because the Defense got old.
DannoE
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."
So, at what point do bad breaks get a little of the blame here?
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Yeah exactly. You just proved the point
When he got luck, he got to the Super Bowl. When he doesn’t, he doesn’t.
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by T--Rac's Posse on Dec 31, 2009 1:57 PM CST up reply actions
And you don't want more than that?
Titans Blogger at Music City Miracles even though gramsey hates it.
"What if I was Peyton Manning?"- CJ to the ref after they picked up a personal foul flag for a late hit on him.
Coaches dont get more than that
Quarterbacks do
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by T--Rac's Posse on Dec 31, 2009 2:44 PM CST up reply actions
I don't want to be misunderstood. I am not claiming Fisher is a great coach who is unlucky
I am saying most of you need to rethink your views on the importance of coaching in general. I’ll sum it up:
1) It’s not a coincidence every “great coach” in the NFL had a great Quarterback. If you want sustained greatness in the NFL, you’ll need a great Quarterback. The ONLY coach to break this mold was Joe Gibbs.
2) Coaching nowadays in the NFL has reached an unbelievably high level of proficiency. Bill Walsh revolutionized it, and now everybody is essentially caught up. Nowadays, a coaching innovation is good for a game, then everybody will watch it on film, copy it, and plan to stop it. Teams that have continued success at something is because their players are good. Thus, it all comes down to players.
3) Think coaching still matters so much? I submit the 2009 NFL playoffs. There is Norv Turner, Wade Phillips, Mike McCarthy, Brad Childress, and Jim Caldwell. None of these coaches are regarded as awesome coaches. All of them have a top QB.
Coaching. Is. Overrated. So, I just don’t see any difference between Jeff Fisher and any other coach you can hire out there. It doesn’t matter. So what’s the point? If you keep pinning your Super Bowl hopes on your coach, you’re not gonna get it. The Titans Super Bowl hopes are all pinned on Vince Young’s development.
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I started this thread on the opposite side of your argument,
but now I find myself agreeing with you in some respects. So, kudos on persuasiveness, I guess. I agree that coaching is overrated, but it is at that point that I diverge. Whereas your argument seems to be “coaching doesn’t make that much difference, so we might as well keep Fisher” my stance is “coaching doesn’t make that much difference, so why not get rid of Fisher and try something new”.
i understand the thought process there but if you do that
Then you set the franchise back 2-3 years from being a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Maybe they are that far off anyways, which is a compelling argument I would listen to. But forcing Vince to learn another offense when he has already switched once and is now finally comfortable in this offense seems like regressing, not progressing, to me.
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by T--Rac's Posse on Dec 31, 2009 2:01 PM CST up reply actions
This is exactly where I stand.
Whereas your argument seems to be "coaching doesn’t make that much difference, so we might as well keep Fisher" my stance is "coaching doesn’t make that much difference, so why not get rid of Fisher and try something new".
I do, however, think there are a small number of coaches that do have an impact on the teams. The rest, for the most part, are a result of the talent they are given. The point being, if you get rid of Fisher, maybe you get lucky with one of those coaches. If not, I don’t think there is much lost other than Vince learning a new offensive system which he’s already done once successfully. It took a year, but does anyone think we’re Super Bowl contenders next year anyways?
That's a fair argument
But I think some of the guys you are enamored with aren’t any better than the ones they are replacing. You mentioned Josh McDaniels at one point. started 6-0, now 2-7 since. Is he actually a better choice than Fisher?
I only mention McDaniels because I remember you mentioning him as an example.
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by T--Rac's Posse on Dec 31, 2009 3:22 PM CST up reply actions
It's hard to say.
I like McDaniels because he’s not afraid to be creative on offense.
And, look, I agree with you. Coaches aren’t that important. They are only as good as the players around them. McDaniels has been hamstrung two years in a row by average quarterbacks and still made due with his offense. I just think that if you gave McDaniels toys like VY and CJ, he could take this offense to a different level. He’d be willing to open the playbook.
That may be true. But Knowshon Moreno is no slouch, he had Jay Cutler and ran him off (think he wouldnt have done that to Vince if he had come here?), and also has Brandom Marshall
Who is better than any Receiver the Titans have.
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by T--Rac's Posse on Dec 31, 2009 3:30 PM CST up reply actions
Uh. So many excuses.
You’ve said yourself that you’re a firm believer that your final record is indicative of who you are as a team. Is the same not true for the coach?
Its true of the team, which the coach is a very, very small part of
Wade Phillips has a better record with the Cowboys than Bill Parcells did. Who is better?
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by T--Rac's Posse on Dec 31, 2009 3:36 PM CST up reply actions
Also, what excuses?
You’re telling me Josh McDaniels is this great offensive innovator. I don’t see much proof of that in his tenure as the head coach.
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by T--Rac's Posse on Dec 31, 2009 3:37 PM CST up reply actions
Again, you can only be as innovative as your players will allow.
But, I think he’s taken two very mediocre QBs and made them productive. Cassell last year looked like one of the better QBs in the league last season.
My interest in McDaniels is specific to our team, and maybe not many others. I think he has the balls to get “outside the box” with our offense, and he has a great history of developing quarterbacks. Not that it matters, he’s not leaving Denver.
And I wouldnt say there are coaches that got more out of their players
I would say there have been coaches who thought outside the box and revolutionized football. The ones I can think of would be Paul Brown, Bill Walsh, Buddy Ryan, and Bill Belichick. Outside of those coaches, and maybe one or two I missed, you’re essentially dealing with the same people. Especially now, when everybody shares the same information and coaches with each other and uses the same methods.
If we want to find one of these revolutionary coaches then we need to find a coach that:
1) Will go for it pretty much all the time on 4th and short. This is the one area not fully pioneered by a coach. And;
2) The Spread Power Running game. And actually, the Titans would be perfect for it. Run the spread shotgun, but you mainly run out of it. I see this as the next great innovation in offensive football.
You know football, SuperHorn. What do you think? Disagree/agree?
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by T--Rac's Posse on Dec 31, 2009 3:49 PM CST up reply actions
Now we're talking the same language.
If we want to find one of these revolutionary coaches then we need to find a coach that:
1) Will go for it pretty much all the time on 4th and short. This is the one area not fully pioneered by a coach. And;
2) The Spread Power Running game. And actually, the Titans would be perfect for it. Run the spread shotgun, but you mainly run out of it. I see this as the next great innovation in offensive football.
I’m on board with all this. 4th down playcalling especially.
I want to see a lot more zone read. And, make it an important facet of the offense. Study it. Run it enough in practice that you can execute well on gamedays. Learn from Rich Rodriguez. I don’t think we can close the book on the zone read in the NFL until the best zone read QB in college football history has run it. But, in order to do that, you have to commit to it, not run it 2-3 times a game.
The only issue with that is who is a NFL qualified coach who could run that?
I don’t know of any, and I’d be wary of hiring a college coach with no NFl experience. That hasn’t seemed to work.
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by T--Rac's Posse on Dec 31, 2009 5:45 PM CST up reply actions
You don't really need a coach with experience running it. You do need a coach with the guys to install it though.
Admittedly, it takes a huge leap of faith. Especially if it’s your primary offense because if Vince goes down you’re in trouble. The upside could be tremendous though.
I saw it installed in one season with Vince at Texas when it had never been done before at the school. The NFL is different, but the premise is the same.
You need to learn from the guys who do it best at the college ranks, and then install it. It isn’t like “stealing” a Mike Martz offense. It’s very basic, and difficult to defend if executed correctly with the right personnel.
Just thinking about this
Makes me very excited. However, this:
you have to commit to it, not run it 2-3 times a game.
Uh, no
Coaching is overrated. Coaching stability is not. Pretty much every team that is legitimately good and is a Super Bowl contender has had their coach for more than 3 years. The exception being the Colts, and they have the same General Manager, Offensive Coordinator, and HoF Quarterback to offset that.
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by T--Rac's Posse on Dec 31, 2009 1:59 PM CST up reply actions
Were 9-7 and lost one game 47-0
Was their season one for the ages? Football Outsiders declared them the most unlikely team to ever make the Super Bowl. On top of that, Larry Fitzgerald turned into God during the playoffs. If you pro-rate Fitzgeralds playoff numbers, he wouldve had a 3,000 yard season.
Come on, look at the circumstances. You keep throwing extremely fortunate and lucky exceptions out. There isn’t a team that has sustained greatness without a top QB, and there arent teams that have brand new coaches going 13-3 and dominating the NFL.
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by T--Rac's Posse on Dec 31, 2009 3:24 PM CST up reply actions
So...
Pretty much every team that is legitimately good and is a Super Bowl contender has had their coach for more than 3 years.
Ken Whisenhunt is an exception. That’s all I’m saying.
And you keep using the word luck to reference my examples. It seems to me that Fisher must be the unluckiest man alive. If that’s the case, it’s time for a change. That luck is obviously rubbing off on the team.
He isnt an exception though
They were 9-7 and barely made the playoffs. I know that technically he qualifies, but if you play that season 100 times, how many times do the Cardinals make the Super Bowl? 1? Maybe 2? They weren’t a good team. They were a hot team that only made the playoffs because they played in the worst division in football.
His overall performance that season is 12-8. Decent, but not amazing, especially considering their talent. They have an amazingly talented team on offense and defense, yet they went 9-7 and didn’t look any different than the teams Denny Green coached, they just got hot and Jake Delhomme threw up on himself. Also, Larry Fitzgerald had the greatest playoffs of any receiver ever.
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by T--Rac's Posse on Dec 31, 2009 3:35 PM CST up reply actions
Seriously
Wouldn’t you think that if a guy has 15 years then his luck quantity would increase? Why hasn’t his luck quotient increased?
Name me one coach whose "luck quotient" has increased over time?
Why would it? How does this make sense?
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by T--Rac's Posse on Dec 31, 2009 3:37 PM CST up reply actions
Problems this season
Haynesworth missing was a bigger problem than anyone on earth anticipated. Tony Brown stepped up big this season, but he’s no Painsworth.
Punt and kickoff returns. We lost at least two, if not three games early in the season because of the inability to just field a damn kick. Fisher should know better. It seems he did because after we lost Carr in the offseason because we wouldn’t pay him the additional money and promise him defensive playing time we went and signed Mark Jones. Then we cut him and let a rookie do it. Then another rookie after that one screwed up, and it was just a big mess and then we finally brought back Jones so he could sit on out roster and be injured. This was a big deal and it’s not getting enough attention. Fix this!
I put a lot of the early problems on the O-line not being able to protect Kerry. The reason Vince came in and had success is because he defenses have to play him a little different because of his threat to run. And when defenses found out he was hurt after flailing on the sidelines a lot they played him different these past few games and you can see the result.
Fisher deserves blame, but Cecil deserves more, and because coaching continuity is so important I don’t want to see either of them go.
“Now, I’m done.”
"I'm the best boy. I'm the best." - Blaine Bishop (sideline audio picked up years ago after Bishop made a play against the Colts in the playoffs)
Wrong.
Haynesworth missing was a bigger problem than anyone on earth anticipated.
It was something I and others expected. And, I don’t get paid to do this for a living. I can’t imagine that Fisher didn’t see this regression coming.
oops....
I’m sure Fisher did see a regression coming. However he cannot and will not come out and say “well, we took a major hit. Albert was able to make everyone better. Now we aren’t going to be as good.” I have no doubt they saw things coming. Should the defense have been changed up a little, yes. I would have liked to see us different in a lot more blitzing or something to help get pressure on the QB.
I still think Fisher is the best fit for this team. I think changing coaches/schemes, etc, right now would do more to hurt than to help.
I agree with this,
completely, NEW HEAD COACH = NEW O COORDINATOR and everything else = DISASTER right now.
Just don’t do it!
This is the problem.
I still think Fisher is the best fit for this team. I think changing coaches/schemes, etc, right now would do more to hurt than to help.
That’s the reason there is never a change. That’s why we have the same coach for 16 years. Fisher does just enough to give you a taste. One great thing a season that gives you hope, but never enough to really get us where we need to be, deep in the playoffs.
So, instead of looking to a change, we’re constantly looking back to that flash in the pan. 16 years is long enough to know what you’ve got with a coach. Unless something dramatic happens with the defense in free agency, next year is going to be a rough year. The defense will be awful, and the offense isn’t quite mature enough to win a bunch of shootouts. I think now is the perfect window to get some new blood on the sidelines, install a new offense, hope for the best next year, and build the team for a Super Bowl run in 2011.
hard to poke a hole in that.
"hey, quit reading these ridiculous words of wisdom and get back to work!"
by stetix01 on Jan 2, 2010 6:55 PM CST up reply actions
Fisher needs to go
As a Cards fan and and fan that once rooted for the Oilers during the Run & Shoot era of the Oilers and the Steve McNair led Oilers/Titans my position is that Fisher is a lot like the “little girl with the cute curls——-when she good—— she’s really good——but when she’s bad—— she’s horrible”. And that is exactly what you get from a defensive minded and conservative coach like Fisher.
Fisher is singularly responsible for the Titans being in hole they were in with his inability/refusal to admit a mistake with Kerry Collins. Collins has never been a QB that has put together back to back solid seasons in the league. His coach speak philosphy and refusal to support Vince Young handicapped the team. How in the hell do you keep a man that wins games on the bench behind a washed-up Kerry Collins? In the weak ass AFC the Titans should have made the playoffs and CJ along with the Titans fan base deserved to be in the playoffs. Two more wins and the Titans were in imo.
5 winning season in 16 in awful. Bud Adams should pull the plug on fish face.
i'm sure i'm gonna paraphrase this very poorly but as far as the importance of coaching
game planning is highly overrated
execution is highly underrated
"hey, quit reading these ridiculous words of wisdom and get back to work!"
by stetix01 on Jan 1, 2010 2:37 PM CST reply actions
I will definitely agree with that!
Supposedly…the Colts run the same plays…nothing fancy. They just execute it near perfect.
rod hood
rod hood really should replace nick harper
Grass is always greener
I don’t understand playing Harper over Hood when Harper was still recovering from injury. I don’t know why Britt isn’t pugged in at starter, period. and I sure as hell don’t understand why Bulluck wasn’t locked into an extension LAST year, let alone this one, for all that he has done and all that he is. PAY THE DUDE. He could step into the coaching ranks the moment he takes off the pads.
But all that aside, I wouldn’t trade Jeff Fisher for any other coach in the game, whether or not those three anomolies are his call or not.
Let’s get CJ his numbers and have VY end on a high note, and then get some rest and recuperation while we eye a DL and a CB for the draft.
Really?
But all that aside, I wouldn’t trade Jeff Fisher for any other coach in the game, whether or not those three anomolies are his call or not.
You’re kidding, right? I understand why people don’t want to make a change, but you’re crazy if you think he’s the best coach in the league.
Good read........
Bottom line………This team wouldn’t be staring at .500 this season if it wasn’t for “Bird” Adams. The only record that matters is 5-6 in the postseason. Fisher plays a big role in personnel. If the personnel isn’t performing, someone should be held accountable.
Moustaches shouldn’t connect to nose hairs.
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