Tennessee Titans Morning Links: Time For A Coaching Union? Edition

by August West on May 7, 2009 8:49 AM CDT in Tennessee Titans Links

Fisher shared some thoughts on Chuck Cecil's first OTAs as defensive coordinator.

"I’m completely comfortable. He worked very, very closely with Jim [Schwartz] and we are not changing anything. I think he shocked the offense Monday and blitzed four out of the first five team snaps and caught Dinger off guard. He settled back into a normal mode today."

Fisher also discussed the QB situation and said out-right that VY was still the no. 2 QB.

Raphael LIttle is finally healthy after rehabbing through his whole rookie campaign, and it'll be good fun to see if he can make a spot for himself on the roster.

Kearse had a small-time knee scope a few days ago, and it's keeping him out of OTAs at he moment. Still, it should be no big deal going forward.

The Colts may be losing Howard Mudd and Tom Moore because of callous changes in the way the league structures the pension plan for coaches, and Florio goes over the idea of a coaches union in response.

Don Banks has a good list of players entering their second year that need to make an impact.

Now that the slower period of the off-season is upon us your help in finding out of the way Titans stories is more important than ever. If you have a link you'd like to submit for tomorrow's Morning Links email me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com! (Be sure to include your commenting handle so I can give you glowing, semi-anonymous credit.)

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2nd year guys

if anyone knew who the hawk was, he would definitely make the list. with washington, britt and the two freakish project guys now on board, if he doesn’t get a clue and learn the offense he will be riding the bench again all season and maybe out the door after that. dinger don’t suffer no fools.
he is currently behind paul williams and chris davis on the depth chart without even considering the new rookies. that makes him fifth when you consider gage and washington, and possibly even 6th, as craphonso is listed as the #3 on the other side. he absolutely MUST distinguish himself in the offseason or he risks getting buried on the roster of a run first team with no proven impact receivers. that is not a good career trajectory.

The Dual Threat, Official Enforcer/Stat Geek of MCM.

by hal41605 on May 7, 2009 10:09 AM CDT reply actions

Coaches Union

Can the coaches unionize? I would think they would be classed as supervisors, and therefore union-ineligible.

On the other hand, while they certainly direct the players and tell them how to do their jobs, they do not have hiring or firing authority – that’s the GM’s job.

On the other other hand, some head coaches ARE the GM. And the head coaches can hire/fire their coaching staff members, I believe. And Jeff Fisher is also a team Vice President.

So, maybe the assistant coaches can unionize, but not head coaches?

by hartley on May 7, 2009 10:23 AM CDT reply actions

supervisor:

any individual having authority, in the interest of the employer, to hire, transfer, suspend, lay off, recall, promote, discharge, assign, reward, or discipline other employees, or responsibly to direct them, or to adjust their grievances, or effectively to recommend such action, if in connection with the foregoing the exercise of such authority is not of a merely routine or clerical nature, but requires the use of independent judgment.

so head coaches, regardless of their other responsibilities are for sure ineligible. however i think assistants would fall into the “merely routine or clerical” category in that they don’t so much have authority, but rather make recommendations to the guys who have the authority (GM or head coach).

The Dual Threat, Official Enforcer/Stat Geek of MCM.

by hal41605 on May 7, 2009 10:47 AM CDT up reply actions

Maybe if they can argue "routine or clerical"

But even if they only recommend, the assistant coaches still use their “independent judgment” and it also says “having authority… or effectively to recommend such action.”

Still, thanks for looking that up, hal!

by hartley on May 7, 2009 10:58 AM CDT up reply actions

yeah

the head coach is an iron-clad case, but i think there will be AMPLE room for legal maneuverings about assistants. O and D coordinators i think will also be left out any unionizing. however, scouts and position coaches will be able to argue that they have no real promotion or assignment duties and that they simply do what the HC tells them to do.

the litmus test, as i have gleaned from reading about the “Kentucky River” cases where the supervisor issue was hotly debated in the medical field, specifically about whether charge nurses were supervisors, is what control you have over the people working under you. therefore, anyone in the NFL with control over contracts or the depth chart will certainly be on the outside looking in. lots of good legal guts here. the most important part, it think is that a supervisor’s role must be more than simply “dictated or controlled by detailed instructions, whether set forth in company policies or rules, the verbal instructions of a higher authority, or in the provisions of a collective-bargaining agreement.” that sounds to me like a pretty good definition of what most assistant coaches do.

The Dual Threat, Official Enforcer/Stat Geek of MCM.

by hal41605 on May 7, 2009 11:22 AM CDT up reply actions

will they

blitz more often now that Chuck Cecil is the DC? what do you think?
i dont think that we should.. the d-line pressured the QB very well last year, and although Haynesworth was let go, we could create decent pressure with our front four.. the defense was great last year, so i think that we should keep doing the same things..

"But do you know what happen in my defense? I named Smash 'n' Dash and after the Tennessee game it was aired, right? So, your Fans decided to Swagger Jack Me"

by v1nc3_pr1nc3 on May 7, 2009 10:53 AM CDT reply actions

Probably, but it depends on the personel.

Schwartz blitzed at those times last year when he felt it was warranted, and they for sure blitzed during VY’s rookie campaign. It was just a matter of personel. I think Schwartz liked playing the base better because he thought it gave better overall coverage with fewer exploitable gaps—which is key in a division featuring Peyton Manning—but at times when more heat was needed, more heat was brought.

And honestly, when you have Albert Haynesworth in a contract year, two years in a row, you don’t necessarily NEED to bring a lot of guys to get heat. However, with Big Al gone, I’d expect to see a bit more blitzing from pure necessity.

DannoE

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."

by DannoE on May 7, 2009 11:44 AM CDT up reply actions

Raphael Little

"Last year, I didn’t take learning the plays as seriously as I would have, because I knew I wasn’t going to play.

I don’t like that kind of quote from a guy, and I’m pretty sure Fisher doesn’t either.

by hartley on May 7, 2009 10:53 AM CDT reply actions

Really

When a guy says stuff like that he relly makes people think about his work ethic. If he lands in a backup spot, will he bother learning anything but the bare necessities?

by Titan in WV on May 7, 2009 12:42 PM CDT up reply actions