Tennessee Titans Daily Links: More Support For Munchak Continues To Emerge Edition

Climer sees Munchak as the most likely HC candidate to bring immediate some calm, focus and sense of direction to the Titans franchise, and Climer makes a good point: listening to what has been said about Much so far, it's very clear that he's more respected around the NFL than most Titans fans realize. We've been pumping this angle like crazy, mostly because Munch isn't a power-craving big talker or self-promoter. That lust for power would be a nice change from Fisher (and all of the big-name coaches out there as well). Even as a hard-core fan who has read pretty much every reliable story written about the team over the past 3-4 years in order to do the links, I had no idea the level of input Munch had on the run game over the past several years. A few days ago John McClain was on 104.5 telling a story about how he had once asked Mike Heimerdinger what he would he do if Munchak left, and Dinger rather bluntly said he'd probably shoot himself. I know that's not going to enthuse people who have had a problem with the offensive coaching lately, but you sure as hell can't argue the running game's production over the past 10 years, even when the talent wasn't the highest.

Terry McComrick reports that the next Titans coach can expect to make significantly less than the $6.5 million salary Jeff Fisher was making. His ballpark for the next salary is around $2.5 million. While that's just a touch below the NFL average of around $3.2 million, you have to keep in mind that HC salary is not a direct path to wins. Coaches like Ken Wisenhunt and Mike Tomlin have gone to the Super Bowl making less than $3 million.

Feel good link of the day: Eagles WR DeSean Jackson and a few of his teammates did an amazing thing on The View by helping a 13 year old kid who had been badly bullied at school. Watch this video. I can't recommend it highly enough. There won't be a dry eye in the house when you see that kid's face.

(Note: this criticism is directed more at mouth-breathers NFL fans in general than the fine folks here, who haven't really said peep along those lines. It also doesn't relfect the content of the link, but the discussion I've seen around the topic.) Lets drop this language about the 'token Rooney Rule' interview, mostly because it's insulting and inaccurate. Is Perry Fewell probably the least likely of all the coaches interviewed to get this job? Probably, but teams have zero interest in interviewing someone who seriously isn't qualified to be a head coach. More than that, numerous coaching careers have been jump-started by Rooney Rule interviews that might never have taken place without teams being forced to at least look outside the good 'ole boys club. For every guy you can point to who got an interview that maybe shouldn't have, you can point out numerous minority candidates over the past decade who didn't get an interview when they should have.

Jim Wyatt sees Mike Mularkey as a pretty good fit at the head coach spot considering the Titans' recent offensive philosophy. Mularkey has had tremendous success running offenses for the Steelers and more recently the Falcons (who finished last year 5th in total offense).

The Chicago Sun-Times came up with a few key stats that were common among almost every Super Bowl winner, but it's this paragraph that is the kick in the gut:

One Super Bowl that does not fall into this formula was XXXIV where the St. Louis Rams edged the Tennessee Titans 23-16. The Titans did everything right. They out-rushed the Rams 159 to 29; they allowed one sack; they had no turnovers; and, even more amazingly, they controlled the ball for 13 more minutes. Still, "The Greatest Show on Turf" with architect Mike Martz prevailed. The only explanation: quarterback Kurt Warner’s precision passing game racked up a record 414 yards.

Packers Fans are bracing for teams to zero-in on their coaching assistants after the Super Bowl, and the Titans could be a team that comes knocking.

The Tennessean's Erin Quinn details the sad story of Franklin, TN resident and former NFL running back Jerry Eckwood. Eckwood is 56, but lives in an assisted living facility, where most other residents are decades older than him, because the brain trauma of playing football all his life has left him with dementia and unable to care for himself. The NFL Player Care Foundation tracked Eckwood down to make sure he gets the benefits to which he's entitled, but one of the stipulations is that he must stay in assisted living. It's a good read, so take a few minutes and check it out.

The Onion Sportsdome started slow for the first few episodes, but last Tuesday's episode had me crying from laughter. The "Roethlisberger officially 1 game away from being a good person", and this faux-Pro Bowl bombing bits were absolutely brilliant:

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