The NFL Lockout sucks and not just because there is a chance that the season won't start on time. It sucks because it comes in the biggest time of transition this franchise has faced since the move from Houston to Nashville. It is not like anyone here doesn't know that.
To make things worse, the Titans second most dynamic playmaker, Kenny Britt, has decided to be an enormous moron during the offseason. So not only will Mike Munchak have to oversee the implementation of a new system, he has to decided what to do about Britt. Does he drop the hammer or wait for Roger Goodell to weigh in?
Add to all of that Chris Johnson's contract situation, and you have the recipe for a Sporting News article saying Munch will find himself "behind the eight-ball" when the lockout is lifted (h/t TennesseeTyrants).
There is no doubt that Munchak finds himself in a tough situation, but is his situation really any worse than say that of Ron Rivera in Carolina? Rivera would love to have Britt as his problem because that would mean he would have someone with Britt's talent on his roster. Steve Smith is on the team, but he is probably on the downside of his career.He does have a QB who has thrown an NFL touchdown pass on his roster, unlike Munch, but that QB is Jimmy Clausen. I am not sure Clausen is better than Rusty Smith.
The Panthers had the second best one-two running back punch in the league a couple of years ago, but DeAngelo Williams is a free agent and Jonathan Stewart has been banged up. Plus there is the fact that neither of those guys are Chris Johnson.
The point of this post isn't to bash the Panthers. It is just to say that there are other teams facing similar challenges. I don't think anyone is really expecting Munchak to set the world on fire in year one. His success as an NFL head coach will ultimately be decided by the success of Jake Locker as an NFL QB. This lockout stuff will be a distant memory when the history of Mike Munchak the head coach is written.