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"Believe me, we will not disappoint you this year."
It may be the ever hopeful fan inside of me, but this blunt and direct statement struck a chord within.
This may seem like a simple statement, and overall it really is. But what it reveals about the attitude of both Mike Munchak and this team is much deeper. A few weeks ago I wrote about how the Titans are getting personal this year and changing the culture of the team. This is just a continuation of the same theme.
Mike Munchak and his staff know their jobs are on the line, but beyond that, they truly care about the way the team performs from a competitive standpoint. It is said that there are two types of competitive people, those that like to win, and those that hate to lose. You can't win years of trench battles and become a Hall Of Fame offensive lineman without being competitive, and I place Munchak in the second category.
I believe Munchak takes last years' failures very personally and he is sincere in his approach to this season. Munchak is taking ownership and control of the team as he grows into his role of head coach, and is putting his word on the line in front of everyone. The departure form standard coach-speak is also very refreshing. This type of direct personal comment to the fans is rarely seen or heard of in the NFL.
The Titans have made a lot of moves this off season and the this type of comment shows the faith Mike Munchak has in those moves. He has faith in the team, players, and the staff they have assembled. The Titans identified all of their problems and addressed them one at at a time through the off season with no exceptions. On paper they have done everything they could up to this point. Now it's just time to see it work on the field.