Jeff Fisher Out In Tennessee

[RipCity32]

In an unexpected development in what already has been a turbulent offseason in Tennessee, the Titans and Jeff Fisher, the NFL's longest-tenured head coach, are preparing to part ways, SI.com learned Thursday afternoon.
According to an NFL source close to the situation in Tennessee, the move could be announced as early as Friday, although it's uncertain if Fisher's departure will be termed a firing, a resignation or a mutual parting of ways.
Though information about Fisher's situation was scarce Thursday, it was confirmed by a league source that he will not return to coach the team in 2011, contrary to what was previously expected. Fisher was said to be in the process of negotiating the terms of his departure with Titans owner Bud Adams.
According to a league source, only Adams, Fisher, Titans general manager Mike Reinfeldt and team general counsel Steve Underwood were aware of the finer details of Fisher's imminent departure early Thursday evening. Members of the Titans front office could not be reached for comment Thursday, but SI.com was in contact with a member of the Titans public relations staff, who could not confirm the news.
Fisher has been on the job with the Houston/Tennessee organization since being named interim head coach late in the 1994 season, and he was expected to return for a 17th full season this year. But Fisher's future with the team beyond that was considered somewhat tenuous given that he was entering the final year of his contract, and Adams did not decide to retain him until Jan. 7, five days after Tennessee closed out a disappointing 6-10 season -- the Titans' worst since 2005.
In choosing to keep Fisher and release fifth-year starting quarterback Vince Young, Adams had seemingly settled the protracted standoff that had existed between Fisher and Young since late November, when the two had a very heated argument in the Titans' locker room following a home loss to Washington.
While it's not known what prompted the change regarding Fisher's status in Tennessee, league sources say Fisher was not happy to lose a pair of his longtime defensive coaches last week. Fisher fired defensive coordinator Chuck Cecil, one of his closest friends, and saw well-respected Titans defensive line coach Jim Washburn accept a similar position on Andy Reid's staff in Philadelphia. Given that Fisher had just one year of security to offer any potential coaching replacements, it was thought that his task of filling those roles would be different.
The Titans started promisingly in 2010, going 5-2 and fielding the league's second-highest scoring offense behind the Patriots through seven weeks of the regular season. But Tennessee lost eight of its final nine games, suffered through the Young-Fisher controversy, and endured the news that offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger was diagnosed with cancer.
The Titans missed the playoffs in each of Fisher's last two seasons, going 8-8 in 2009 after an 0-6 start. Tennessee is the only team in the NFL to have a losing streak of at least six games in both of the past two seasons. Tennessee's last playoff trip came in 2008, but the No. 1 seeded Titans wasted their 13-3 regular season when they lost at home to No. 6-seeded Baltimore in the AFC divisional round.
Fisher was the NFL's youngest head coach at 36 when he was promoted from Oilers defensive coordinator to interim head coach in mid-November 1994, replacing the fired Jack Pardee. He was named the franchise's full time head coach in early January 1995, and went 142-120 (.542) in his 16-plus regular seasons with the Oilers/Titans. But Fisher was just 5-6 in the playoffs, with one Super Bowl trip (1999), four division titles and six postseason berths over that span. Three of Fisher's five postseason wins came during Tennessee's 1999 Super Bowl run -- it lost that game to St. Louis, 23-16 -- and the Titans have not won a playoff game since winning at Baltimore in the first round of the 2003 postseason.
While speculation swirled around the Fisher and Young drama earlier this offseason, Fisher repeatedly said he hoped to finish his coaching career in Tennessee. Fisher, who will be 53 late next month, was under contract for $6.5 million in 2011, and had been in his job more than four full seasons longer than the NFL's next most-tenured head coach, Philadelphia's Andy Reid.

Kind of shocked tbh.

 

[WHO-DEY-BENGALS_18]

Wow, I thought he was coming back for another year, was surprised to see this, he's a good coach.

 

[DJT]

Huh thats interesting. Getting rid of Fischer and Young?? Both will get picked up.

 

[WHO-DEY-BENGALS_18]

Yeah, after Young left I thought for sure Fisher was staying, so much for that thought.

 

[Elite]

Wow, wonder where he's gonna coach, everybody already has their head coach in place IIRC.

 

[Lake Louise]

No way was I going to read that entire article lol.

Like everyone else though, I'm surprised as well. I really expected him to be back. He's a great coach. I do believe all the other head coaching spots are filled, but I do see him going somewhere.

 

[kam.]

Lol, Am I the only person not shocked?

He was done after this year anyways. His time was kinda done whenever he got in a bitch argument with Vince Young (Who spent most his time under Bud Adams desk giving him blowies). Then made Bud decide to choose over him or Vince and ofcourse Vince sucks donkey cock so nobody on the titans staff liked him. Now they'll be gone of Jeff and Vince. GREAT TO BE.. A JAGS FAN.. !!

 

[Elite]

None of us saw it coming because Vince was gone, everyone was saying it was Fisher or Vince.

After Vince left everyone figured Fisher was staying, now both are gone.

 

[TTN2810]

I'm stoked. Fisher was sooo conservative and even if they were getting killed, would never change the game plan in game at half time. They couldn't adjust. The team also just quit on him. New Coach, new QB, maybe not this year, but soon they will finally be where I want them to be.

 

[A.E]

Way to wait until the head coaching market is all but depleted Bud Adams. So if not Jeff Fisher, who? What coordinator is still out there? I really think Titans' fans are going to be hating life after Fisher.

 

[TTN2810]

They said promoting Heimerdinger is a possibility. And no. He lost the team, simple as that. He just can't manage games.

 

[cruzg24]

Damn, kind of surprised by this. I wonder who the longest tenured coach is now. My guess is Bill Belichick. The owner really screwed over the Titans franchise trying to find a good coach, they should just hire someone from within and see how that sticks for this upcoming year.

 

[TTN2810]

Mike Munchak is in the lead for the job, and Gregg Williams is second, I hear.