Fisher, Titans end 17-year marriage
Shortly after the regular season ended, the Titans announced that Jeff Fisher would return. But in a stunning move Thursday night, the team parted ways with the franchise's coach since 1994, when it was the Houston Oilers.
Don Banks of SI.com first reported Fisher's departure.
Fisher was scheduled to coach the final year of his contract and was to be paid $6.5 million. He initially won a power struggle over the direction of the team and quarterback Vince Young, a former first-round pick whom Fisher benched early in the season.
It's uncertain where the Titans will look for their next coach, but The Associated Press reported that a leading candidate is Mike Munchak, their offensive line coach and a favorite of owner Bud Adams.
The Titans also could target Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, whom the Bills courted last year. Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher and former Bucs and Raiders coach Jon Gruden also are available. So is Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, who interviewed this month for head-coaching jobs in Carolina, Cleveland and Denver.
The Titans started 5-2 but lost eight of their last nine. Young and Fisher clashed throughout the season, and the team announced Jan. 5 that Young, the No. 3 overall pick in 2006, will not be back. That still is expected to be the case.
Tennessee missed the playoffs the last two seasons after going 13-3 in 2008 behind quarterback Kerry Collins. The Fisher-Young feud came to a head in a Nov. 21 loss to the Redskins. Young suffered a season-ending thumb injury, and after the game, he threw his shoulder pads and jersey into the stands.
After the season, Adams offered no assurances that Fisher would be back. But after a series of meetings, Adams said Fisher would coach in 2011.
Fisher, 52, had a 147-126 record, including postseason, with the Oilers and Titans. He won four division championships and made the playoffs six times, although the Titans have not won a postseason game in seven years. Fisher's 1999 team lost to the Rams in the Super Bowl.
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