Fisher turned Titans into unlikely winnersBy Michael Smith ESPN.com Archive My criterion for coach of the year is simple: he who does the most with the least. In 2006, that coach has been Tennessee's Jeff Fisher. The favorites appear to be rookie coaches Eric Mangini of the Jets and Sean Payton of the Saints. But they've had more to work with. That's not to say they haven't been outstanding. But Fisher's team has you scratching your head wondering how it is in the playoff conversation this late in the season. I can't say I'm all that surprised by the success of the Jets and Saints. I sat in Fisher's office during Titans training camp and he told me his team, 9-23 the previous two seasons, would surprise people. Fisher can be quite convincing, but I had my doubts. Fisher's prediction didn't look so good when the Titans got off to an 0-5 start. Marvin Gentry/US Presswire Jeff Fisher is in his 13th season as the Titans head coach.But lo and behold, they've turned it around, winning eight of their past 10 and six in a row. The Titans' 8-7 record is legit. Tennessee has faced the league's third-toughest schedule, which concludes Sunday at home against 11-4 New England. Titans opponents have a combined winning percentage of .567. Tennessee has played nine games against teams that are .500 or better. No team has made the playoffs despite such a dreadful start, and the Titans must win Sunday and get a lot of help to play in the postseason. But the mere fact that they're even in this position speaks to the job Fisher and his staff are doing. And they're doing it with the second-youngest team in the league (the players' average age at the start of the season was 25 years, 281 days) and with a rookie quarterback who, however poised, technically should be a senior in college. You could see even when the Titans were 2-7 that they were a scrappy bunch. They had the ball and a chance to tie with less than a minute remaining in a loss to the Jets. They turned it over at the two-minute warning in a three-point loss at Miami. They lost in Indianapolis by a point in Vince Young's second start. They had an attempt at a potential winning field goal blocked in the final seconds against Baltimore. Point is, the Titans have played better than their record suggests. But in reality, they aren't as good as their record. Even some within the Tennessee organization have admitted as much. As fine a job as Mangini and Payton have done, they have more talent and experience and have teams led by proven quarterbacks. New York was a field goal from the AFC title game two years ago. The Saints just missed the playoffs that year. Injuries destroyed the Jets' 2005 season, Hurricane Katrina the Saints'. Statistically, the Saints have the league's top-rated offense, and in the past eight weeks, no team has allowed fewer points than the Jets. Meanwhile, the Titans have been, as they say, ham-and-egging it the past month and a half. The defense allowed 13 points to Philadelphia despite being on the field for a whopping 91 snaps. The Titans, with plenty of help from the Giants, rallied from a 21-0 deficit in the final 10 minutes. Then Tennessee beat Indianapolis on a 60-yard field goal by Rob Bironas. Houston played for overtime and the Titans won on Young's walk-off touchdown run. Tennessee scored three defensive touchdowns to win in Jacksonville two weeks ago. In five of their wins, including Sunday's in Buffalo, the Titans overcame deficits of eight or more points. They're finding ways to win, but they have been ways you can't count on. But, hey, all victories count the same. And Tennessee has more than most would have imagined. Statistically, the Titans rank 27th in offense and last in defense. Fisher has them committed to running the football, and the players are making big plays at key moments in all three phases. It isn't just Fisher; he'll tell you that. Coach of the year is very much a staff honor, and Fisher has one of the best. Give credit to offensive coordinator Norm Chow and quarterbacks coach Craig Johnson for the way they've collaborated on polishing a raw prospect such as Young and adapted to the quarterback's unique skills. Veteran wide receivers coach Ray Sherman is getting the most from unheralded players such as Drew Bennett, Bobby Wade and Brandon Jones. Offensive line coach Mike Munchak's and running backs coach Sherman Smith's groups have made it possible for the Titans to protect Young as well as they have and become a power running team featuring Travis Henry & Co. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz oversees a group that probably is better than the stats suggest. Schwartz and assistants Jim Washburn (defensive line), Dave McGinnis (linebackers), Chuck Cecil (safeties, nickelbacks coach) and Everett Withers (defensive backs) have had to work a lot of overtime this season. Tennessee's defense is on the field for an average of 32 minutes, 55 seconds a game, highest in the league. The Titans' offense is near the top of the league in three-and-out drives. But the D has hung in there, surviving without stud tackle Albert Haynesworth for his five-game suspension. Special-teams coach Alan Lowry's unit has produced game-changing plays in the form of big returns from Adam "Pacman" Jones and clutch kicks from Bironas. After the way the season started and with the players Tennessee had to start, there's no way the Titans should be thinking about the playoffs. But Fisher and his staff held things together through the rough times. Fisher is standing the test of time. Only the Steelers' Bill Cowher (for now, that is) has been with his current team longer than Fisher has coached the Oilers/Titans (since 1995). Just a few years ago, the Titans were a league power. Fisher guided them to Super Bowl XXXIV. But this may be his best coaching job yet. Fisher has an option year remaining on his contract, and his job status in Tennessee was in doubt during the team's rough start. How ridiculous does that seem now? There are lots of worthy candidates for coach of the year. The way the business works nowadays, any head coach who isn't looking for work after the season did a commendable job. I don't vote, but if I did, I'd cast it for Fisher. THIS ARTICLE IS BS IF FISHER WAS SUCH A GREAT COACH HE SHOULD HAVE STRATED VINCE YOUNG FROM GAME ONE. ALSO VINCE YOUNG'S DEVELOPMENT TURNED THE TITANS AROUND NOT JEFF FISHER..........
I think Fisher is a good candidate but this guy if so completely wrong on one of his points. He says that he isn't surprised by the Jets success. I would love to see his preseason predictions of where he thought the Jets would be. I guarentee that he didn't have them winning more than 7 games.
There's no great shame here. Jeff Fisher is a legitimate CotY candidate. And, in fairness to ESPN, they've given the Jets a fair amount of press. However, if the Jets make it in and the Titans fail to survive into the playoffs, Mangini deserves the award, way the hell over Sean Payton.
Isn't this the guy who loves the Patriots even harder then Peter King? If he is of course he won't credit the Jets.
michael smith gives the jets props every time hes on around the horn. i think his case lies in the fact that, who are TEN's recievers? i dont agree also considering they have a top run stopper in haynesworth and possibly the best LB in the league in bulluck(sp?)
I agree, Fisher is a good candidate but his points are ridiculous. The Jets have given up less points over the last 8 weeks..and he credits that to having more talent? How many probowlers are on our roster. Maybe, just maybe, a coach brings out the most in the player. Which leads to giving up less points. Players like Bryan Thomas and Rhodes have become very good player perhaps BECAUSE OF THE COACH.
Fisher is trendy for obvious reasons, and Payton in NO, but the one thing missing is the lack of talent that everyone harps on about the jets...that alone should make Mangini the odd on fav. If the jets are so talentless as everyone in the media believes then the choice is simple...
There was no disrespect toward Mangini or the Jets. I think he is right it's between Fisher, Mangini and Payton. He made a reasonable argument and I'm not surprised the Jets have 9 wins, we had 10 2 years ago and we have pretty much an equally talented team and a much better HC.
Here's the problem with Smith's article. If you go back to the beginning of the season, the Titans were favored to beat the Jets in the opener. I think the spread was 3 points. If Mangini had more to work with, why weren't the Jets favored in that game???? Hindsight is 20/20 with these guys.
Agreed, Michael Smith has been one of the biggest Jets supporters from back when Mangini first got hired. I don't think he's snubbing the team. Fisher has done a great job in Tennessee, he's definitely a viable candidate for CoY.
did herm with CotY in 2002? because thats sort of the same scenario. qb change early in the year, new qb changes the team....team makes the playoffs. smith has a valid point about the disparity talent-wise btwn the jets/saints and the titans. i dont think that should count against mangini....but im slightly biased on that. :wink:
how is fisher the "trendy" pick? are those obvious reasons that hes been able to get a rookie qb to respond and lead his team? or are those obvious reasons that he has a team that lacks real talent in most spots, with a few underachievers, and a good HC thats almost IN the playoffs? the fact that tenn and playoffs are in the same sentence in week 17 is a remarkable job by JF.
Who is the talent on the Jets that everyone is referring to here? Who is our name player? Do you think Ten/NO fans can name OUR recievers? We don't have big names or star players...we have a good leader who has kept the team focused and confident, and used what he had and made it work when noone thought it would. The only thing sticking out in my mind right now is how look it took Fisher to start Young...and how much better their record would be if it happened earlier.
I think Jeff Fisher is the must underrated coach in the NFL. The Titans have never had talent but he gets them playing hard every week, even when their season is in the toilet (as it often is). I don't think he deserves COY this year. His team won't make the playoffs. It should be Payton or Mangini.
Correct about Fusher being underrated, incorrect about ten not having talent. they have had tremendous talent. I think fisher, mangini or payton are all deserving of the award. I hope Eric gets it but I want to win Sunday mroe than anything else.
+--------------+----------+ | Reg. Season | Playoffs | +----------+--------------+----------+ | Year TM | W L T | W L | +----------+--------------+----------+ | 1994 hou | 1 5 0 | 0 0 | | 1995 hou | 7 9 0 | 0 0 | | 1996 hou | 8 8 0 | 0 0 | | 1997 ten | 8 8 0 | 0 0 | | 1998 ten | 8 8 0 | 0 0 | | 1999 ten | 13 3 0 | 3 1 | | 2000 ten | 13 3 0 | 0 1 | | 2001 ten | 7 9 0 | 0 0 | | 2002 ten | 11 5 0 | 1 1 | | 2003 ten | 12 4 0 | 1 1 | | 2004 ten | 5 11 0 | 0 0 | | 2005 ten | 4 12 0 | 0 0 | | 2006 ten | 8 7 0 | 0 0 | +----------+--------------+----------+ | TOTALS | 105 92 0 | 5 4 | +----------+--------------+----------+ with tenn hes been pretty good, including the trip to the SB and a great game that they lost. 1 yard short. he took over a BAD oilers team, and turned them into a playoff team and then into a contender. hes done a good job. look past the first year and a half, as those were really rebuilding the team...he made good coaching, good drafting, and putting his system in place work. for 5 years they had a solid club. 2001 was when george was down for a while and injuries pretty much plagued the team (george was on the madden cover). he def deserves some consideration for CotY.
