The Titans fired head coach Ken Wisenhunt today because he had a losing record, the team was stagnant despite signing some stars, and they had no chance of making the playoffs.
They only needed a year and a half to realize this.
While Wisenhunt was accumulating loss after loss, the Tennessee ownership did not give him an extension. They did not build him a new stadium–thinking that fans want an awning more than they want a Super Bowl title. They did not publicly praise him. They did not bring in new executives to try and improve the coach.
They looked at the record and made the right choice.
Stephen Ross faced a similar situation the last three years and handled things very very differently. He stayed with Clueless Joe far too long, apparently thinking that Joe simply needed more time for his genius to shine through. It didn’t happen, and it ain’t never gonna happen.
There comes a time when you have to make tough decisions. In Philbin’s case, it wasn’t tough at all. It was just delayed. Was firing Philbin the right call only because it was 2015? Would it have been wrong in 2013? No. He is a terrible coach, and his record proves that he’s a losing coach. Getting rid of unproductive personnel is ALWAYS an easy decision. Just ask the Titans.
The main reason I bring this up today is that hopefully we can think that Mr. Ross has learned a lesson. There is no rule that says you have to give a coach 3 or 4 years to prove himself. Thee is no rule about how long you let your executives make draft decisions. It’s not illegal to pull the plug and fire someone when their job performance is sub-par.
It takes Ross 4 years to realize his HC stinks, 7 years to realize his GM stunk, and 5 years to realize his QB stinks. Pray for new ownership this fluzzy will NEVER turn it around.
I usually consider myself fair when it comes to Tannehill. I lambaste him when he costs us games, and I show him no mercy when it’s deserved. But at the same time, this kid was the AFC player of the week as recently as 9 days ago. There is skill and there is hope. Tannehill is NOT Dion Jordan, Jamar Taylor, Michael Egnew, etc…wasted draft picks and guys we kept/keep around far too long despite the fact that they simply are not good. Tannehill has shown enough good points to deserve some faith when he has his bad games.
Even Jeff Ireland did SOME good, like when he got us Pro Bowlers Reggie Bush, Brandon Marshall, and Jake Long. Yes, Ireland made some awful choices, but he had some good in there also that made Ross hesitate.
But then there was Philbin. Philbin NEVER won any coaching awards. Never showed ANY positive signs in his coaching. Never made any so-so player into a star. There was no reason at all to keep Philbin. No reason to hesitate whatsoever.
It was Parcells that picked Jake Long not Ireland. And Ireland got rid of Brandon Marshall when he incorrectly thought he was getting suspended. He got Michael Egnew in his place. The worst GM ever.
Tannehill is on the exact same career path as Chad Henne. in fact Henne may a better QB.
@Admin
A blind monkey throwing darts at a dart board would’ve drafted better than Ireland. Really!
@ Admin – I wouldn’t include Jake Long as one of Ireland’s good moves. He could’ve taken Matt Ryan instead which would have benefited the team much more. Taking a left tackle with the number one pick over a potential franchise quarterback was not a good move.
Agree Rick, Matt Ryan would’ve had us in the playoffs every year. Jake Long never led a good offense and certainly isn’t helping us now.
Matt Ryan has zero Super Bowls. “Making the playoffs” is a weak goal. Unless you win the big one, then playoff appearances don’t mean shit.
@Floridan
Making the playoffs every year is A LOT more exciting than never even having one winning season. Just saying.
I’d still say drafting Long was a good decision. Not excellent, but a solid pick who became a Pro Bowler. He was reliable for a few years when we needed him, then injuries and money got involved and you know the rest.
We probably could have traded down and still got Matt Ryan, but he was still an unknown commodity back then, and lack of arm strength was a huge issue. He kinda proved everyone wrong, but no one knew it at the time.
Jake Long wasn’t a difference maker. Matt Ryan is a franchise QB that makes a huge difference. Don’t forget both teams were about equal before these 2 picks. And the Falcons took off after getting Ryan while the Dolphins continued to flounder.
When we see horrible drafts like last year’s it seems like Ireland is still doing the picking, haha
The Falcons will forever be thankful to the Dolphins for passing on Matt Ryan. LOL.
So thankful that all the success they’ve endured since drafting him has included the firing of a head coach and hiring of an all new regime. Yeah I see that Matt Ryan pick has delivered huge dividends.
Anyone but Tannehill is the mantra we hear week over week from Jay and Mike and a few others but of the 32 teams in the NFL how many have QB like Brady and Rodgers and Manning, big Ben and Bresse? Very Few!
To illistrate the idiocy of calling for Tannehill to be gone tomorrow Matt Ryan currently sits as the 10th best QB in the NFL only five spots ahead of where Tannehill ended last season!
Ya tannehill sucks this year with only a few decent games but who we throw him away for is much more important then throwing him away because there are so many teams (Dolphins have been one) who drift for decades trying to find the right answer to this question.
I’ll take a top 15 qb right now we havn’t had one in a long time (Exception is pennington but that was forever ago and he was 52 at the time so it was going to be short lived)
Passing up Matt Ryan set the franchise back 10 years just like passing up Drew Brees did.
@Jay Passing up an a Super Bowl champion and record-setter like Brees was a horrible move, no question.
But Matt Ryan is none of those. A good, serviceable QB, but nothing to get excited about.
@admin
Nah, Ryan turned a bottom dweller into a multi year playoff team overnight. He is a pro bowl franchise QB.
Matt Ryan is a very good franchise qb whose team has enjoyed success in a what was a watered down division (Tampa and Carolina). Still not enough success to keep his former coach employed though or to win more than one play-off games in four trips to the postseason. A lot of it is not his fault though. His postseason success has been hampered by the talent around him. Mostly by poor coaching, lack of a consistent run game, and a mediocre defense. Hell surround him with the talent Flacco or Eli have constantly been surrounded with and he’d probably be a three-time Super Bowl champion.