Tag: Jeff Fisher

Titans will induct Floyd Reese, Jeff Fisher into Ring of Honor in Week 11

The ceremony will occur at halftime of the game against the Texans.

After announcing earlier in the year that former general manager, the late Floyd Reesee, and former head coach, Jeff Fisher, were to be inducted into the Ring of Honor in 2021, the Tennessee Titans have now revealed the date.

Per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online, the two men will be honored at the Week 11 contest against the Houston Texans at Nissan Stadium. The ceremony will take place at halftime.

Reese, who passed away back in August, was responsible for hiring Fisher, who took the team to its only Super Bowl appearance. Reese and Fisher hold the franchise records for most wins by a general manager and head coach.

Fisher and Reese are the second and third former Titans/Oilers to be inducted this year, as former Oilers head coach Bum Phillips was honored during the Sept. 26 game against the Indianapolis Colts.

After announcing the trio would be inducted, controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk released this statement:

“I am so excited to recognize these important figures in our team’s history,” Adams Strunk said. “Each had a significant hand in the success of their eras. Bum was Texas through and through and led us to new heights as the ‘Luv Ya Blue’ era was born, reaching two AFC Championship games.

“Jeff won more games than any coach in franchise history, while also leading our football team through some difficult years as we moved to Tennessee – playing in four different home stadiums over a four-year period. His ability to connect with our players and our fans was unmatched and he too reached two AFC Championship games and helped take us to our only Super Bowl.

“Floyd was a great position coach for us during our run of success during the Run ‘n Shoot years and then transitioned to the front office, where he found even greater success. He had a great ability to find talent and take ‘chances’ to find sustained success – hiring a first-time head coach in Jeff Fisher; selecting a Division I-AA quarterback, Steve McNair, in the top five of the draft; converting a first-round linebacker, Jevon Kearse, to defensive end; claiming a little used tight end, Frank Wycheck, from Washington; and trading down, then up to grab a Heisman-trophy-winning running back, Eddie George.”

Tennessee and Houston will kick off at noon CT on Sunday.

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Report: Ex-Titans HC Jeff Fisher ‘is in mix’ for USC job

Fisher expressed a desire to return to the sideline earlier this year.

Former Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher is reportedly one of the names being considered for the head-coaching position at USC.

According to Brett McMurphy of The Action Network, Fisher is in the mix for the role at his alma mater.

The 63-year-old former head coach hasn’t been on the sideline since 2016, his last season with the Los Angeles Rams. He is currently serving in an advisory role at Tennessee State, where his former player, running back Eddie George, is the head coach, and his son, Brandon, is the defensive coordinator.

Fisher spent 17 seasons as the head coach of the Oilers/Titans, amassing a franchise-record 142 regular-season wins. He also took the franchise to its only Super Bowl appearance during the 1999 season.

Fisher is set to be honored by the Titans in their Ring of Honor at some point this season.

Fisher expressed his desire to return to the sideline earlier this year when asked if he’d have any interest in the University of Tennessee job.

“If for some reason Coach Pruitt is no longer the head coach at the University of Tennessee, yes I would have a great deal of interest in that program,” Fisher said.

Tennessee would go on to fire Jeremy Pruitt and hire Josh Heupel.

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Jeff Fisher denies Jon Gruden’s claim that NFL pressured Rams into drafting Michael Sam

“Lastly, the NFL never encouraged or discouraged me regarding the selection of a potential prospect,” Fisher wrote.

In the collection of ugly Jon Gruden e-mails that have been leaked, leading to the resignation of the now-former Las Vegas Raiders head coach, he claimed that the NFL pressured the St. Louis Rams into drafting linebacker Michael Sam, the first openly gay player ever drafted into the league.

However, the man who was the coach of the Rams at the time when Sam was drafted in 2014, former Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, has since taken to Twitter to deny that ever happened.

“Michael Sam was the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, and we selected him in the 2014 NFL Draft based on his defensive production and pass rushing skill set on the field,” Fisher wrote. “As a head coach for over 20 years, we drafted or didn’t draft, players based on a variety of qualities. Their sexual orientation would never – and should never – play a part in the decision-making process.

“I continue to support Michael, and his decision to come out as the first draft eligible openly gay player in the league. It took courage to serve as a role model for those competitive football players who may also happen to be gay.

“Lastly, the NFL never encouraged or discouraged me regarding the selection of a potential prospect.”

Fisher spent 17 seasons with the Oilers/Titans before moving on to coach the Rams for another five. He is set to be inducted into the Titans’ Ring of Honor this year.

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Jeff Fisher responds to Jon Gruden’s claim that Roger Goodell pressured Rams to draft Michael Sam

Jeff Fisher fired back at Jon Gruden’s claim that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell pressured the Rams into drafting Michael Sam in 2014.

Jon Gruden resigned as head coach of the Raiders this week after the New York Times revealed racist, homophobic and misogynistic emails that were sent by Gruden over the course of seven years before he was hired by the Raiders. It was uncovered that Gruden claimed NFL commissioner Roger Goodell pressured the St. Louis Rams into drafting Michael Sam in 2014, who was the first openly gay player drafted in NFL history.

Jeff Fisher was the head coach of the Rams at the time of Sam being drafted, and on Tuesday night, Fisher responded to Gruden’s claim. He said the Rams “selected him in the 2014 NFL Draft based on his defensive production and pass rushing skill set on the field.”

Fisher also said a player’s “sexual orientation would never – and should never – play a part in the decision-making process.”

Here’s Fisher’s full statement, which he released on Twitter.

The Rams selected Sam in the seventh round that year after he earned Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors in the SEC during his final season at Missouri. They waived him in August and he was signed to the Cowboys’ practice squad that September, but he never appeared in a regular-season game.

Sam has not publicly responded to Gruden’s unsubstantiated claim, but he did share this tweet on National Coming Out Day, the same day Gruden resigned as coach of the Raiders.

Fisher coached the Rams from 2012-2016, going 31-45-1 during his time in St. Louis and briefly in L.A.

Current and former Titans, rest of NFL mourn passing of Floyd Reese

Reese passed away at the age of 73 after a battle with cancer.

Current and former Tennessee Titans, as well as the rest of the NFL, are mourning the passing of former general manager Floyd Reese after it was announced he had died at the age of 73 on Saturday after a battle with cancer.

Reese held multiple positions with Tennessee, but saw the most success as its general manager, where he helped build the team that made the franchise’s only Super Bowl appearance. And, deservedly so, Reese was set to be inducted into the Titans’ Ring of Honor in 2021.

Upon learning of his passing, Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk and general manager Jon Robinson shared their thoughts and expressed their condolences, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.

“This is a sad day for our Titans family,” Strunk said. “I would like to send along my deepest condolences to Floyd’s wife, Sally, to his children, grandchildren and extended family. Floyd spent over two decades with our franchise in a variety of roles – position coach, assistant general manager and ultimately, general manager – and he excelled at all of them. As general manager, he built a team that saw sustained success and helped guide our franchise in the toughest of times and the highest moments. His keen eye for talent led him to some of the best players in our team’s history, which led the team to some of our greatest accomplishments. We look forward to remembering and honoring his legacy this season as he is formally inducted into our Ring of Honor.”

“I’m saddened to hear about the passing of Floyd Reese and my heartfelt condolences go out to Ms. Sally, the family, and all that were close to him,” Robinson said on Saturday. “He was a great man. He loved his family, he loved football, and he loved the Titans. I learned a lot from him, he was always willing to listen, and he wanted to pass on his knowledge of the game to me and so many others. I’m forever grateful that I could call him a friend. Thank you for everything Floyd, I’ll see you again someday!”

The man who coached that Super Bowl team Reese was responsible for building, Jeff Fisher, also reflected on his life and overall impact.

“Yesterday we lost one of the greatest football teammates anyone could ever have,” Fisher tweeted. “Floyd Reese was an exceptional human being — dedicated, driven and committed to his family, friends and football. My prayers are with Sally and the Reese family.”

Other former Titans and many more took to social media to mourn Floyd’s passing, which made clear that his impact was felt far and wide.

May he rest in peace. Our thoughts and prayers are with Reese’s family and friends at this difficult time.

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Titans to add Jeff Fisher, Floyd Reese, Bum Phillips to Ring of Honor

The Titans will now have 17 members in their Ring of Honor.

The Tennessee Titans will have three new additions to their Ring of Honor in 2021, as the team announced former head coaches Jeff Fisher and Bum Phillips, along with former general manager Floyd Reese, will all be honored.

Titans controlling owner, Amy Adams Strunk, released this statement along with the announcement, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online:

“I am so excited to recognize these important figures in our team’s history,” Adams Strunk said. “Each had a significant hand in the success of their eras. Bum was Texas through and through and led us to new heights as the ‘Luv Ya Blue’ era was born, reaching two AFC Championship games.

“Jeff won more games than any coach in franchise history, while also leading our football team through some difficult years as we moved to Tennessee – playing in four different home stadiums over a four-year period. His ability to connect with our players and our fans was unmatched and he too reached two AFC Championship games and helped take us to our only Super Bowl.

“Floyd was a great position coach for us during our run of success during the Run ‘n Shoot years and then transitioned to the front office, where he found even greater success. He had a great ability to find talent and take ‘chances’ to find sustained success – hiring a first-time head coach in Jeff Fisher; selecting a Division I-AA quarterback, Steve McNair, in the top five of the draft; converting a first-round linebacker, Jevon Kearse, to defensive end; claiming a little used tight end, Frank Wycheck, from Washington; and trading down, then up to grab a Heisman-trophy-winning running back, Eddie George.”

Fisher is arguably the greatest head coach in franchise history, and at the very least the best in the Titans era. His 142 wins over 17 seasons with the team is tops, and he’s responsible for taking the franchise to its only Super Bowl. He also led the team during its transition from Houston to Tennessee.

Phillips led the way for the Houston Oilers for six seasons (1975-1980) as its head coach, taking the team to a pair of AFC Championship contests during what is dubbed as the “Luv Ya Blue Era”. He also served as the team’s defensive coordinator in 1974.

After serving as the linebackers coach for the Oilers from 1986-1989, Reese took a position in the front office as assistant general manager and eventually worked his way up to executive vice president and general manager in 1994, positions he held until 2006.

Reese was responsible for the hire of Fisher, and together the pair led the Titans to a pair of AFC Championships and one Super Bowl appearance during what was one of the most successful periods in franchise history.

With Fisher, Reese and Phillips being added to the Ring of Honor, the Titans will now have 17 members.

The others 14 include K.S. “Bud” Adams, Jr., Elvin Bethea, George Blanda, Robert Brazile, Earl Campbell, Eddie George, Mike Holovak, Ken Houston, Bruce Matthews, Steve McNair, Warren Moon, Mike Munchak, Jim Norton and Frank Wycheck all being recognized.

Phillips, who passed away in 2013, will be honored at the Sept. 26 game versus the Indianapolis Colts, while Fisher and Reese will be honored together at a later date that has yet to be revealed.

The NFL regular season is now 17 games, and fans already miss 8-8 records, make Jeff Fisher jokes

Of course.

So long, 16-game schedule in the NFL.

Starting in 2021, teams in the league will play 17 games and while that might generate more cash, it’s not making everyone happy (see: Kamara, Alvin).

That also includes NFL fans, who are sad — and making jokes — about a very quirky thing: there’s no such thing as an 8-8 record anymore.

Well … a team COULD go 8-8-1, but you get the idea. Either you’re finishing with a winning season at 9-8 or going a very mediocre 8-9. The 8-8 record at least felt comforting, especially with its symmetry.

And I’m not the only one who feels this way. Here’s a sampling from Twitter (including lots of Jeff Fisher references):

https://twitter.com/BobbyBeltTX/status/1376971756402049037

https://twitter.com/Ihartitz/status/1376966562008215554

You get the idea. Welcome to your new reality, NFL world.

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Rams coaching history and how it might impact Brad Holmes with the Lions

Holmes survived through several regime changes with the Rams that can influence his decisions on the coaching front

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In trying to figure out who Brad Holmes might favor as a head coach to work with in his new capacity as the Detroit Lions general manager, it’s worth looking into what coaching experiences he saw firsthand in his time with the Rams franchise. And boy, did Holmes see some things on the coaching front in his 18 years in St. Louis and Los Angeles.

Holmes started with the Rams in 2003 as a public relations intern, a proverbial “foot in the NFL door” gig. They were winding down the days of the “Greatest Show on Turf” era with Mike Martz as the head coach. Martz would last until midway through the 2005 season, when he was fired and replaced by interim coach Joe Vitt. Martz would quickly resurface with the Lions as the offensive coordinator, so Detroit should be familiar with his coaching style and personality.

Vitt as the interim coach was the polar opposite of Martz. A hard-nosed defensive coach, Vitt’s style was more old-school than the offensive master schemer that Martz brought to the equation. Vitt went 4-7 and impressed enough that he got another interim gig with the Saints in 2012 (during Sean Payton’s suspension). It was a radical change within the season, akin but antipodal to the move the Lions made in replacing Matt Patricia with interim Darrell Bevell in 2020.

The Rams changed both GM and head coach after the 2005 season. Lions fans know the head coaching hire well: Scott Linehan. Then 43, he was a rookie head coach lured away from the Minnesota Vikings. Linehan’s style of offense was more subdued than Martz. The Rams paired the rookie head coach with a seasoned defensive coordinator in Jim Haslett, who had just been fired by the New Orleans Saints as their head coach.

That combo lasted less than three seasons and fell from 8-8 to 4-12 to 2-14, with Haslett taking over for a fired Linehan in 2008. The once-feared offense got old and then-GM Jay Zygmunt did a poor job replacing key pieces and building depth.

The next regime change brought in GM Billy Devaney and new coach Steve Spagnuolo. “Spags” was a defensive coach, a rookie head coach hired from the Giants. The team cratered immediately to 1-15 in 2009, finishing 32nd in offense and 31st in defense. Spagnuolo was not a dynamic personality on the sideline and the team was criticized for being predictable and vanilla. It lasted three miserable seasons before ownership pulled the plug on both GM and head coach.

This is when Holmes took over the collegiate scouting department, before the 2012 season. New GM Les Snead, who still holds the job in Los Angeles, was a young rookie GM. The team hired retread coach Jeff Fisher, a longtime (17 years) Titans coach who had taken the prior season off from coaching. Fisher was a controlling, defensive-oriented coach who had final say on personnel decisions over Snead. Their arranged marriage didn’t go well but wasn’t terrible. The Rams won seven games in the two seasons they coexisted.

It’s a pertinent experience because many expect the Lions to pair the rookie GM in Holmes with an experienced head coach with some personnel background. Holmes might push back against that, based on how the Fisher/Snead dynamic played out. Snead gained the personnel control over Fisher for the 2014 season and Fisher squeezed out two more underwhelming seasons where the team failed to hit its preseason over/under win total.

A more confident and seasoned Snead fired Fisher midway through a bad 2016 season. Into the 2017 offseason, Holmes witnessed the Rams swing for the fences with a young hotshot offensive guru in Sean McVay. And he was the needed infusion of energy and ideas to wash away the tired, stolid Fisher era.

McVay was a controversial choice. Just 31 at the time, he had been the offensive coordinator in Washington. In his three seasons in Washington, McVay’s offenses were slightly above-average at their best, but Snead saw something that made him believe.

If Holmes draws upon that experience, it makes sense. McVay has led the Rams to one Super Bowl and they’re still playing in the playoff this season. His “bad” year of 2019 saw the Rams go 9-7. McVay was the youngest head coach ever hired at the time, and to help on that front the Rams brought in veteran defensive guru Wade Philips. That worked out very well for all parties, and it’s worth noting Philips is once again available (at 73) and looking for work.

It’s too early to know how much say or sway Holmes will have in hiring Detroit’s head coach. But the Lions would be wise to listen to what he has to say about his enlightening and diverse experiences with the Rams.

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Rams coaching history and how it might impact Brad Holmes with the Lions

Holmes survived through several regime changes with the Rams that can influence his decisions on the coaching front

[jwplayer D5XBrJnD-ThvAeFxT]

In trying to figure out who Brad Holmes might favor as a head coach to work with in his new capacity as the Detroit Lions general manager, it’s worth looking into what coaching experiences he saw firsthand in his time with the Rams franchise. And boy, did Holmes see some things on the coaching front in his 18 years in St. Louis and Los Angeles.

Holmes started with the Rams in 2003 as a public relations intern, a proverbial “foot in the NFL door” gig. They were winding down the days of the “Greatest Show on Turf” era with Mike Martz as the head coach. Martz would last until midway through the 2005 season, when he was fired and replaced by interim coach Joe Vitt. Martz would quickly resurface with the Lions as the offensive coordinator, so Detroit should be familiar with his coaching style and personality.

Vitt as the interim coach was the polar opposite of Martz. A hard-nosed defensive coach, Vitt’s style was more old-school than the offensive master schemer that Martz brought to the equation. Vitt went 4-7 and impressed enough that he got another interim gig with the Saints in 2012 (during Sean Payton’s suspension). It was a radical change within the season, akin but antipodal to the move the Lions made in replacing Matt Patricia with interim Darrell Bevell in 2020.

The Rams changed both GM and head coach after the 2005 season. Lions fans know the head coaching hire well: Scott Linehan. Then 43, he was a rookie head coach lured away from the Minnesota Vikings. Linehan’s style of offense was more subdued than Martz. The Rams paired the rookie head coach with a seasoned defensive coordinator in Jim Haslett, who had just been fired by the New Orleans Saints as their head coach.

That combo lasted less than three seasons and fell from 8-8 to 4-12 to 2-14, with Haslett taking over for a fired Linehan in 2008. The once-feared offense got old and then-GM Jay Zygmunt did a poor job replacing key pieces and building depth.

The next regime change brought in GM Billy Devaney and new coach Steve Spagnuolo. “Spags” was a defensive coach, a rookie head coach hired from the Giants. The team cratered immediately to 1-15 in 2009, finishing 32nd in offense and 31st in defense. Spagnuolo was not a dynamic personality on the sideline and the team was criticized for being predictable and vanilla. It lasted three miserable seasons before ownership pulled the plug on both GM and head coach.

This is when Holmes took over the collegiate scouting department, before the 2012 season. New GM Les Snead, who still holds the job in Los Angeles, was a young rookie GM. The team hired retread coach Jeff Fisher, a longtime (17 years) Titans coach who had taken the prior season off from coaching. Fisher was a controlling, defensive-oriented coach who had final say on personnel decisions over Snead. Their arranged marriage didn’t go well but wasn’t terrible. The Rams won seven games in the two seasons they coexisted.

It’s a pertinent experience because many expect the Lions to pair the rookie GM in Holmes with an experienced head coach with some personnel background. Holmes might push back against that, based on how the Fisher/Snead dynamic played out. Snead gained the personnel control over Fisher for the 2014 season and Fisher squeezed out two more underwhelming seasons where the team failed to hit its preseason over/under win total.

A more confident and seasoned Snead fired Fisher midway through a bad 2016 season. Into the 2017 offseason, Holmes witnessed the Rams swing for the fences with a young hotshot offensive guru in Sean McVay. And he was the needed infusion of energy and ideas to wash away the tired, stolid Fisher era.

McVay was a controversial choice. Just 31 at the time, he had been the offensive coordinator in Washington. In his three seasons in Washington, McVay’s offenses were slightly above-average at their best, but Snead saw something that made him believe.

If Holmes draws upon that experience, it makes sense. McVay has led the Rams to one Super Bowl and they’re still playing in the playoff this season. His “bad” year of 2019 saw the Rams go 9-7. McVay was the youngest head coach ever hired at the time, and to help on that front the Rams brought in veteran defensive guru Wade Philips. That worked out very well for all parties, and it’s worth noting Philips is once again available (at 73) and looking for work.

It’s too early to know how much say or sway Holmes will have in hiring Detroit’s head coach. But the Lions would be wise to listen to what he has to say about his enlightening and diverse experiences with the Rams.

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Jeff Fisher has a great deal of interest in Vols’ head coaching job

Former Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher has been out of coaching since 2016.

Former Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher has been out of coaching since 2016.

Fisher served as head coach from 2012-16 for the St. Louis and Los Angeles Rams.

On Friday, Fisher mentioned that he would be interested in Tennessee’s head coaching position if it became open.

Fisher discussed the Vols’ program on “The George Plaster Show.”

“If for some reason Coach (Jeremy) Pruitt is no longer the head coach at the University of Tennessee, yes I would have a great deal of interest in that program,” Fisher said.

Tennessee’s football program is currently conducting an internal investigation to determine if recruiting violations have occurred.

“We take seriously our institutional commitment to NCAA compliance, and are reviewing regulatory issues that have been brought to our attention,” Tyra E. Haag, Director of News and Information for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, told Vols Wire. “As part of that process, we are currently working with attorneys Kyle Skillman and Michael Glazier with Bond, Schoeneck & King. We will provide additional information when it’s appropriate.”

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