Jeff Fisher out in Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- In a surprising move, the Tennessee Titans have parted ways with Jeff Fisher, who just completed his 16th full season as the NFL's longest-tenured coach.
The team said in a release Thursday night that "Fisher will no longer be the head coach of the team." The Titans announced the move within an hour of a report by SI.com that they were negotiating Fisher's departure.
A source told ESPN's John Clayton that one of the final disagreements that led to Fisher's departure involved his son, Brandon. Jeff Fisher wanted to have his son on the staff as a quality control coach and thought that was going to be approved. Brandon Fisher helped out during the season while offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger was receiving cancer treatment.
For several years, Adams has stressed he didn't want family hired on the Titans coaching staff and he apparently stuck by those principles this week in conversations with Fisher.
Heimerdinger has recovered from his bout with cancer and would be willing to be a candidate to replace Fisher, a source said.
A team release said the search for a new coach would begin Friday.
Though Fisher, 52, had been derided locally as "Coach .500" or "Coacho Ocho," he seemingly had just survived a battle with quarterback Vince Young. Titans owner Bud Adams decided on Jan. 5 to either release Young or trade him. The owner announced two days later that he would be keeping Fisher.
The Titans released a statement about the change of plans Thursday.
"After the season was complete, we had numerous discussions on the direction of the team and were pleased that we were moving forward with Jeff at the helm," the statement read. "Since that time, it became evident that consensus was increasingly hard to find and reality wasn't matching the vision we discussed. It is unfortunate that this decision is coming at this juncture, but we believe that we have reached the point where change is in the best interest of both parties."
Click on the link for the full article and video
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- In a surprising move, the Tennessee Titans have parted ways with Jeff Fisher, who just completed his 16th full season as the NFL's longest-tenured coach.
The team said in a release Thursday night that "Fisher will no longer be the head coach of the team." The Titans announced the move within an hour of a report by SI.com that they were negotiating Fisher's departure.
A source told ESPN's John Clayton that one of the final disagreements that led to Fisher's departure involved his son, Brandon. Jeff Fisher wanted to have his son on the staff as a quality control coach and thought that was going to be approved. Brandon Fisher helped out during the season while offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger was receiving cancer treatment.
For several years, Adams has stressed he didn't want family hired on the Titans coaching staff and he apparently stuck by those principles this week in conversations with Fisher.
Heimerdinger has recovered from his bout with cancer and would be willing to be a candidate to replace Fisher, a source said.
A team release said the search for a new coach would begin Friday.
Though Fisher, 52, had been derided locally as "Coach .500" or "Coacho Ocho," he seemingly had just survived a battle with quarterback Vince Young. Titans owner Bud Adams decided on Jan. 5 to either release Young or trade him. The owner announced two days later that he would be keeping Fisher.
The Titans released a statement about the change of plans Thursday.
"After the season was complete, we had numerous discussions on the direction of the team and were pleased that we were moving forward with Jeff at the helm," the statement read. "Since that time, it became evident that consensus was increasingly hard to find and reality wasn't matching the vision we discussed. It is unfortunate that this decision is coming at this juncture, but we believe that we have reached the point where change is in the best interest of both parties."
Click on the link for the full article and video