Shutdown Corner - NFL

Shutdown Corner

Tue Oct 20, 2009 7:32 pm EDT

Jeff Fisher really wants to feel like a winner

By Doug Farrar

Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher is the longest-tenured head coach with one franchise currently doing business in the NFL, having coached the Oilers/Titans since just about the time Buddy Ryan tried to punch Kevin Gilbride's lights out in 1994. He's been to a Super Bowl and almost won it, and has guided the franchise through more than one salary cap purge. By any standard, he's one of the most respected coaches in the NFL, and that hasn't really changed despite the fact that his team is 0-6 and just got destroyed 59-0 by the Patriots.

What, then, can we make of Fisher's gesture at a benefit rally Tuesday for Rocketown, a Nashville music venue/skatepark/coffee bar? He spoke at the dais for a while before stepping back, taking off his shirt, and revealing ... a Peyton Manning(notes) jersey.

Fisher explained himself as follows: "I just wanted to feel like a winner." As you can see from the video, the crowd found it funny at the time, and there's no reason for Fisher to bash himself upside the head in public for his team's terrible season when he's taking time for the public good.

That said, and judging from the R-rated delayed fan reaction, this might be one of those things that backfires on a guy who just turns off his brain for a minute, kinda like Howard Dean's shrieking "YEEEEEEAH!" or Jim Mora's insistence to a Seattle radio station that he'd quit the Falcons to coach the Washington Huskies.

Titans fans are understandably apoplectic about their team's current fate, and I can't imagine the front office and ownership are too pleased about it, either. This shouldn't be a misstep that costs Fisher his job, or even leads in that direction, but methinks he's got some 'splaining to do before this one blows over.

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299 Comments

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  1. Aaron T
    1. Posted by Aaron T Tue Oct 20, 2009 8:40 pm EDT

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    Should have been a Vick jeresey
  2. Anrkist
    2. Posted by Anrkist Tue Oct 20, 2009 8:47 pm EDT

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    Black Perspective? Way to narrow your audience. I'm not clicking that spam.
  3. Robert C
    3. Posted by Robert C Tue Oct 20, 2009 8:51 pm EDT

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    I don't know what it is about Jeff that seems to make us all like him. Hell, I like him and I don't know why. The first poster here has some valid points. Aside from most of last regular season, the Titans have not really been that good in a long time.
    Maybe it is time for him to step aside and start somewhere else. The NFL seems to think he would be everyone's first choice....that is how well he is respected. What is it about him that makes us all adore him?
  4. brian b
    4. Posted by brian b Tue Oct 20, 2009 9:11 pm EDT

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    At half time of the Patriots game, Fisher should have just took a crap in the middle of the locker room and said this is what the patriots are doing to us.
  5. Yobachi
    5. Posted by Yobachi Tue Oct 20, 2009 9:17 pm EDT

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    Hey Robert C, I was just getting started with those points, too. I really don't know why people are so in love with him. I've actually even dealt with Jeff Fisher face to face once, and he's a real nice and respectful guy; and that's cool. He's good community guy here in Nashville.
    But nobody hires a football coach and pays him 4 million a year to be the number 1 community activist. The facts just don't justify his reputation as some great coach. He's barely above .500 over all, and below .500 in the playoffs. He has some of the worst producing offenses annually, with receivers from year to year who can never learn how to catch. Listening to sports radio in this town, is like a broken record; because the Titans deficiencies remain the same every year.
  6. Anton
    6. Posted by Anton Tue Oct 20, 2009 9:23 pm EDT

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    Fisher with a Manning jersey on - now he can say he has won a superbowl.
  7. Lawrence
    7. Posted by Lawrence Tue Oct 20, 2009 9:31 pm EDT

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    Uh Yobachi? Worst record in modern NFL history? 13 - 3 last year. Are you serious? I take it you are not familar with my team. Can I introduce you to the Detroit Lions. Look they over achieved last year no doubt, but he hasn't exactly had it easy. With Floyd Reece placing them in salary cap hell twice and the big boss wanting to get a fellow texan with the first pick, not bad I am thinking. I mean you don't drop that kind of dough on Vince Young and have him warming the bench. I think he is just making lemonade out of lemons folks. And some of you may think he is a bad coach, watch how fast he gets another job if he gets fired. He made a joke that backfired which one of you are gonna cast the first stone?
  8. Yobachi
    8. Posted by Yobachi Tue Oct 20, 2009 9:45 pm EDT

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    @ Lawrence,
    I didn't say "Worst record in modern NFL history?" I said "maybe the worst performance in modern NFL history" referring to Sunday's game. My words are right there in black and white.
    I believe it's the biggest NFL blowout since 1970, and in that game the losing team at least scored. Even still I qualified my words with "maybe". In 49 years it's the biggest blowout in Oilers history. I stand by every word I said, and the objective facts, not emotional love for Fisher, back me up.
    Jeff got Reece fired, and now controls the team. Yet, somehow even with that people make never ending excuses for Fisher's failures. How is his performance never his fault? I guess rap music made him fail. Why don't you just blame it on the rain like Milli Vanilli? Actually Fisher did just that. In his press conference yesterday; which I heard live in it's entirety; he blamed Sunday's lost on the weather. UNBELIEVABLE. Note to Fisher, the Patriots were playing backyard pitch & catch on you in the exact same weather.
    Who cares how fast he gets another job, how does keeping him from getting another job help the Titans? Plus if you read my piece, I specifically say he's not a bad coach; but he's not hardly the coach people claim he is. He's had chance after, chance, after chance; when is enough, enough? When do people stop celebrating mediocrity? 53% winning percentage, only 3 division titles in 16 years, 6 years to make the playoffs for the first time; come on!
  9. Fitzy
    9. Posted by Fitzy Tue Oct 20, 2009 10:10 pm EDT

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    "That said, and judging from the R-rated delayed fan reaction, this might be one of those things that backfires on a guy who just turns off his brain for a minute, kinda like Howard Dean's "YEEEEEEAH!" or Jim Mora's insistence to a Seattle radio station that he'd quit the Atlanta Falcons to coach the Washington Huskies."
    What about a (so-called) NFL blogger who posts an entire item from the hypothetical literary perspective of "Leonard," a French-Canadian pigeon?
    Oh wait. Turns off his brain for a minute? Try an entire career.
  10. Tenn931
    10. Posted by Tenn931 Tue Oct 20, 2009 11:40 pm EDT

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    I cannot believe he did this. He wants to be fired. Indy is the Titans main rival. - Sad days in Tennessee-
  11. YGM
    11. Posted by YGM Wed Oct 21, 2009 12:03 am EDT

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    they suck. get over it. go pats!!!!!!!
  12. D
    12. Posted by D Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:46 am EDT

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    I think that was a big F U to the front office forcing Vince Young upon him. It has been clear for a while that he didn't like the pick and would have gone for someone else or, perhaps, traded for Manning.
  13. J B
    13. Posted by J B Wed Oct 21, 2009 3:58 am EDT

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    It is bad voo doo to wear Oilers gear, and maybe they'll go 0-16 for it. That gear should belong to Houston. The city of Cleveland got to keep theirs, the city of Houston should have had the same.
    As for Jeff Fisher, Bud Adams should keep him. Mediocre is Bud's style.
  14. Max_Powers
    14. Posted by Max_Powers Wed Oct 21, 2009 10:03 am EDT

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    How funny would it be if the Ravens wore Browns uniforms as their throwbacks. . .
  15. fordhamjonathan
    15. Posted by fordhamjonathan Wed Oct 21, 2009 10:34 am EDT

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    When did men turn into such whiny little b*tches. He wore a Manning jersey to a charity event. Grow up and get over it.
  16. sam k
    16. Posted by sam k Wed Oct 21, 2009 10:56 am EDT

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    @ yo [profane]i
    "Coaching maybe the worst performance in modern NFL history" is in black and white, correct. However referring to the 59-0 beat down was not included in your first post, so excuse Lawrence for not reading your mind.
    And your stats on Fisher's tenure at TEN are just wrong. He has coached since '97 in Tennessee (where did you get 16 years?), and has since compiled a 112-86 record (57% win percentage). And he made the playoffs in his 3rd year at Tennessee, not his 6th. Not looking to bust balls, but if you're going to be busting balls, at least get some facts right.
  17. Kevin M
    17. Posted by Kevin M Wed Oct 21, 2009 12:15 pm EDT

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    yeah, might be Jeff calling out his players. Might also be Jeff trying to get himself free of this franchise he's been working with for the past 15 years so he can get another team to the superbowl.
    Jeff's probably frustrated with his boss...
    Theoretically if I was trying to get fired from a Wal-Mart job, I would openly and publicly tell poeple to go to K-mart, "It's cheaper, and you're not helping to fund the corporate monopoly that is Wal-Mart" in front of my boss.
    Pretty much what Jeff did there, and probably on purpose, just to call those around him to action of some kind.
  18. bradyjames12001
    18. Posted by bradyjames12001 Wed Oct 21, 2009 12:46 pm EDT

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    If you're actually offended by this, get over it. It was at a charity benefit, and he was joking around.
  19. Tom L
    19. Posted by Tom L Wed Oct 21, 2009 1:29 pm EDT

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    he was awesome! FUNNY TOO.
  20. NFLRULZ
    20. Posted by NFLRULZ Wed Oct 21, 2009 1:32 pm EDT

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    Well, 59-0 would make me go insane, too.
  21. PleaseFireMJD
    21. Posted by PleaseFireMJD Wed Oct 21, 2009 1:38 pm EDT

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    Kudos to Fitzy for pointing out that ridiculous article about a pigeon.
    It was obvious to me that Yobachi was referring to the 59-0 bending-over of the Titans at the hands of the Patriots. Maybe Sam K and Lawrence just aren't that smart. As a Colts fan, I hate the Patriots, but I hate the Titans even more because they got a huge ego from a fluke 13-3 season last year. And by fluke I mean they won't be able to repeat that performance year after year like the Colts do. Welcome back to your usual mediocrity, Titans fans.
  22. NASCAR0
    22. Posted by NASCAR0 Wed Oct 21, 2009 1:38 pm EDT

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    I'm a Bengals fan, and if Marvin Lewis showed up in a Steelers or Browns jersey I'd be SCREAMING for him to be fired. What would your boss say if you showed up at work wearing a competitors shirt?
  23. Haggard Nick
    23. Posted by Haggard Nick Wed Oct 21, 2009 1:40 pm EDT

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    Nice Howard Dean reference. Very topical. Got any Titanic jokes you want to throw in there too, dummy?
  24. Amerikalegball
    24. Posted by Amerikalegball Wed Oct 21, 2009 1:40 pm EDT

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    I think that just suck, how possibly can head-coach of a team wearing the jeysey of his rival in the division?
    "just wanted to feel like winner"??? why didn't he wear McNair or Eddy George's jersey or any of Oilers/Titans legend's?
    It's just like the head of Omega watch division wearing a Rolex or signing a contract with Pepsi but drinking Coca Cola.
    That's just plain stupid.

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