Titans new wide receiver coach
The Titans new wide receiver coach
Frisman Jackson was hired by the Tennessee Titans to coach the wide receivers. The Titans had two wide receiver coaches recently and could possibly hire him and assistant in the near future.
Jackson makes me feel old because I remember him on the Cleveland Browns. He wasn’t a very good player. He had 40 catches and a single touchdown over five years. This doesn’t wholly matter. The saying “those who can’t do, teach” is prevalent throughout the NFL. For example, Delanie Walker is “a thousand times better” than Mike Mularkey ever was at playing tight end, but that hasn’t had an effect on anything. I would be leery of players that didn’t listen to their coach, had personal issues, and were penalized often…just those types.
Derrick Mason is a well-known former Titans wide receiver. He’s also the last truly solid wide receiver that the team could count on year after year. He was a technician at running routes. I have long believed that those called technicians would make good wide receiver coaches. When players nitpick themselves and pay so much attention to details, I appreciate that. Coaching is all about those little details and how to teach them to the players. Recently on twitter, Mason stated that he wasn’t inclined to coach this season. He may consider it years from now after his son is grown. Mason will probably stir up interest from Titans fans every year there is a wide receiver coaching opportunity.
My only concerns of Jackson are that he hasn’t coached in the NFL nor at an elite college. I like to think of coaching as having stepping stones to the top.
At your job, have you ever been in charge of hiring workers? Ever hear the theory to be leery of people that jump job to job and move often? I never wholly understood that except for maybe long term loyalty, even still though I heard this theory for years. As such, Jackson sets off my radar a little bit. This will be his ninth season coaching and the sixth team he is coaching. This after playing for two different Illinois colleges.
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This is nitpicking. “I got nothing” here. The Titans liked him enough to hire him, so let’s see how things shake out.
I’ve already seen “the angle” mentioned where if the Titans hire a college coach, they must be planning on drafting a wide receiver. It’s not cast in stone or anything, but that is surely an interesting thought. The problem with this is that every NFL wide receiver rocked in college. There’s a new crop of them every year. The goal of an NFL positional coach is to guide a player toward success after college- the college success has already happened. Maybe it’s a benefit that he can relate to younger players.
As far as the prior wide receiver coaches. Jason Tucker was someone I always read and heard great things about. He had success in the CFL and transitioned to the NFL very well. Everyone seemed to notice him working with the wide receivers during the offseason activities and his face has been all over social media over the years. If I see a player working hard, sweaty, almost tired, and then he and the coach smiling, I always assume good things. That’s difficult to accomplish and generally a sign of great respect for a coach. I was surprised to read of Tucker’s release.
Bob Bratkowski was a former offensive coordinator given the role of wide receivers coach. I have long questioned if he wasn’t “offensive coordinator 1B” rather than wide receivers coach. NFL teams have been doing this for decades and I can’t recall it ever working out well. I believe every coach on every team in every sport should have a clear cut role for the players to follow. Any deviation from this, could possibly bring confusion. I can’t speak upon if there was any confusion or any issues within the Titans locker room.
What I have an issue with is, I don’t want another in a line of Kenny Britt, Kendall Wright, Justin Hunter, and Dorial Green-Beckham. If the Titans draft a gem of a wide receiver, then I want a gem of a wide receiver. If Jackson can give the fans this, I imagine he will be received very well.
Tajae Sharpe was presented as NFL ready and possibly “the steal of the draft,” the way everyone bragged about him last summer. The regular season did not give this warm N fuzzy feeling. That has to stop and really can’t happen again. On the one hand, players must be evaluated properly to form a roster and a depth chart. On the other hand, this shows a stark decline in Sharpe’s ability. Challenge number one for Jackson will be to get Sharpe back on track and to hopefully help him become the player he supposedly was last summer.
Frisman Jackson played for the Titans current offensive coordinator, Terry Robiske, years ago. In Cleveland, Robiske was the wide receivers coach, then offensive coordinator and interim coach, then back to the wide receivers coach. At none of those points, did he feel that Jackson was a key component that deserved to be the starter. He kept him around. He must have appreciated him some. The offense probably has similarities, but that Browns team (like the current Browns team) was trying to make due with a lack of talent. It wasn’t a well-balanced team and they didn’t have the rushing offense the Titans have. I don’t see this as Jerry Rice returning to coach for Bill Walsh(R.I.P.) or some glorious move. Clearly, Robiske wanted someone he was familiar with and they signed Jackson.
I think the whole concept of hiring him is far overblown. When the Titans hired Lou Spanos to be their linebackers coach, no one blinked. When the Titans hired Sylvester Croom no one blinked. When the Titans hire for a position that has some issues, everyone seems to try and nitpick.
When the Titans hire for a position that has some issues, everyone seems to try and nitpick. Russ Grimm was hired to fix the offensive line and was widely discussed last offseason. Deshea Townsend was hired to fix the secondary and has caught the eye of fans. Now here we are with the wide receivers that haven’t produced as expected, so Jackson is receiving a bunch of attention.
It’s nearly impossible for fans to separate the supposed talent coming in and the results of the coach. Is Hunter to blame for not panning out in Tennessee or is Bratkowski? or both? or Shawn Jefferson the prior wide receivers coach? I think there’s a desire for a scapegoat that isn’t necessarily ever met.
Everyone seems to have this fondness for Jon Robinson, this confidence that he will land good talent on the Titans roster. That should be enough for now. I don’t think there’s a good reason to nitpick Jackson at this point. Just wish him well and move forward.
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