Fisher done in Tennessee

[Vidav]

Jeff Fisher, the NFL's longest-tenured head coach, will not return as head coach of the Tennessee Titans, the team announced Thursday.

Fisher has been coach of the Titans since he was named interim coach in 1994. He was expected to return next season after owner Bud Adams announced Jan. 7 that he had decided to retain Fisher but make significant changes to other parts of the coahcing staff. Adams' decision came five days after the end of the regular season and two days after he announced the team's plans to release or trade quarterback Vince Young.

Defensive coordinator Chuck Cecil was fired Jan. 20. Defensive line coach Jim Washburn later left to take the same position with the Philadelphia Eagles, while running backs coach Craig Johnson also left to become quarterbacks coach of the Minnesota Vikings.

Fisher was scheduled to earn $6.5 million in the final year of his contract with no talks scheduled to negotiate an extension.

The Titans slumped from a 5-2 start to a 6-10 finish, losing eight of their final nine games.

Adams stuck with Fisher about three times longer than any other coach he has hired since founding the Houston Oilers franchise in 1959 and moving it to Tennessee in 1997. Fisher has coached 273 games for the team, which is more games than any coach has with one franchise except for six Hall of Famers: George Halas, Tom Landry, Don Shula, Chuck Noll, Curly Lambeau and Bud Grant.

But the Titans slumped from 13-3 in 2008 to 8-8 in 2009 following an 0-6 start to this season's stumble. The Titans have missed the playoffs the last two seasons, and Fisher's last postseason victory came in January 2004. Tennessee lost a wild-card game in San Diego in 2007 and wasted the AFC's top seed in 2008.


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[MrTitleist]

That's really surprising.

[Vidav]

I think so, after they announced Young wouldn't be back.

[93henfan]

There were some rumblings that he might return to Philly to be DC for the Eagles, but his agent has pretty much squashed that rumor. Would love to see it though.

[ASUG8]

I think so, after they announced Young wouldn't be back.

I thought it was EITHER Fisher or Young, not both.