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'The Fisher King'
Titans coach leads team by example
Posted: Thursday January 27, 2000 12:58 PM
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Jeff Fisher believes being a former player is one of his biggest assets as a coach. Scott Halleran/Allsport |
By John Giannone, CNNSI.com
ATLANTA -- His coaching education began as a defensive back for John Robinson at USC and for Mike Ditka in Chicago. It then continued as Buddy Ryan's Eagle protege and George Seifert's 49er
secondary coach. In a very real sense, Jeff Fisher is a melting pot of all those men. But on this Super stage, Fisher is very much his own
man.
"They know when he's talking that he's been there," says offensive line coach Mike Munchak. "He knows what they're going through so it means more to them. They sit back and listen. They're not daydreaming. They're really paying attention to every word he's saying."
Among those who have noticed is 12-time Pro Bowl guard Bruce Matthews.
"He hasn't changed at all since he took over coaching this team," he said. "He's always been a detailed guy and probably his biggest thing is the little things and he emphasizes that."
Says linebacker Barron Wortham, "You can't do anything but believe in the guy because, you know why? He's still fighting. And you know, you've got to believe in a fighter."
Fisher says having been where his players are has helped give him an "in."
"I know players because I've played the game," he says. "You believe you can reach them and it doesn't require you to be a raving, screaming maniac."
Fisher frequently needed to reach his players during a turbulent last four years in which his team played in four home stadiums and three cities. Without even knowing it, Fisher became the glue that bonded a team which nearly came unglued during its journey from Texas to Tennessee.
"We've learned from that situation that we went through the last three or four years to make us a better team," quarterback Steve McNair says.
McNair emphasized that the hardships made the Titans a better team, and one in which the players better respected each other for what they had been through together.
"Now it's time for it to pay off," he said.
Wortham remembers the pitch Fisher kept giving his players.
"'Guys, look, it's going to get better,'" said Wortham, repeating his coach. "'Just have patience and understand that this thing takes time.' And you know, I mean that's all he kept talking about. He just kept beating it into our heads."
"I don't talk just to hear myself talk," Fisher said. "I talk because I've got something to say. And I think it's important. Fortunately, I've got
a group that's pretty good at listening."
| Look for this |
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| If Fisher's defensive scheme looks familiar on Sunday, it should. Fisher employs basically the same "46" defense that Buddy Ryan made famous during the Bears' overwhelming run to the Super Bowl title following the 1985 season. The scheme is predicated on aggressiveness and blitzing. |
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Fisher's most important move this season came on Halloween, when he allowed Steve McNair to reclaim the starting quarterback job despite the
lingering effects of back surgery and backup Neil O'Donnell's success.
It was a move that wasn't lost on his signal-caller.
"Jeff is a man of his word," McNair said. "If he says something, nine times out of 10 he's going to do it. Once you as a player, and you feel
like he has that confidence in you to go out there and get the job done, you know you've got to respect him."
Fisher acknowledges his formula for success has, in part, included one very important element.
"This place is based on a lot of trust," he says. "Players are different. They don't trust you anymore right off the bat. You have to earn their trust and, of course, you know we've got to earn theirs."
Lost amid the Super Bowl euphoria is the fact that Fisher's job was on the line this season, after owner Bud Adams made it clear a fifth
season of missing the playoffs would be unacceptable. Now, Fisher is in line for a salary approaching $2 million should he and the Titans
opt for an extension in the coming months.
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