We're going to have to dump Herm at some point. Waiting only prolongs the agony. Get a competent coach and get crackin'.

Herm Edwards:

Playoffs: 4 out of 7 years (57%)
Playoff record: 2-3

Jeff Fisher:

Playoffs: 5 out of 13 years (38%)
Playoff record: 5-5

It's all perception. And you cannot convince me Herm has had better talent than Fisher.

if Fisher coached in New York, he would be regarded like Herm is, because they have similar records of accomplishment.

instead, he lost a super bowl once 10 years ago, and people think he's great.

hell Herm could well have lost a super bowl if not for Doug Brien.

Very little separates the two.

You are truly amazing, Mr. Zouk. I've decided that I like you so I'm cancelling the hit.

I know it's difficult to believe. If I hadn't lived in Nashville, I wouldn't believe it either, but I have watched Fisher year after year, season after season, get more out of less than any other coach I've ever seen. For years, they have given him garbage players and he's worked miracles with them. His record is skewed due to factors that have nothing to do with actually playing football and the Tacks just happened to be in a very tough conference.

He's ten times the coach Herm is, Mr. Zouk. I know it's painful to hear and you probably think I'm wrong, or nuts, or some kind of evil wizard, but it's true.

I'm curious, though. How did you feel about the Sloption offensive strategy? Did you think that was an okay deal?

FAX

Rebuilding can be derailed by:

#1: a horrible coaching staff

#2: horrible personnel decisions.


....whoops!!!

I understand your perceptions very well - no need to explain. I'm just telling you the facts.

Jeff Fisher had Steve McNair for 9 years. Herm has had bum shoulder Chad Pennington, a concussed end of the line Trent Green, and Damon Huard. And he's still matched or surpassed his resume. Just the facts.

It also might help Mr. Fax if he actually watched the games, instead of listening to Lenny "Rain Cloud" Dawson every Sunday.

No offense.

Maybe one coach was able to keep his QB's relatively healthy and the other coach runs a reeruned scheme that gets his QB's killed.

I got facts too!! The year before the Tacks left Houston, they were a despised team. No one showed up at their games and they were just biding time waiting to leave the city forever. Then, there was a year when they had no home at all and played in college stadiums in Memphis and Nashville (wherever they could find a place to play). That sucked. The following year, they played in the new stadium. Throughout that time, they practiced anyplace they could find a field (high school fields, college fields, pastures, etc.). They probably practiced in a dozen different locations. Think about it. That's disruptive. And, I promise you, a few seasons like that will negatively affect a peep's win/loss record.

Also, peeps on this board have bashed McNair for years. Now he's so much better than Pennington? I don't wish to argue with you, but really ... temper your loyalty with some ding dang objectivity.

And what about the Sloption? I'm sincerely interested in your views on this deal. If anyone can tell me why it was a justifiable tactic, it's you and I'd love to hear that rationale.

FAX

Yeah, that's right. Steve McNair never got hurt. And where's Vince Young?

LOLORLRLO

My tapes are due any day now. They have been delayed. I've seen some snippets, though. I may be off base, Mr. DaneMcCloud, but only by a few steps, I think.

FAX

I never bashed McNair. He was a good player who you could win with, and Jeff Fisher did just that. Following on that - don't take my posts as bashing Jeff Fisher. I think he is a very good coach and I would defend him heartily if he coached the Chiefs. What is way out of bounds is the perception of Herm, and that is the rationale for my 3 year long crusade.

The sloption - is this the 3 Hagans plays? If so, I really don't see this as a big deal either way. It certainly is not the reason we lost the Raiders game. It's hard for me to see how people could think it was. Miami did very well with a similar series of plays in NE last week.

I have been really clear that Herm has made a terrible mistake this year and that was playing Tyler Thigpen. He thought he could play and he was wrong. I am very relieved that he has chosen to move on.

And the core of Gretz's argument about the Titans is a very good one. People were not singing Jeff Fisher's praises during that period, but because he's a good coach he got that thing back on track. That will happen here too.

Herman Edwards strikes me as a coach who will never win anything meaningful because he's so die-hard about his football philosophies. Even when they fail him miserably.

And I'm honestly not all that confident in his ability to evaluate the QB position. OR...his handling of player personnel.

I think he's a great motivator and solid evaluator of talent (everywhere but QB).

I didn't think you were bashing Fisher, Mr. Zouk. Not at all. My point is simply that a lot of people look at his wins and losses and draw their conclusions from that statistic alone. The facts you presented are a good example of that. What they forget is that he's dealt with a whole lot of unbelievably bizarre distractions over the years ... far more than most coaches ever will ... and unfortunately for him, it adversely affected his record. But, to be perfectly honest, I know him through some charitable activities and I like him personally, so I'm prejudiced.

Your comment about "People were not singing Jeff Fisher's praises during that period ..." is curious, though. Sure, there were some folks who were harping on him, but just so you know, the vast majority of peeps in Nashville were tremendously supportive of him - even during those crazy times. I think it was because they were just so thrilled to have an NFL team moving in. Had he not started winning, though, I'm sure that would have changed.

As for the Sloption ... yes. The Sloption were those plays. No biggie? Well, it's true that it had little impact on the outcome of the game, but that wasn't why I asked. I'm more interested in your thoughts in respect to the decision itself. Did you think that was a game situation that called for the Sloption? Did you think it was a wise tactic? Or, perhaps, you thought it might have come across as a strange and somewhat rash move indicative of desperation.

FAX

The Titans moved to Nashville in 1997. The period Gretz described was 2004-2006.



Desperation is the rational response to having to play an immobile Huard and Tyler Thigpen. I like that package - that's all Chan Gailey. And I do think we're going to see similar plays with Charles lined up as QB soon. Again- check out how well it worked in New England last week. Those plays can be very successful.