Jeff Fisher began roaming the sidelines in Nashville before.... well before there was football in Nashville.
Fisher was hired as head coach of the Houston Oilers in 1994 and the team then relocated to Tennessee in 1997 for a new start for the storied franchise. Fisher's Oilers went 7-9 in 1995 and then drafted Heisman winner Eddie George in 1996 and finished 8-8.
Then, in 1997 things became "Titanic." The team changed their name to the Titans upon relocation and everything went uphill from there. The 1999 season brought promise with the young rusher George and upstart quarterback Steve McNair and ended up... well miraculous.
The Titans were division champions in 1999 and rode the momentum into the playoffs. With their backs to the wall in the divisional playoffs against the underdog Buffalo Bills, a miracle happened.
In what was the greatest NFL play that I have ever seen, a squib kick bounced to tight end Frank Wycheck who planted his foot and turned and chucked a bullet to wideout Kevin Dyson for a game winning touchdown, dubbed "The Music City Miracle."
It seemed that this was "the year" for the Titans as they managed to roll all the way to the Super Bowl, where they faced the "greatest show on turf"... the St. Louis Rams.
A back-and-forth game came down to the wire with the Titans possessing the ball and driving in Rams territory. McNair found Dyson over the middle for a seemingly Super Bowl winning score when out of nowhere, Rams linebacker Mike Jones dove and snagged Dyson's leg, leaving him just one yard short.
Fisher and the Titans could never seem to get over that loss as they haven't reached the grandest stage since. There has been more great seasons in Music City though, with several trips to the AFC title game and very solid years behind young quarterback Vince Young.
However, all good things must come to an end and they did this season. Fisher and Young publicly voiced their displeasure for one another and owner Bud Adams needed to make a choice.
Adams said in early January that Young would be given his pink slip, which made Titan fans think the decision was made, and maybe so did Adams. Today, Fisher was let go in a move that shocked everyone in the football universe.
My take on the fallout is that Tennessee will have to go through a long rebuilding process, especially without Vince. Had I been Mr. Adams, I would have told Fisher that I appreciated all that he had done over the years and stuck with my franchise quarterback because even with all of the problems that come with Young, he is better with issues than Kerry Collins or Rusty Smith are with their cheese all the way on their cracker.
Now, Adams is faced with going forward without a proven, winning head coach and with a brontosaurus at quarterback. Vince has to be laughing all the way to the bank right about now and wherever he lands, I think that he will be rejuvenated and determined to succeed.
As for the Titans, I only see it getting worse. Talented young players like Chris Johnson, Kenny Britt and Javon Ringer probably aren't going to want to stay around with a giant question mark under center.
Time will tell and maybe I'll be wrong, but I see Vince having much more success in the future than Fisher. Good luck Titan fans, I have a feeling that you are going to need it.
