Titans' Fisher denies Houston permission to interview assistant

That sucks.

 

That's pretty strange. It's rare that you don't allow someone an opportunity to interview for a job that's a promotion. If it was their OC, I could understand. But not allowing an o-line coach to interview for an OC job is pretty crappy.

 

I bet it was really Bud Adams. Way to go, screw your own guy because you still hold a grudge against Houston.

 

It's all good. I doubt he would have got the job anyway. My money is on Rick Dennison. He worked with Kubiak in Denver and would have joined the Texans in 2006 had Mike Shanahan let him. Bill Musgrave is intriguing because he played for Kubiak in Denver and coached Schaub in Virginia and Atlanta. I also wouldn't be surprised to see if Chan Gailey join the Texans with the title of Assistant Head Coach/Offense especially if Alex Gibbs retires.

 

The Titans are a pretty crappy organization.

 

What an ass!! Just gives me yet another reason to hate the titans.

 

That's a pretty *****ty thing to do to that guy.

So the Titans gave us Chris Brown and won't give us Munchak.

Sounds like we got double screwed on this deal.

 

Bud seems more or less obsessed with Houston. If I were in Nashville, I'd be pissed that my owner cares about his grudge with the old city as he does about the new city.

 

Who cares? Who really thought he had a chance at being an offensive cord. for us? I'm ALL for Musgrave!

 

No, technically, an O-Line coaching job is just assistant. Same thing as an OC or DC. If he was being interviewed for a head coaching job, then the Titans would have to let him interview.

 

I don't think anyone considers O-Line Coach to be at the same level as Offensive Coordinator, either in reputation or pay or anything else. Lower tier assistants are promoted to coordinators all the time as the natural progression of things.

 

That isn't true. After we canned Capers he was not given the title of DC at Miami because if he took a DC job he would have lost money from our contract. So they called him Special Assistant to the Head Coach

 

Former Oiler Munchak candidate for Texans OC job
By JOHN McCLAIN
Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle
Jan. 4, 2010, 10:12PM
Share Print Share Del.icio.usDiggTwitterYahoo! BuzzFacebookStumbleUponWhen Kyle Shanahan is officially named the new offensive coordinator with the Washington Redskins, the Texans will begin their search for his replacement.


The four leading candidates are Tennessee Titans offensive line coach Mike Munchak, Denver Broncos offensive line coach Rick Dennison, Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave and former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Chan Gailey.

Mike Shanahan is expected to replace Jim Zorn, who was fired Monday, as coach of the Redskins and wants Kyle, his son, on his staff.

Texans coach Gary Kubiak, who declined to name possible replacements or discuss any candidates, worked with Dennison, Musgrave and Gailey in Denver. He never has worked with Munchak, who has spent his entire 28-year career as a Hall of Fame guard and assistant coach with the Oilers/Titans.

Dennison, Musgrave and Gailey have been coordinators. Kubiak wanted Dennison to be part of his first Texans staff in 2006, but Mike Shanahan, then coach of the Broncos, wouldn’t grant him permission.

Musgrave coached Matt Schaub at Virginia and with the Falcons. Musgrave was one of the coaches who highly recommended Schaub to Kubiak and general manager Rick Smith before they made the trade with Atlanta to get him.

“I’ll have to start looking in another direction,” Kubiak said Monday. “I’ve had some dang good coordinators, and whoever’s the next one will be a dang good one, too.”

Troy Calhoun (Air Force) and Mike Sherman (Texas A&M) left to become head coaches before Kyle Shanahan was promoted.

“I want somebody with me that I’m comfortable with calling plays,” Kubiak said. “Whoever I end up bringing in, I want to get them to the same point where I am with Kyle and where I was with the other guys.

“We have to be that close and on the same page. That’s very important, because that’s the guy I deal with every day putting in game plans, calling the game and making adjustments during the game.”

john.mcclain@chron.com


After reading the above article it gave me the impression that Kubiak wants to go with someone he has worked with before and is very comfortable with. I would say that would give Dennison an advantage. Also it seems like a good fit between Musgrave and the Texans since he coached Schaub at Virginia and the Falcons. Seems like there would be good chemistry there.

It could also be that Munch and Fisher had a conversation regarding the position and Munch told Fisher he had no interest in the Texans position. Fisher lays down the decision that the Texans can't interview Munch and the Titans take the heat for it. It could be Bud passing the decision down saying screw this. I am not required to let an assistant coach under contract interview for any position other than a head coaching job. No one actually knows until they ask Munch directly.

Either way. Good for the Titans. Not interested in helping a division rival get better.

 

Not cool at all. I'm not sure how Munchak would be calling plays, but he would absolutely be an asset in the Texans orginization.

 

Here's the real reason Munchak was denied...the Texans were NOT going to make him the OC. It was a "title" promotion. Rick Dennison would then have been brought in as "Assistant Head Coach-Offense" and called the plays. The Texans were essentially trying to poach a coach.

 

It's called the Rooney Rule fellas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooney_Rule

 

Wait, I was wrong on that one. Here it is: http://www.windycitygridiron.com/2009/11/25/1173920/rules-on-hiring-nfl-coaches

 

Wouldn't that still be Munchak's decision though? It's one thing if Munchak turns down the interview for this reason. But another for Titans to just assume the Texans are definitely out to screw them. Regardless of whether he'll call the plays, Coordinator's still a coordinator. Even if he simply gets the job of coaching the o-line and the RBs, it's still a bigger job.