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By: X
http://www.ramsondemand.com/blog/crash-of-the-titans/
At what point does it become too much to overcome?
After having made the playoffs four out of the previous five years (with a 54-24 record during that span), the 2004 Tennessee Titans suddenly found themselves staring down the barrel of a 5-11 record. In 2005, Jeff Fisher’s Titans become more entrenched in the mire and ended up with a disparaging 4-12 record. 9-23 in two years after having won 11 or more games 4 of the previous 5 seasons.
Did Jeff Fisher suddenly forget how to coach; or were there more sinister forces at work? I mean, what could cause a team under his leadership to fall off of a cliff like that? Especially with quality assistants like Mike Heimerdinger, Dave McGinnis, Mike Munchak and Jim Schwartz.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ICjutpArBY[/youtube]
Oh. Yeah. Injuries.
Like every other coach in the league who finds himself cursed with multiple injuries at key positions, Jeff Fisher’s Titans struggled to remain competitive on a consistent basis; and this is a playoff caliber team we’re talking about. In four of the five seasons prior to 2004, the Titans made the playoffs and notched 11 wins or more in the process.
With two weeks remaining in the 2004 season, and sporting a record of 4-10, Fisher could only look ahead to the end of the season with respect and admiration for the continued effort displayed by his team. “They’re going to play to the end as hard as they can to the very last play against Detroit. I have no concerns about that.” However, before the season could play out against the Lions, the Titans had to host the Denver Broncos.
Led by Jake “The Snake” Plummer, Reuben Droughns, and the 9th ranked defense in the league, the Broncos had their way with the Titans in a 37-16 romp. Of course, it is extremely difficult to win without starters, and the Titans were without 10 of them (4 on offense, 6 on defense). Replacement players and rookies only provide the necessary number of players to compete per league rules. Expecting phenomenal results in spite of that is simply a fantasy. Said Keith Bullock (LB) after the game, “The guys that are in are playing their butts off, but everything is going too fast for them.” He went on to add, “There’s not a lack of effort from anyone who’s out there. It’s just hard to learn the defense in three weeks.”
Hard indeed.
The previous 5 games saw the Titans’ defense give up an average of 41.6 points per game, but at least they were heading into the last contest of the season against a [then] Detroit Lions team ranked 24th in the league in points scored per game. However, by then, the season had long been lost.
Also lost were a number of key contributors on both offense and defense going into that final match-up of the year.
The Titans did emerge victorious in a hard-fought battle against the 6-10 Lions, and like every team, looked forward to carrying that momentum into the 2005 season.
Ideally, that is. Salary cap problems (and a few other issues we’ll delve into at another time) resulted in yet another disappointing season in 2005.
I’d like to make it known that this article isn’t meant to cast aspersions at Jeff Fisher. Coach has shown that he can take a mix of veterans and young talent and turn them into contenders. He’s very good at what he does, and history bears that out. What he ISN’T good at, is playing the plug-n-play game at various skill positions and providing exceptional results [wins] in spite of that. In fact, no coach is good at that. So as you reflect upon 2011 with disdain, and look forward to 2012 with eager anticipation, please keep in mind that ALL coaches rely upon not only talent, but also copious amounts of good luck in their pursuit of the ultimate prize. 32 teams, 1 winner.
As of now, the Rams are continuing to build upon the talent added to the roster since the Spagnuolo era began, and it all looks good so far. A nice core group of skill players, some key additions in free agency, and what appears to be a fantastic draft that set them up for the next two years. Now let’s collectively hope that Jeff Fisher and company don’t run into a clearing house of torn ACLs and sprained ankles on their path to rehabilitate this Franchise.
Good luck, Coach. A little bit could go a very long way.
http://www.ramsondemand.com/blog/crash-of-the-titans/
At what point does it become too much to overcome?
After having made the playoffs four out of the previous five years (with a 54-24 record during that span), the 2004 Tennessee Titans suddenly found themselves staring down the barrel of a 5-11 record. In 2005, Jeff Fisher’s Titans become more entrenched in the mire and ended up with a disparaging 4-12 record. 9-23 in two years after having won 11 or more games 4 of the previous 5 seasons.
Did Jeff Fisher suddenly forget how to coach; or were there more sinister forces at work? I mean, what could cause a team under his leadership to fall off of a cliff like that? Especially with quality assistants like Mike Heimerdinger, Dave McGinnis, Mike Munchak and Jim Schwartz.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ICjutpArBY[/youtube]
Oh. Yeah. Injuries.
Like every other coach in the league who finds himself cursed with multiple injuries at key positions, Jeff Fisher’s Titans struggled to remain competitive on a consistent basis; and this is a playoff caliber team we’re talking about. In four of the five seasons prior to 2004, the Titans made the playoffs and notched 11 wins or more in the process.
With two weeks remaining in the 2004 season, and sporting a record of 4-10, Fisher could only look ahead to the end of the season with respect and admiration for the continued effort displayed by his team. “They’re going to play to the end as hard as they can to the very last play against Detroit. I have no concerns about that.” However, before the season could play out against the Lions, the Titans had to host the Denver Broncos.
Led by Jake “The Snake” Plummer, Reuben Droughns, and the 9th ranked defense in the league, the Broncos had their way with the Titans in a 37-16 romp. Of course, it is extremely difficult to win without starters, and the Titans were without 10 of them (4 on offense, 6 on defense). Replacement players and rookies only provide the necessary number of players to compete per league rules. Expecting phenomenal results in spite of that is simply a fantasy. Said Keith Bullock (LB) after the game, “The guys that are in are playing their butts off, but everything is going too fast for them.” He went on to add, “There’s not a lack of effort from anyone who’s out there. It’s just hard to learn the defense in three weeks.”
Hard indeed.
The previous 5 games saw the Titans’ defense give up an average of 41.6 points per game, but at least they were heading into the last contest of the season against a [then] Detroit Lions team ranked 24th in the league in points scored per game. However, by then, the season had long been lost.
Also lost were a number of key contributors on both offense and defense going into that final match-up of the year.
The Titans did emerge victorious in a hard-fought battle against the 6-10 Lions, and like every team, looked forward to carrying that momentum into the 2005 season.
Ideally, that is. Salary cap problems (and a few other issues we’ll delve into at another time) resulted in yet another disappointing season in 2005.
I’d like to make it known that this article isn’t meant to cast aspersions at Jeff Fisher. Coach has shown that he can take a mix of veterans and young talent and turn them into contenders. He’s very good at what he does, and history bears that out. What he ISN’T good at, is playing the plug-n-play game at various skill positions and providing exceptional results [wins] in spite of that. In fact, no coach is good at that. So as you reflect upon 2011 with disdain, and look forward to 2012 with eager anticipation, please keep in mind that ALL coaches rely upon not only talent, but also copious amounts of good luck in their pursuit of the ultimate prize. 32 teams, 1 winner.
As of now, the Rams are continuing to build upon the talent added to the roster since the Spagnuolo era began, and it all looks good so far. A nice core group of skill players, some key additions in free agency, and what appears to be a fantastic draft that set them up for the next two years. Now let’s collectively hope that Jeff Fisher and company don’t run into a clearing house of torn ACLs and sprained ankles on their path to rehabilitate this Franchise.
Good luck, Coach. A little bit could go a very long way.