#3 Titans fire Ken Whisenhunt
On November 3, 2015, the Tennessee Titans shocked the football world by firing Ken Whisenhunt midway through the season…and after just 23 games.
For Titans fans, it seemed like a lot longer than that.
After regressing in each of the last two seasons under head coach Mike Munchak, the Titans elected to go in a new direction, hiring coach Whisenhunt prior to the 2014 season.
And as we all know, that season turned out to be the worst in franchise history.
2015 was supposed to be different. It was the second year in coach Whiz’s new offensive and defensive scheme. All of the players that missed significant time in 2014 were healthy and ready to go at the start of training camp, and there was genuine optimism surrounding the new pieces that were added this year.
Then the season started, and it felt like Groundhog’s Day.
Just like 2014, the Titans won this year’s season opener on the road, only to follow it up with a long losing streak. Four in a row in 2014, and six in a row this season.
Coach Whisenhunt grew increasingly testy with the media as the losses began to mount again this season, and the fans wondered out loud if the ownership cared…or even noticed what was going on with the team.
It all came to a head following Tennessee’s 20-6 shellacking at the hands of the Texans. The game was in Houston, and witnessed live by local resident and controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk.
While we may never know the details of the conversation between the Titans front office and coach Whisenhunt, it is widely rumored that his offensive philosophy (and it’s unwillingness to make protecting the qb a priority) was his ultimate undoing.
Mike Mularkey took over as the interim coach, and is also unlikely to be with the team next season. Ken Whisenhunt finished his career in Tennessee with a 3-23 record.
Next: Story #2