NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden are certain to be fan favorites, but it is more likely that the next head coach of the Titans will be someone currently on staff or who has a history with the franchise.
Given the suddenness of Jeff Fisher’s exit and the need for stability, Titans owner Bud Adams likely will look for someone with whom he has some history – people like Mike Munchak, Dave McGinnis and Gregg Williams.
Other possibilities extend to the coaching tree of Mike Holmgren. Titans General Manager Mike Reinfeldt, who is certain to be involved in the coaching search, worked in the front offices at first Green Bay then Seattle when Holmgren was the head coach.
Munchak, currently Titans offensive line coach, figures to be high on the list, either on an interim basis or as permanent head coach. Munchak, who long has been considered one of the best position coaches in the NFL, would provide stability at a time of upheaval within the organization.
Adams often has spoken highly of Munchak, who had a Hall of Fame career as an offensive lineman with the Houston Oilers and has been on the staff since 1994.
McGinnis is another in-house possibility. He currently holds the title assistant head coach. McGinnis was head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2000-03 and has been on the Titans staff for seven seasons coaching linebackers.
Williams is a compelling possibility. He was an assistant on the Oilers/Titans staff in 1990-2000 before leaving to become head coach of the Buffalo Bills in 2001-03. Williams is currently defensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints.
And then there is the Holmgren connection. Because of his history with Holmgren, Reinfeldt was in contact with several assistant coaches at Green Bay and Seattle who later became NFL head coaches.
Gruden, who won a Super Bowl as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is a Holmgren discipline but it is unclear if he wants to return to coaching now that he has become such a popular analyst with ESPN.
Prior to Fisher’s departure, there were six NFL head coaching openings, but Gruden’s name was never seriously linked to any of them.
Other members of the Holmgren coaching tree that could be considered:
-Jim Mora. He has head coaching experience in Atlanta and Seattle. Currently an analyst with NFL Network, his name has been linked to a couple of head coaching openings recently.
-Dick Jauron. He was head coach of the Chicago Bears in 1999-03 and the Buffalo Bills in 2006-09. Jauron was recently hired as defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns.
-Marty Mornhinweg. Currently offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, he had a two-year stint as head coach of the Detroit Lions in 2001-02 but his teams were a combined 5-27 and he has not been a serious candidate for any head coaching openings since.
-Steve Mariucci. He is an analyst with NFL Network. After going 57-39 with the San Francisco 49ers in 1997-02, Mariucci signed a five-year, $25 million guaranteed contract with Detroit. He lasted only two years with the Lions.
If the Titans decide to look elsewhere, names that could surface include Perry Fewell, defensive coordinator with the New York Giants and who is considered a rising star among assistant coaches, and Green Bay defensive coordinator Dom Capers, who has previous NFL head coaching experience at Carolina and Houston.