Ken Whisenhunt And Jameis
November 5th, 2015
What role, if any, did Jameis have in the Titans unloading Ken Whisenhunt?
So the second NFL coach this season was struck down Tuesday when the Titans jettisoned Ken Whisenhunt. And there may be a Bucs connection.
Whisenhunt (3-20 with the Titans; 21-50 in his last five years as head coach including three years in Arizona) did an awful job with Tennessee. Joe believes Whisenhunt lived off being Ben Roethlisberger’s offensive coordinator far too long, and ran through more quarterbacks since Kurt Warner retired than Derek Jeter has gone through Victoria’s Secret models.
Marcus Mariota seemed on his way to becoming another Whisenhunt victim until the Titans possibly saved him this week.
But here is where the Bucs come into play, and it is all about America’s Quarterback, Bucs signal-caller Jameis Winston.
During his weekly appearance with the one and only Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, heard exclusively on SiriusXM Radio, Yogi Berra-worshiping, urinal picture-taking, video game-playing, Taylor Swift-listening, pickpocket-thwarting, Bucs-uniform-frowning, Allie-LaForce-smitten, Big-Ten-Network-hating, pedestrian-bumping, olive oil-lapping, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, beer-chugging, cricket-watching, scone-loathing, college football-naïve, baseball-box-score-reading, NPR-honk, filthy-hotel-staying, fight-instigating, barista-training Peter King, of Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports fame, claimed Whisenhunt, was not impressed with Jameis at all and had no intentions of drafting him with the No. 2 overall pick, whether the Bucs passed on Jameis or not.
“He liked Marcus Mariota over Jameis Winston,” King said. “Chris, I know what happened before this draft. Before this draft Ken Whisenhunt and [Titans general manager] Ruston Webster liked Mariota over Winston and, in fact, if Marcus Mariota had been picked No. 1 overall by Tampa Bay, which obviously didn’t happen, but if that happened, there is a good chance not only would Tennessee had not picked Jameis Winston, but would have traded down and gone somewhere else as far as the quarterback of the future. That’s how influential Whisenhunt was.”
Clearly, you don’t run a coach who is an alleged quarterback guru (Ha!) with a rookie QB selected second overall for just one or two reasons in early November.
But with the career trajectory looking bad for Mariota and very good for Jameis, might the Adams family, the Titans’ owners, thought, “You know, this guy was dead wrong about Winston, and he’s been a bad coach with us, and has failed with young quarterbacks for years. Maybe we should cut our losses now before he also ruins Mariota for good?”
If Mariota fails and Jameis becomes the franchise quarterback many believe he can be, then Whisenhunt may become unemployable in NFL circles. Guys with bad quarterback track records are usually blackballed (think Brian Billick).
November 5th, 2015 at 4:43 am
OH WELL…. Looks like we picked the right. And didn’t we inquire about Whisenhunt when we were “in coach transition”?
November 5th, 2015 at 4:48 am
yeah same guy that had the flap about being wrong about the Bucs draft board
November 5th, 2015 at 5:25 am
And yet, after the Bucs-Titans game I can remember lots and lots of folks writing that the Bucs should’ve picked Mariota and that Ken Whisenhut was an offensive genius. Same folks are often the first to say ‘See, I told ya he was a flop’ when time get hard.
Rome wasn’t built in a day. Lovie & Licht both get that I’m convinced, and they’ve set their priorities on rebuilding the offense thus far. Jameis and the rest of the offense are coming along great, and so is special teams. Rebuilding parts of the defense is the next priority, but hopefully they can improve with the players we have on-board as this season rolls on.
November 5th, 2015 at 5:36 am
Sort of like the Gruden’s boys?
November 5th, 2015 at 6:03 am
Kind of a stretch to imply there is any connection to how Jameis is doing. Lots and lots of NFL people liked Mariota better, Dungy and Gruden to name just two. Its not like Whisenhunt was a big maverick going against popular opinion.
What got him fired is the fact that 1/2 way through the season and they have only won one game. They are on tract to repeat last years 2 win season and have shown no improvement.
November 5th, 2015 at 6:03 am
oops, tract=track
November 5th, 2015 at 6:37 am
Jussst a little bit of a stretch. While I have certainly been impressed by Winston lately, I’m not ready to write off Mariota. I think he’s a good QB on a really bad team. I honestly don’t know enough about Whisenhunt to explain the 3-20 record. Regardless, teams will gladly hire him as an assistant coach. However, no way he gets the HC title any time soon.
November 5th, 2015 at 6:41 am
Jesus Christ Joe! I understand 7 or 8 months ago campaigning for your guy; but your point has been made over and over and over again… The Bucs made the right choice with Winston, regardless of who you endorsed… You picked the same as them and you’ve documented that… It’s not about Mariota vs Winston anymore. It’s about Winston and the Bucs vs everyone else… Loving Winston! Loving the Bucs! Hoping Mariota has a ton of success; just not against the Bucs!
November 5th, 2015 at 7:02 am
Yesterday on Sirius Radio a Titans fan called in and he was pretty convinced Whis got canned because Mariota and Mettenburger were getting killed behind that shotty O-line and he wouldn’t adjust by putting in extra blockers with 2 tight end sets. So they fired him to save their investment from the nonstop pummeling. Rich Gannon and Bruce Murray seemed to agree. They at least agreed with the premise. The connection I see is Mariota and Mettenburger get pummeled by everyone except US!
November 5th, 2015 at 7:21 am
This whole topic goes back to why us FSU fans wanted Winston so much to begin with. You have to ask, how much of the Olines improvement directly relates to Jameis’s leadership. The Bucs oline was certainly in no better shape than the Titans coming into the season. Mariotta … nice, quiet, humble guy, leads by example. Nothing wrong with that if you have other vocal leaders who fire up their team mates. Titans’s didnt have that. Nethier did the Bucs, until they drafted Jameis Winston. Winston is the larger than life, charasmatic, leader who changes the atmosphere and enspires others around him to play better. That is why Jameis always was the better pick for a 2-14 team.
November 5th, 2015 at 7:25 am
Clodhopper is on to one of the real reasons. What he mentioned plus the game where Mariota hurt his knee and Whisenthut put him back in.
Add in the mix that Bud Adams died and his daughter is running the show. She could be a genius…she could be in over her head.
But reports from Nashville do not concentrate on Fameis but rather RGIII. Adams daughter did not want to go down the RGIII route where Shanahan played him hurt and he eventually blew out his knee.
This is not about Fameis.. It’s about $$$$$$$. The woman obviously is smart enough to want to protect her investment. Her first words with the interim coach were about plans to protect MM.
Ironic isn’t it. We and Joe especially were worried if Fameis would get a fair shot because of our rotten OL. Plenty of excuses pre made for Fameis based on the OL. Needn’t have bothered. Our OL has actually made Fameis look good including giving him a running game. It was MM who fell victim to the horrid OL
November 5th, 2015 at 7:40 am
Dude is best suited as a coordinator. No shame in that
November 5th, 2015 at 7:48 am
He got fired because he lost alomost every game for two years other than the first game of each year. He failed to develop Matt Lienart into a decent QB and it terrified ownership that history was repeating. He will never get a head coaching job again.
November 5th, 2015 at 7:52 am
Yeah, I’m not ready to write off Mariotta either. He seems like a good, athletic QB who just needs protection. Winston, on the other hand, is truly something special and one of those QB’s who can inspire the entire team. He NEVER stops believing in the ability to win, no matter the score. I’m glad he’s a Buc.
November 5th, 2015 at 7:56 am
Stretching it to say Winston a factor…..I think the injury to Mariota coupled with the record….especially after the expectations were greatly raised after their game with the Bucs……
November 5th, 2015 at 8:10 am
For the Bucs and Jameis, it’s about next year and beyond. And by that standard, things look terrific.
I don’t care about Tennessee, Mariota, Mad Dog or Peter King.
November 5th, 2015 at 8:25 am
@TBBF
“especially after the expectations were greatly raised after their game with the Bucs……”
Good observation! Ironic isn’t it that the rout may have done in Whisenhut with those high expectations and saved Lovie by tempering our expectations.
November 5th, 2015 at 8:30 am
Hey, I like Mariota, I just like Jameis more. I watched that pitiful game where Mariota got hurt. I could not believe they put him back in there to risk further injury and I think thats what got coach canned. Well, that plus all the losing. As far a the Jameis theory, I dont buy it.
November 5th, 2015 at 8:43 am
dreambig
no disrespect but listing Dungy and Gruden as examples of mariota supporters actually ruins your point. Gruden was run out of town because he could not develop a young QB. Gruden’s is an offensive mind but his specialty is getting the best out of senior citizen retreads see rich Gannon and Brad Johnson. Dungy would not know a good qb if his life depended on it. He likes Mariota because he knows him personally and his son played with him which is know way to pick a number 1 pick. Remember Dungy is the same coach who could only win 1 super bowl with arguably the best triplets since Aikman, Irvin and that gaytor rb. Sorry but Dungy preferring mariota makes it a no brainier that Jameis was the right pick.
November 5th, 2015 at 8:46 am
Wasn’t Whisenhunt L & L 1st choice for OC only to settle for Tedford?
November 5th, 2015 at 8:59 am
And maybe ownership is seeing the upwards trajectory of JW (you can’t tell me they don’t watch him rather closely). And the rather pitiful state MM has been in as of late. After comparison their like wtf!, “off with the coaches head”. Just a though 🙂
November 5th, 2015 at 9:02 am
Seriously, the Titans may be the least talented team in the league. What coach would do better? In less than two seasons
November 5th, 2015 at 9:07 am
Exactly, yet most Titans fans say “We should easily be 5-2 this year” and they believe it. That sounds like a similar tired argument. Wisenhunt was never given a fair chance and Titans fans are all excited about Mike Mularkey….you know, the same guy who sucked and has accomplished half as much in the NFL as Wisenhunt.
The Titans were foolish for firing Wisenhunt so soon. The organization set back Mariota’s development one year.
November 5th, 2015 at 9:10 am
Yep and those folks will say “See, I told ya he was a flop” under a different username too. It makes me wonder how many more “new commenters” there will be once Lovie and Licht turn the organization around.
November 5th, 2015 at 9:38 am
Mariota will be fine IF…
…he gets a good coach…
…he gets a good coordinator…
…he gets a good offensive line.
Same things Winston needed…only Jameis has gotten them.
November 5th, 2015 at 9:58 am
It’s nice to see teams out there that are worse than the Bucs.
November 5th, 2015 at 10:18 am
Buccfan37
It’s nice to see teams out there that are worse than the Bucs
Ain’t that the truth!!
November 5th, 2015 at 10:43 am
All we heard before the draft was that Mariota would be better for the bucs because our oline sucks and he would be able to escape with his great speed and athleticism and Winston could not. Now we see that Mariota cannot escape “pressure” yet Winston has displayed his scrambling ability. Winston supporters tried to show those who were uneducated that Mariota was sacked a bunch in college and he fumbled a lot which showed a lack of pocket awareness. What do you know? That has carried over for Mariota into the NFL. You can say all you want that Winston has a oline, but the truth of the matter is Winston gets players to play better which all great players have done. Our oline has had injuries to their starters yet, they continue to get better week after week. I love it when Winston bashers said he had Kelvin Benjamin in college, but no mention of the fact that Benjamin never had a 1,000 yard season until Winston was his Qb. Great players elevate the play of those around them which Winston is doing. What are Mariota teammates thinking about him? I don’t know because their oline still sucks. This is real Tiny Tim
November 5th, 2015 at 11:00 am
@Tiny Tim … “What are Mariota teammates thinking about him? I don’t know because their oline still sucks. This is real Tiny Tim”
How can it be REAL Tiny Tim if you just admitted YOU DON’T KNOW?
November 5th, 2015 at 11:13 am
Defense Rules Says:
November 5th, 2015 at 11:00 am
How can it be REAL Tiny Tim if you just admitted YOU DON’T KNOW?
———-
Hey Mariota lover, I am stating the post was written by the “real” Tiny Tim. About three weeks ago we had an imposter in here posting under my name for about 2 days or so and I had Joe fix the error. So at the end of many of my post now I state it is the real Tiny Tim. You can go somewhere now and defend Mariota. BTW……………..Capt Tim I am still waiting for you sir!!!!
November 5th, 2015 at 11:55 am
I think it’s crazy to propose that Whisenhunt got fired for not developing Mariota within 1/2 of a season and it’s even crazier to suggest that Jameis’ marked improvement had anything to do with it.
It takes several seasons to find out if a QB is going to pan out long-term, so using a 7 game sample is extremely short sighted. For example, Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III were the toast of the NFL a couple of seasons ago, now they’re both riding the bench and likely to be cut loose this offseason.
The theory mentioned above by Clodhopper makes more sense. There must have been a deep philosophical rift between the coach and ownership that couldn’t survive the rest of the season. Protection for Mariota may have been enough for the owner to have a quick hook.
November 5th, 2015 at 11:59 am
“Whisenhunt 3-20 with the Titans.”
And fired!
Does the record look familiar to some of you people?
Man I can’t wait until the end of the season….for it’s only a matter of time and patience before Lovie does his own self in. Sometimes I think he has early signs of dementia.
Take your retirement package you came to Tampa to get and go away soon.
If I’m wrong and I have to eat crow to see improvement in this team then I will, but right now, no matter any of you say. Lovie’s not fit to shine Schiano’s shoes. Sorry you haven’t figured that out yet, or you’re hoping for the best with this clown or you’re looking for any excuse you can to justify your love. The Skins game should have told you all you needed to know. Thank the lord for Atlanta fumbling and stumbling their way to a Bucs victory, it made some fans forget just how STUPID Lovie looked in the Skins game. Bring on the Giants and Eli, hopefully they’ll stumble and bumble too.
November 5th, 2015 at 3:08 pm
You know, this guy was dead wrong about McClown, and he’s been a bad coach with us, and has failed with young quarterbacks for years. Maybe we should cut our losses now before he also ruins Winston for good?”
********
Sounds to me like Mrs Adams has more balls than the glazier boys.