Fisher has players' loyalty, respect

Titan coach's detail-oriented, motivational style has rescued the franchise.

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By MARC TOPKIN

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 28, 2000

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Titans coach Jeff Fisher has come a long way.

He went from an unheralded defensive back on Southern California teams that included future NFL stars Ronnie Lott, Dennis Smith and Joey Browner to playing five years with the Chicago Bears.

Forced to spend the Bears' 1985 Super Bowl season on injured reserve because of an ankle injury, Fisher, who had been serving as an unofficial player-coach, accepted Buddy Ryan's offer to become a full-time assistant in Philadelphia the next season. He worked his way up to NFL head coach in less than eight years.

Having taken over during a 2-14 season in 1994, Fisher led the Oilers to a 7-9 record in his first full year. Three consecutive 8-8 finishes followed while he dealt with the myriad distractions of the team's journey from Houston to Memphis and to Nashville.

But Fisher really moved the chains this season, going from the firing line of owner Bud Adams' win-or-else training camp mandate to a franchise-best 15-3 record and a spot in Sunday's Super Bowl.

Fisher, 41, got there because he does a good job of coaching players. But in a sport in which many still try to rule by intimidation, he makes an even bigger impression as a players' coach.

"He's a young, aggressive guy who respects his players," said 10-year, and four-team, veteran Neil O'Donnell. "He played the game, and he knows what it takes to go out there and win and execute. He knows how to prepare. He knows how long the season is and how our bodies get worn down and broken down. But when it's time to tune it up and get it ready, he knows how to turn the screw the right way and get us going."

Sometimes Fisher uses compassion and understanding. Sometimes a corny-sounding motivational quote taped to the locker room walls ("True success is not something that is achieved, it is something that is pursued ... "). Sometimes a few well-placed terse words. But, always, it's something.

"His big thing is preparation and covering every detail," said 17-year veteran offensive lineman Bruce Matthews, who played with Fisher at USC. "We practice situational stuff that really sometimes you kind of scratch your head and wonder, "Are we ever going to use this?' I guess sometimes you're a little skeptical, until the end of the Buffalo game (which the Titans won on a controversial lateral on a kickoff return).

"When it works, you realize the importance of taking care of the details. That's his thing -- you take care of the little things. Eventually it's the little things that are going to add up and make the difference in a couple games, and that's been the case this year."

Fisher is quick to deflect credit and douse talk of coaching genius, preferring to further foster player unity by taking a we're-all-in-this-together approach and an us-against-them mentality. But though he occasionally operates within the standard coaching cliches, Fisher is a modern-day model, showing off a quick wit, genuine emotion, occasional candor -- even a hip wardrobe.

His on-field coaching style is aggressive and high-energy, his philosophies an amalgam of his previous stops. He played under Mike Ditka in Chicago, coached for Ryan in Philadelphia, went back to work for old college coach John Robinson with the Rams and spent two years around George Seifert and the 49ers dynasty.

"First off, I don't think players make mistakes on purpose, and it's our job to help them minimize mistakes," Fisher said. "So, with that in mind, you've got to communicate with them and establish a sense of trust. I know when they're tired and when they need to work harder, and I tell them that. And we trust each other, and we start from there. You have to give them reasons to believe in what you're doing, and you have to help them show themselves that what you're doing is right and it's working."

Those traits, along with Fisher's football acumen and tireless work ethic, prompted the then-Oilers to hire him as defensive coordinator in February 1994 and then -- even though he had never been a head coach at any level -- put him in charge with six games left in the 1994 season.

And that ability to communicate and build trust kept the team together during the distractions of its four-year journey from Houston to Nashville.

"I coached in this league for 17 years, and I probably coached with 20 coaches that would have had a stroke trying to do what he's done over the last four years," Titans general manager Floyd Reese said. "I've been with coaches that, if the plane is 10 minutes late, we can't win. We've been in situations where we didn't even know if we were going to have a plane."

Fisher is always prepared. Not until Sunday, in a small meeting room under Alltel Stadium when asked to comment on making it to the Super Bowl, was he caught short. "I've prepared for a lot of things over the years," he said. "But I didn't prepare for this, so bear with me."

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