Titans fire Ken Whisenhunt, name Mike Mularkey interim head coach
The Tennessee Titans surprised many on Tuesday morning, announcing the firing of head coach Ken Whisenhunt. The team named assistant head coach/tight ends coach Mike Mularkey as the interim replacement.
Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said they are looking for progress with the club:
“After thoughtful consideration, the decision has been made to relieve Ken Whisenhunt of his head coaching duties. We have expected more progress on the field, and I felt it was time to move in a different direction. I would like to thank Ken for his efforts with our team, as he worked very hard to try to move us forward.”
Whisenhunt was in charge in Tennessee for just 23 games, and was a woeful 3-20. The Titans won their season opener this year, watching their rookie quarterback, Marcus Mariota, outplay the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ rookie quarterback, Jameis Winston. They have lost every game since.
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Mariota has not played the past two contests after suffering a knee injury against the Miami Dolphins, but that did not buy Whisenhunt any time.
NFL Network’s Albert Breer reports play-calling and the inability to finish games were among the issues with Whisenhunt; Tennessee held a 27-14 fourth-quarter lead over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3 and a 10-0 third-quarter lead over the Buffalo Bills in Week 5, and went on to lose both games.
Mularkey has previous head coaching experience, leading the Bills in 2004-05 and the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2012. But with the promising Mariota, the No. 2 overall pick this year, in place, the Titans’ job will be an attractive one at the end of the season.
Whisenhunt, who took the Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl during his six seasons as head coach, was signed to a five-year deal in Tennessee, meaning the club now eats three-plus seasons of that deal. Reportedly, Whisenhunt chose the Titans over Detroit last year in part because he was offered a higher salary and greater personnel control. With the 2015 season only half over, Whisenhunt is the second head coach to be fired, following Miami’s Joe Philbin.
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