Mike

Mularkey

“I’ve been blessed to do this for a long time and have a lot of great memories from the game I love,” said Mularkey in a statement. “I’ve also missed a lot of time with my family who I love and who has supported me so much throughout my career. I am looking forward to spending even more time with them and making even more memories.” A tight end for the Vikings and Steelers during his playing career, Mularkey spent 25 years as an NFL coach including head-coaching stints with Buffalo, Jacksonville and Tennessee. The 58-year-old coaxed a career-best season out of Austin Hooper (75-787-6 in 13 games) this past season.

It’s quite a fall for a coach who was most recently the two-year head man of the Titans. Mularkey will be the next man up if/when new Falcons OC Dirk Koetter gets fired.

Mularkey was fortuitously Atlanta’s OC from 2008-2011. Although he’s had previous success as a coordinator, his tenure calling plays for the Titans over three seasons is one that’s best forgotten. The Falcons also have a need for a TE coach and could decidedly slot Mularkey there if he’s brought on.

This has been in the works for about a week now, however it was uncertain whether Mularkey would coach the Titans quarterbacks or tight ends. Mularkey, 52, and coach Ken Whisenhunt worked together with the Steelers from 2001-2003. Mularkey was the offensive coordinator, while Whisenhunt coached tight ends. Whisenhunt replaced Mularkey as OC in 2004.

Before coming to Tennessee, Bratkowski had previously served as Mike Mularkey’s OC in Jacksonville. “I have a lot of respect for both Bob and Jason and I want to thank them for their work this year,” said Mularkey on Wednesday. “The search process begins now as we look for a coach to lead the wide receivers and add to our coaching group on offense.” Bratkowski and Tucker didn’t have much to work with this year with Rishard Matthews, Tajae Sharpe and Kendall Wright operating as the team’s top three receivers. Giving Marcus Mariota better weapons should be a top priority for Tennessee this offseason.

Speaking at his introductory presser on Monday, Mularkey said his offense would feature “deception with balance.” Whatever that means. Mularkey has been called a “quarterback whisperer” by owner Steve Underwood, but next to nothing on his résumé supports that. Mularkey’s most notable pupil is Matt Ryan, whom he was fired from coaching after the 2011 season. 2016 figures to be a lost, pointless year in Tennessee.

It’s hard to fathom a less-inspiring hire. It’s arguably the league’s worst since the Jags hired Mularkey in 2012, only to fire him after one season. With a chaotic ownership setup and a rookie general manager, the Titans opted for continuity with Marcus Mariota, but nothing in Mularkey’s history suggests he’ll be the one to get the most out of his young and gifted dual-threat quarterback. The Titans are simply addicted to bad decisions. It’s quite possible they’ll be forced to embark on an actual head-coaching search this time next year.

There have been reports interim coach Mike Mularkey could land the permanent job, and this report lends some credence to that notion. With GM Ruston Webster out of a contract and perhaps out of a job, it is possible the Titans are simply waiting to contact coaching candidates until a new general manager is in place. Mularkey had a mildly successful season with the Bills in 2004, but he is 9-32 as a head coach since then and led the Titans to a 2-7 record after taking over this year. Keeping Mularkey would be a short-sighted and low-upside move. With Marcus Mariota already in the fold and talent on the defensive side of the ball, Tennessee would be an enticing destination for some of the top coaching candidates.

It’s hard to make this stuff up sometimes. The Titans have yet to even hire a general manager, but are apparently comfortable saddling whomever replaces Ruston Webster with a 54-year-old interim coach. This is how bad teams stay bad. Mularkey’s formal interview is expected to come later in the week. The Titans have yet to interview anyone else, so it indeed appears to be Mularkey’s job to lose.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport added Mularkey “has been given strong indications that the Titans job is his.” There are reports Robinson would be interested in Patriots OC Josh McDaniels at head coach, but ownership apparently is very interested in retaining Mularkey, who is 4-21 in his last 25 games as a head coach. It is a baffling decision for an organization set up to make a splash hire. With Marcus Mariota, foundational pieces on defense and the No. 1 overall pick, the Titans are a team with a ton of upside. Hiring a retread who has already proven he is not up to the task would be a quick way to stunt that potential.