Perhaps not every Titans player was happy about head coach Ken Whisenhunt being offered up this week, but a number of them were also realistic about the reasons for a change.
When you’re 3-20 over a season and a half, it’s hard to justify some things.
“When you look back at things, you can argue a case for going either way,” linebacker Derrick Morgan said, via John Glennon of the Tennesseean. “You look at the record and there’s really no other way around that. But you can also say we have a rookie quarterback and he was hurt, and we showed a lot of promise and improvement from last year.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Whisenhunt. I really was believing in how he was doing things. It’s one of those raw deals where this is the NFL, and you’re expected to perform quickly and get results.”
Morgan said he respected his former coach, but acknowledged that it was hard to sell a system without any visible evidence that it worked.
“It’s just tough, going back to last year,” Morgan said. “It’s hard not to look back at last year and be like, `Wow, this feels exactly the same.’
“You never want to give in and give up, and I don’t think that’s what our team is made of. But then you kind of look at things where it’s like, `Wow, we’ve been doing the same process and getting the same results.’ It’s just one of those things where it’s hard to keep people on board.”
For veteran cornerback Jason McCourty, he’s now on coach number four, so the idea that a move would surprise him seems farfetched.
“It’s always a form of a surprise, but obviously we haven’t been as successful as you would like over the past season and a half,” McCourty said. “So you always know there’s a chance change can come. From that aspect, it’s not a total surprise. . . .
“You’re never happy to see anybody fired. For me now, this being head coach number four, you learn how to deal with it and evaluate the process, and realize the business side of it. So no, you’re never happy to see anybody go. But at the same time, you’re eager and looking forward to seeing what a fresh face or fresh start will bring.”
Whether that fresh start under Mike Mularkey will bring about a Dan Campbell-kind of a change remains to be seen. But while the timing of the move could be questioned, their players have seen enough losing to perhaps grow numb to it.
