Jeff Fisher

It appears that Vince Young’s five-year roller coaster ride in Nashville, Tennessee may be finally coming to an end as league sources are reporting that the Tennessee Titans will attempt to trade the quarterback rather than release him.

The only question now is how much of an interest will there be for the 27-year-old dual threat signal caller?

Young was originally drafted with the third overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Titans. Fresh off of a remarkable National Title game performance in which he finished with 467 yards of total offense and led his Texas Longhorns to a 41-38 victory over the defending National Champion USC Trojans.

Unfortunately for Vince, those National Title game heroics have taken a backseat to his tumultuous five-year campaign in Tennessee, in which the following incidents have occurred:

—After walking out on Head Coach Jeff Fisher, Vince attempted to mend fences with his coach by texting Fisher an apology. The “text apology” only further infuriated the coach. Fisher had this to say about the apology, “I’m not a real big text guy. I’m not really into this new age stuff. I don’t twit or tweet. But I think face-to-face is a man thing, OK?”

—Vince was involved in an altercation at the Club Onyx, a strip club in Dallas, Texas, that ended with the quarterback being cited for misdemeanor assault.

—After losing his job as starting quarterback, Young threw his jersey and shoulder pads into the stands before walking off the field.

These are just a few of the stories that came out during Vince’s time with the Titans. Now that Tennessee appears to be ready to cut ties with Vince Young, the only question to be answered now is, what’s next for the quarterback?

Obviously Vince Young has talent; the former Texas star already has a Pro Bowl appearance on his resume and has thrown for over 8,000 passing yards throughout his first five seasons in the NFL.  Vince was also able to string together some extended winning streaks during his time under center with the Titans.

The problem is that Vince is not the definition of the “ultimate professional”, and in addition to his aforementioned off the field troubles, he also had trouble coexisting with the former Titans Head Coach Jeff Fisher.

While physical talents are necessary, they pale in comparison to qualities such as leadership, maturity and high IQ. We have seen, time and time again, that the players that lead their teams to Super Bowls, such as Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees, are the guys that lead by example and command respect in the locker room.

I’m not sure how much any NFL executive would be ready to give up in order to obtain a player with such a laundry list of red flags. Obviously, Vince’s relationship with former Head Coach Jeff Fisher was fractured, but the quarterback didn't do himself any favors by trying to get on the coaches good side.

Vince is definitely worth taking a look at because we have seen so many times in the NFL that a player’s past, doesn’t define their future. We have seen many scenarios in the NFL were divas, trouble makers and cancers finally have their light bulb click on and become contributors or even leaders on championship teams.

Young has the talent to play in this league and I would be shocked if the Titans don’t get any response from teams around the league for Vince’s services.

Teams should understand that there is plenty of baggage to go along with the possible upside that Vince Young brings.

It was announced Thursday night that the Tennessee Titans and Jeff Fisher will be parting ways. Fisher was the Titans' head coach for seventeen years, making him the longest tenured coach in the NFL. That title now belongs to Eagles coach Andy Reid. 

I have noticed a lot of positive feedback among Titans fans regarding Fisher's departure. I don't get it. That's why I am writing this article. I think Titans fans will miss Fisher now more than ever.

Jeff Fisher is one of the more respected coaches around the NFL. Yes, he only had six winning seasons in seventeen years as the head coach, but this is because he never had enough talent. You see, the best wide receiver he ever had was Kevin Dyson.

Dyson lasted only four seasons with Tennessee before being released in 2002. The attempts to replace him with guys like Tyrone Calico, Bobby Wade, Justin Givens and Justin Gage all failed. Through all of this, what did owner Bud Adams do? Absolutely nothing.

Every year, the Titans would scrape at the bottom of the barrel for free agents, yet nothing worked. Adams refused to spend his money, instead he chose to pocket the extra money.

Examples of star players leaving are endless with this team: Derrick Mason, Samari Rolle, Steve McNair, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Albert Haynesworth, Keith Bulluck and many more. Haynesworth was asking for too much, but how about the rest?

Derrick Mason had averaged three straight 1,000 yard seasons until this year. He left the Titans five years ago. He could still be the Titans top target.

To this day, Samari Rolle is still a viable option at cornerback. 

Kyle Vanden Bosch had emerged into a star with the Titans and in the city of Nashville. Once his contract expired, boom, he was gone.

Keith Bulluck and Steve McNair (R.I.P.) were the two worst situations out of all of them. Bulluck had led the defense for years, he was the most underrated player in the NFL for a lot of that time. Yet does he get shown any respect for his great play? No.

Finally to Steve McNair. Adams locked McNair out of the practice facility. He refused to let McNair practice and instead chose Vince Young. As we all know now, Young was Fisher's downfall.  

Jeff Fisher did the most with the least than any coach in the NFL. He took a trainwreck and made them respectable. Now that Fisher is gone, can they get a guy on the same level as Jeff Fisher? I seriously doubt it. 

Like my writing? Now you can check out my brand new blog, Sports 24/7. Soon, this site will have many articles I don't publish on Bleacher Report. It's a work in a progress, so if it doesn't satisfy you yet, there will be more.

A little over two weeks ago, the Cleveland Browns and President Mike Holmgren chose former St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur as their new head coach. So why is this news today?

Well, that's because longtime Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher was recently let go by the Titans, which will undoubtedly make him a hot commodity in the NFL in the upcoming weeks.

Now let's say the Browns in fact had a head coaching vacancy. Surely they would be interested in the former Tennessee coach, wouldn't they?

This is exactly my point, as I believe the Browns in fact moved too soon in hiring Shurmur.

Sure, Pat Shurmur has known or has worked under some big names during his time in the NFL and as a Quarterbacks Coach with the Philadelphia Eagles: Andy Reid, current Browns General Manager Tom Heckert, and even his uncle Fred Shurmur, who was the former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator in the mid-1990s, but what exactly does he hold over a longtime head coach like Fisher? Nothing.

Fisher was 142-120 in his 17-year career with the Titans and Houston Oilers as a head coach. He led Tennessee to six playoff appearances, the most notable dating back in 1999, when the Titans fell in a heartbreaking loss to the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV.

The Browns reportedly only interviewed three coaches when they had a head coaching vacancy two weeks ago: Shurmur, current Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, and current New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell.

Both Shurmur and Mornhinweg share the same agent as Holmgren and Heckert in Bob LaMonte. Many fans speculate if the Browns simply wanted a coach from the LaMonte tree of clients.

Whatever may have been the case, Jeff Fisher is still currently without a job in the NFL.

Sure it would have been nice if he could have been the 13th head coach in Cleveland Browns history, bringing a true veteran presence much to the same extent as Mike Holmgren has brought as President.

Without a true tested head coach, the Browns have no other choice but to trust Holmgren on his decision to choose Shurmur as quickly as he did.

The hiring of Shurmur will be Holmgren's first tested decision in Cleveland—let's just hope it's one decision he won't have to worry about for a long time.

Jason Garrett had always wanted to be the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

When the Cowboys struggles of 2010 reached a pinnacle that forced Jerry Jones to make a move, firing head coach Wade Phillips and appointing Jason Garrett as interim head coach, that dream became reality.

But the question remains as to whether Garrett would have been named as the permanent head coach of the Cowboys had Jeff Fisher been fired right after the Titans last game of the 2010 season, as had been expected.

Jones had spoken publicly at times addressing the fact that having a head coach with head coaching experience was his preference, pointing out that Jason Garrett had a total of eight games of head coaching experience in his entire career.

It was widely believed that Jerry's first choice would have been Jeff Fisher, and even rumored that the Cowboys had sent "feelers" to Nashville to gauge the intentions of Fisher and the Titans regarding how they intended to proceed.

With the owners and players in dispute over the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) between them and the looming NFL lockout, Jerry Jones knew that having a head coach in place as soon as possible would be critical for the 2011 season if the Cowboys hoped to have any kind of success. This alone made Jason Garrett the obvious choice for the job if Jones couldn't land a head coach of Fisher's caliber.

When Bud Adams announced that Fisher would be retained for the 2011 season, Jason Garrett then became the obvious choice for the job. With several NFL teams considering coaching changes at the end of 2010, calls requesting permission to interview Jason Garrett put Jerry Jones behind the eight ball and forced him to go ahead and name Garrett as head coach.

Now that Fisher has left the Titans organization, it may be the most prudent path for Jerry Jones to bring him aboard in an administrative capacity, waiting in the wings should Garrett struggle.

Despite having a 5-3 record as an interim head coach, Garrett did struggle after a 3-1 start—finishing 2-2 in the last four games of 2010, including an embarrassing loss on Christmas day to the Arizona Cardinals.

That loss has to be lingering in Jones' mind and wondering what 2011 could bring if the same type of play were to continue. Another season would be lost, and another year of Tony Romo's prime years as the franchise quarterback of the Cowboys would be wasted. Worse even than that, the prospects for 2012 would begin to look pretty bad.

The Dallas Cowboys desperately need a leader on the sidelines. They don't need a man who will ask for greatness, but one that demands it and accepts nothing less. Jeff Fisher is one of the most respected head coaches in the NFL and the kind of leader who could build a dynasty in Dallas.

With Fisher becoming available, his hiring would ensure having capable leadership on hand in the event that it becomes clear that Jason Garrett is in over his head as the head coach of the Cowboys. Should the 2011 season find the Cowboys embedded in mediocrity, Fisher would be ready to step in either during or at the end.

And there are more perks to this proposal than just for the Cowboys. Jeff Fisher was noticeably drained at the end of the 2010 season. His demeanor was that of a man filled with disgust and frustration, and the look in his eyes was one of a man who was ready to go.

By hiring Fisher in an administrative position with the Cowboys, it would allow him a year to recharge his batteries while becoming accustomed to the daily grind around Valley Ranch, as well as giving him a year to become more familiar with the Cowboys players and staff. 

It's a win/win for Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys and Jeff Fisher. This is the opportunity for Jerry Jones to ensure the one thing that the Cowboys have been missing since the departure of Jimmy Johnson—strong, capable leadership at the coaching position.

This is what I would call a "no-brainer."

And that's the bottom line.