Thanks to a five-game losing streak that’s caused the season of the 2010 Tennessee Titans to tailspin out of control, the job security of long-time head coach Jeff Fisher has come into question.
Due to the team’s losing ways, there’s been speculation that the NFL’s longest-tenured head coach may be out once the season ends.
While the vast majority of the attention has been focused on Jeff Fisher’s cloudy future beyond 2010, there’s another Titans’ coach who should also be on the hot seat due to the continued struggles of his unit.
His name, you ask? Defensive Coordinator Chuck Cecil.
It’s been a tough two-year stretch for the former NFL badboy. Taking over for Jim Schwartz, Cecil was handed the job of defensive coordinator prior to the 2009 season.
His debut was a rough one to say the least, as the defense finished the ’09 season ranked #28 in the league, giving up 365.6 yards per game. Of course, to Cecil’s defense, coping with life after Albert Haynesworth and a myriad of injuries in the secondary played a huge role in the unit’s struggles last year.
This year, in 2010, the defense got off to a solid start. Although they were still giving up yardage, they were a bend-but-don’t-break unit, coming up with timely sacks and/or turnovers. Unfortunately, as I pointed out in a recent article, the turnovers and QB takedowns have disappeared, which has played a key role in the team’s overall struggles that have led to their losing ways as of late.
For opposing offenses, it’s been a pick-your-poison situation when facing the Titans’ defense. Teams at times have had their way throwing the football against Chuck Cecil’s troops and recently, opposing squads have punished the Titans’ seemingly helpless defense courtesy of the ground game, as evidenced by the Titans allowing 188 yards to the Texans and last week’s forgettable 258-yard rushing effort by the Jaguars.
Statistically speaking, the Titans defense is currently ranked #24 in yards relinquished (362.1 per game). The unit is ranked dead-last in time of possession, allowing opposing offenses to control the football for over 34 minutes per game.
With close to two years under his belt, the statistics don’t lie: Chuck Cecil has had his share of troubles as the Titans’ defensive coordinator. At some point, if the situation doesn’t improve, it’s only natural to consider going into a different direction.
Of course, if Fisher is out as the Titans’ coach after the 2010 season, there’s a good chance we’ll see an overhaul with an entire new staff coming on board. However, if Fisher sticks around, I’m not so sure that Chuck Cecil should return with him.
What’s your take, guys? Chuck Cecil: Should he stay or go?
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