New Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt said that he chose the job over other opportunities with the Lions and Browns because he "liked the possibilities in Tennessee and felt in tune" with Exec VP & GM Ruston Webster, according to Jim Wyatt of the Nashville TENNESSEAN. Whisenhunt: "What it really came down to is you have to feel comfortable about the direction you are going and who you are doing that with. The thing that has become important to me is feeling comfortable with the people you are working with, and feeling comfortable with the organization." Wyatt notes Whisenhunt's introductory press conference yesterday saw the "largest group of media ever assembled" at the Saint Thomas Sports Park auditorium. Whisenhunt "seemed at ease" during the 40-minute press conference. He made it clear that he plans to "help revive a fan base that is tumbling into apathy." Titans President & CEO Tommy Smith: "I've always said we were looking for someone who's intelligent, who understood and wanted to play the type of football that we want to play here, which is hard-nosed." Webster said, "I look for this to be a really fine marriage" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 1/15). ESPN.com's Ed Werder cited a source as saying that part of Whisenhunt's decision to sign with the Titans "was that the team was 'overly aggressive' financially." League sources said that the deal is "longer than the typical four years and fully guaranteed." ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky noted coaching deals are "generally guaranteed, so the choice of words suggested this one may include no offsets." That would "allow a fired Whisenhunt to work elsewhere and collect his salary from the Titans in addition to getting paid by a new employer." ESPN's John Clayton said a coach's contract with no offset language is "very rare" (ESPN.com, 1/14).
PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN: ESPN.com's Kuharsky wrote, "I have not been able to get confirmation that Whisenhunt has actually met Tommy Smith face-to-face. Which makes me think he hasn't. That tells me two things: Webster has even more power than I thought to run the football operation and Smith may be even more hands off as head of the ownership group than anyone has speculated" (ESPN.com, 1/14). In Nashville, David Climer writes the Titans franchise "needs a jolt," and it "sounds as if Whisenhunt will provide it." Climer: "Frankly, a culture change may be a culture shock to some in the building." This is an organization where "good enough has been good enough for too long." It is the "kind of approach that causes a fan base to lose interest" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 1/15).
