Why does Jeff Fisher escape criticism for his lack of playoff success? (1 Viewer)

[Ghost Rider]

Guys like Mike Shanahan, Tony Dungy and Bill Cowher always seem to take a lot of heat for their playoff records (Shanny for not winning enough without Elway, Dungy for not winning more with Indy, and Cowher for losing so many AFC title games), but why does a guy like Jeff Fisher escape this same criticism?

In 15 seasons in Houston and Tennessee, Fisher has a grand total of 5 playoff wins. 5. That's it. And 3 of them came in one postseason ('99)!

Dungy, for example, has taken some heat in the past for losing in the divisional round the seasons when Indy had a bye, but the Titans under Fisher have had the number one seed in the AFC twice...and lost in the divisional round both times.

Bill Cowher may have lost a bunch of AFC title game, but his Steelers made it to at least the AFC title game in 6 of his 15 seasons there. Fisher's Oilers/Titans have made the playoffs in only 6 of his 15 seasons.

And this is not a "Let's blame Fisher solely for the loss the other day" kind of thread. It is looking at his entire body of work as head coach of that franchise. He always gets mad props for being a great coach, yet his lack of success in the playoffs is quite startling, if you look at it objectively.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

coach like QB take too much of the blame for losses and too much credit for wins.

 

[sho nuff]

IMO...Fisher has done it with far less talent than Cohwer and Shanahan and Dungy.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Great topic Ghost Rider.

IIRC, Fisher didn't make the playoffs the 1st 3-4 years in Tennessee and yet he was hailed because there was thought to be very little talent when he took the Titans over...remmeber they were the Oilers nad perhaps still coming out of the Run n Shoot philosophy. Fisher made the SB in 1999, did the Oilers ever make a Super Bowl? I don't think they did and so it was a big deal when Fisher got them going.

Fisher also has a philosophy, and he has brought along QBs typically the right way, with McNair, he mostly held the playbook for 2 years while Chandlier was leading the team. I think he pushed Young a bit too quick but his job was on the hot seat and he needed to prove himself agian as a coach. I admit there is some Schottenheimer in Fisher that leads to playoff problems but the guy gets the most with the least. Titans are not big money spenders compared to some other franchises.

He has the longest tenure of any coach at the moment as well. Has had to fight thru the dominance of Indianapolis in that division as well as the surging Jags who have had a couple nice runs while Fisher was the HC here at Tennessee. The point is he has had stiff competition and managed to always stay competitive.

Good coach, but playoff woes have not helped him.

 

[Chase Stuart]

It's not really fair to use all fifteen years -- he took over a very bad team. He's made the playoffs six times in the last 10 years, and lost to the eventual SB Champion three of those six times (Rams, Ravens, Pats), lost a road AFC Championship Game against a better team (Oakland), lost a road wildcard game to a better team (Chargers) and we all saw what happened on Saturday.

Fisher also is viewed as getting the most out of his talent, but his talent isn't as good as the top playoff teams most years. In that respect, he reminds me of Schottenheimer. He deserves credit for coaching up these guys to their potential.

 

[Chase Stuart]

He also #####slapped Tom Coughlin three times in 1999, the most talented team Coughlin had ever had. And Coughlin's a very good coach.

 

[Jason Wood]

I think Fisher is an excellent coach, but it does show you the difference expectations and perception can have. I hear criticism on the national media all the time about Andy Reid and his coaching decisions, or his inability to win the big one. And yet, he's trounced Fisher over the same tenure.

 

[5-ish Finkle]

IMO...Fisher has done it with far less talent than Cohwer and Shanahan and Dungy.

You have an argument with Dungy and Shanahan since they have had HOF quarterbacks at some point of their coaching careers, along with other strong offensive talent, but I don't see it with Cowher.Fisher had McNair, George and Mason, among others, for a large chunk of his tenure. Plus a talented defense. Cowher had the talented defense as well, but on offense had Bettis, Ward and.....Kordell Stewart?McNair beats the holy crap out of anything Cowher had at QB for almost his entire Steeler career.All that said, I'd take Jeff Fisher over most current NFL coaches if I was in the market for one and money wasn't a factor.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Great topic Ghost Rider.IIRC, Fisher didn't make the playoffs the 1st 3-4 years in Tennessee and yet he was hailed because there was thought to be very little talent when he took the Titans over...remmeber they were the Oilers nad perhaps still coming out of the Run n Shoot philosophy. Fisher made the SB in 1999, did the Oilers ever make a Super Bowl? I don't think they did and so it was a big deal when Fisher got them going. Fisher also has a philosophy, and he has brought along QBs typically the right way, with McNair, he mostly held the playbook for 2 years while Chandlier was leading the team. I think he pushed Young a bit too quick but his job was on the hot seat and he needed to prove himself agian as a coach. I admit there is some Schottenheimer in Fisher that leads to playoff problems but the guy gets the most with the least. Titans are not big money spenders compared to some other franchises.He has the longest tenure of any coach at the moment as well. Has had to fight thru the dominance of Indianapolis in that division as well as the surging Jags who have had a couple nice runs while Fisher was the HC here at Tennessee. The point is he has had stiff competition and managed to always stay competitive. Good coach, but playoff woes have not helped him.

Many good points.

It's not really fair to use all fifteen years -- he took over a very bad team.

Dungy took over a worse situation in TB, and he got them to the playoffs four times in six seasons. Before his arrival, they had made the playoffs three times in 20 years. And Dungy did it with Shaun King and Trent Dilfer at QB.

He also #####slapped Tom Coughlin three times in 1999, the most talented team Coughlin had ever had. And Coughlin's a very good coach.

Mike Shanahan has #####slapped Bill Belichick many times over the years (he is like 6-2 or 7-2 against him). And Bill Belichick is the best coach of this generation.

 

[JuniorNB]

Simple answer: No one really hates the Titans. There's no passionate fanbase around them.

People hate the Steelers (Hate being the ultimate compliment in sports, by the way), so Cowher was often criticized. People hate Dallas, so a lot more is made of their playoff-failures than other teams would. People hate the Eagles, so McNabb gets called a choker.

If a team constantly takes heat on a messageboard, it simply means it is a dominant team that people fear. Tennessee does not have that.

 

[sho nuff]

IIRC, Fisher didn't make the playoffs the 1st 3-4 years in Tennessee and yet he was hailed because there was thought to be very little talent when he took the Titans over...remmeber they were the Oilers nad perhaps still coming out of the Run n Shoot philosophy. Fisher made the SB in 1999, did the Oilers ever make a Super Bowl? I don't think they did and so it was a big deal when Fisher got them going.

99 I believe was their 3rd year in TN.Started with a year in Memphis...then a year playing at Vanderbilt. Then the 99 season when they were in the new stadium and went to the SB.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Fisher had McNair, George and Mason, among others, for a large chunk of his tenure. Plus a talented defense. Cowher had the talented defense as well, but on offense had Bettis, Ward and.....Kordell Stewart?McNair beats the holy crap out of anything Cowher had at QB for almost his entire Steeler career.

Plus, as soon as Cowher got a good QB, he went 15-1 the first season, and won the Super Bowl in his second season. Coincidence? I think not.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

IMO...Fisher has done it with far less talent than Cohwer and Shanahan and Dungy.

You have an argument with Dungy and Shanahan since they have had HOF quarterbacks at some point of their coaching careers, along with other strong offensive talent, but I don't see it with Cowher.Fisher had McNair, George and Mason, among others, for a large chunk of his tenure. Plus a talented defense. Cowher had the talented defense as well, but on offense had Bettis, Ward and.....Kordell Stewart?McNair beats the holy crap out of anything Cowher had at QB for almost his entire Steeler career.All that said, I'd take Jeff Fisher over most current NFL coaches if I was in the market for one and money wasn't a factor.

The only time cowher won it all was with Big Ben, who might reach the HOF just yet. I think you forget he had Plax on O while hes a D bag he has talent

 

[Ministry of Pain]

It's not really fair to use all fifteen years -- he took over a very bad team. He's made the playoffs six times in the last 10 years, and lost to the eventual SB Champion three of those six times (Rams, Ravens, Pats), lost a road AFC Championship Game against a better team (Oakland), lost a road wildcard game to a better team (Chargers) and we all saw what happened on Saturday.Fisher also is viewed as getting the most out of his talent, but his talent isn't as good as the top playoff teams most years. In that respect, he reminds me of Schottenheimer. He deserves credit for coaching up these guys to their potential.

Scary sometimes how alike we think

 

[Ministry of Pain]

IIRC, Fisher didn't make the playoffs the 1st 3-4 years in Tennessee and yet he was hailed because there was thought to be very little talent when he took the Titans over...remmeber they were the Oilers nad perhaps still coming out of the Run n Shoot philosophy. Fisher made the SB in 1999, did the Oilers ever make a Super Bowl? I don't think they did and so it was a big deal when Fisher got them going.

99 I believe was their 3rd year in TN.Started with a year in Memphis...then a year playing at Vanderbilt. Then the 99 season when they were in the new stadium and went to the SB.

Excellent Point Sho!They were homeless for a couple years and that bought him some more time. Bud Adams is one of those owners that winnng a SB would be great but he'll gladly take a solid football team on the field where they rarely get embarrassed.

 

[5-ish Finkle]

IMO...Fisher has done it with far less talent than Cohwer and Shanahan and Dungy.

You have an argument with Dungy and Shanahan since they have had HOF quarterbacks at some point of their coaching careers, along with other strong offensive talent, but I don't see it with Cowher.Fisher had McNair, George and Mason, among others, for a large chunk of his tenure. Plus a talented defense. Cowher had the talented defense as well, but on offense had Bettis, Ward and.....Kordell Stewart?McNair beats the holy crap out of anything Cowher had at QB for almost his entire Steeler career.All that said, I'd take Jeff Fisher over most current NFL coaches if I was in the market for one and money wasn't a factor.

The only time cowher won it all was with Big Ben, who might reach the HOF just yet. I think you forget he had Plax on O while hes a D bag he has talent

Burress' time with Cowher was relatively short.And yeah, Cowher didn't win a SB until he got a real quarterback....that supports my argument more than anything. If Cowher'd have had McNair in his prime a couple of the AFCC games may have had a far different outcome.Fisher had more than his share of talent, especially at the most important position, for a big chunk of his tenure with the Titans. In that sense, he's underachieved in the playoffs. I still think he's a great coach and would be happy to

 

[T Bell]

IMO...Fisher has done it with far less talent than Cohwer and Shanahan and Dungy.

Agreed. This is one of the smallest markets in the NFL, viewed as being off in a corner of the NFL world. Fisher's teams always seem tough and gritty, and rarely are viewed as having "the best" at any particular thing. They never seem to sign big free agents. People root for these sorts of teams to do well, and Fisher is a likeable persona anyway.

 

[sho nuff]

IIRC, Fisher didn't make the playoffs the 1st 3-4 years in Tennessee and yet he was hailed because there was thought to be very little talent when he took the Titans over...remmeber they were the Oilers nad perhaps still coming out of the Run n Shoot philosophy. Fisher made the SB in 1999, did the Oilers ever make a Super Bowl? I don't think they did and so it was a big deal when Fisher got them going.

99 I believe was their 3rd year in TN.Started with a year in Memphis...then a year playing at Vanderbilt. Then the 99 season when they were in the new stadium and went to the SB.

Excellent Point Sho!They were homeless for a couple years and that bought him some more time. Bud Adams is one of those owners that winnng a SB would be great but he'll gladly take a solid football team on the field where they rarely get embarrassed.

That and Bud knows there were some lean years that were not totally on Fisher but on how the team worked the cap up to the edge trying to win.They blew it up and started over.Bud also likes Jeff a great deal and got rid of Floyd Reese pretty much because of that.

 

[PranksterJD]

Most of these points have been brought up already, but Fisher has several things going for him...

1) Lack of elite talent makes it seem ( rightfully or wrongfully ) that he's optimizing what he's got.

2) A friendly market. He wouldn't have survived in NY, PHI.

3) An ownership that has bought into "consistency". He wouldn't have survived in WAS, OAK. This is huge. JuniorNB brought up how people hate the Steelers, so Cowher was often criticized. However, Pitt's ownership has bought into consistency, so the coaching position has a level of safety that other's don't.

As a side note, the fact that Pittsburgh has (3) and has been able to get the superb talent Fisher lacks in (1) makes it the best coaching gig in the NFL.

 

[Da Guru]

IMO...Fisher has done it with far less talent than Cohwer and Shanahan and Dungy.

It seems that Fisher is always taking bordeline teams farther than they should go. Maybe that is just perception.

 

[SuperJohn96]

Guys like Mike Shanahan, Tony Dungy and Bill Cowher always seem to take a lot of heat for their playoff records (Shanny for not winning enough without Elway, Dungy for not winning more with Indy, and Cowher for losing so many AFC title games), but why does a guy like Jeff Fisher escape this same criticism? In 15 seasons in Houston and Tennessee, Fisher has a grand total of 5 playoff wins. 5. That's it. And 3 of them came in one postseason ('99)! Dungy, for example, has taken some heat in the past for losing in the divisional round the seasons when Indy had a bye, but the Titans under Fisher have had the number one seed in the AFC twice...and lost in the divisional round both times. Bill Cowher may have lost a bunch of AFC title game, but his Steelers made it to at least the AFC title game in 6 of his 15 seasons there. Fisher's Oilers/Titans have made the playoffs in only 6 of his 15 seasons. And this is not a "Let's blame Fisher solely for the loss the other day" kind of thread. It is looking at his entire body of work as head coach of that franchise. He always gets mad props for being a great coach, yet his lack of success in the playoffs is quite startling, if you look at it objectively.

And one was on a fluke miracle play.

 

[todisco1]

Everyone is saying Fisher wins with less talent, but isn't one of the coaches' responsibilities to bring talent to a football team? How many years can you get away with saying he doesn't have good talent without placing at least some of the blame on the coach?

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Everyone is saying Fisher wins with less talent, but isn't one of the coaches' responsibilities to bring talent to a football team? How many years can you get away with saying he doesn't have good talent without placing at least some of the blame on the coach?

The player's paychecks aren't signed by Jeff Fisher.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

Everyone is saying Fisher wins with less talent, but isn't one of the coaches' responsibilities to bring talent to a football team? How many years can you get away with saying he doesn't have good talent without placing at least some of the blame on the coach?

The player's paychecks aren't signed by Jeff Fisher.

Not only that I think that Reese and Fisher clashed on players often. Jeff has a say but Reese was the GM for a long time.

 

[sho nuff]

Everyone is saying Fisher wins with less talent, but isn't one of the coaches' responsibilities to bring talent to a football team? How many years can you get away with saying he doesn't have good talent without placing at least some of the blame on the coach?

The player's paychecks aren't signed by Jeff Fisher.

Not only that I think that Reese and Fisher clashed on players often. Jeff has a say but Reese was the GM for a long time.

Jeff has more of a say now after Reese left.

 

[MDSkinner]

A couple of things..

First, I totally agree with Sho Nuff that he has done all of this with far less talent than the other coaches mentioned.

Second and perhaps I am wrong about this one, but I would guess that if it were Fisher that were in Philly or with the Jets, or whomever that he would be receiving the same sort of criticism that they receive. Maybe Tennessee fans are just smart enough to realize that they have a great coach and probably can not do better, or perhaps they just have not had a team long enough to get spoiled with success. I am not sure what it is, but he is treated the way I think he should be. If he were in Philly, probably not (I feel for Andy Reid).

 

[TheDirtyWord]

Nashville is not among the most critical of sports & media markets.

 

[FlapJacks]

It's not really fair to use all fifteen years -- he took over a very bad team. He's made the playoffs six times in the last 10 years, and lost to the eventual SB Champion three of those six times (Rams, Ravens, Pats),

They should have beaten those teams, and should have won Saturday.It seems they have a pattern of choking.

 

[gianmarco]

Another part of it is that Fisher's style isn't really controversial. Reid has had his playcalling called out on numerous occasions. Shanahan has pulled some shenanigans with his playcalling at times and his philosophy. We all know about Martyball.

Fisher's teams always "look" well coached. They just do the right things, have good game plans, and essentially, don't do anything that others often question. In this sense he's a lot like Cowher.

That's why I really wish Fisher could win one finally because I think he deserves it. Much like, as much as I don't like the Steelers, I'm glad Cowher did.

I also agree with the sentiment that the talent hasn't been there yet his teams have often had the appearance of "overachieving", whether right or wrong.

 

[Wadsworth]

Guys like Mike Shanahan, Tony Dungy and Bill Cowher always seem to take a lot of heat for their playoff records (Shanny for not winning enough without Elway, Dungy for not winning more with Indy, and Cowher for losing so many AFC title games), but why does a guy like Jeff Fisher escape this same criticism? In 15 seasons in Houston and Tennessee, Fisher has a grand total of 5 playoff wins. 5. That's it. And 3 of them came in one postseason ('99)! Dungy, for example, has taken some heat in the past for losing in the divisional round the seasons when Indy had a bye, but the Titans under Fisher have had the number one seed in the AFC twice...and lost in the divisional round both times. Bill Cowher may have lost a bunch of AFC title game, but his Steelers made it to at least the AFC title game in 6 of his 15 seasons there. Fisher's Oilers/Titans have made the playoffs in only 6 of his 15 seasons. And this is not a "Let's blame Fisher solely for the loss the other day" kind of thread. It is looking at his entire body of work as head coach of that franchise. He always gets mad props for being a great coach, yet his lack of success in the playoffs is quite startling, if you look at it objectively.

And one was on a fluke miracle play.

That "miracle" actually led to 3 of Jeff's post season wins. So you could say he'd have only 2 post season wins if not for that crazy play. As far the talent, I think a lot of people belittle the level of talent that has been in Tenn over the last 10 seasons. Especially on the defensive side of the ball there have been some amazing players.

 

[Bankerguy]

Small market?

 

[JuniorNB]

Guys like Mike Shanahan, Tony Dungy and Bill Cowher always seem to take a lot of heat for their playoff records (Shanny for not winning enough without Elway, Dungy for not winning more with Indy, and Cowher for losing so many AFC title games), but why does a guy like Jeff Fisher escape this same criticism? In 15 seasons in Houston and Tennessee, Fisher has a grand total of 5 playoff wins. 5. That's it. And 3 of them came in one postseason ('99)! Dungy, for example, has taken some heat in the past for losing in the divisional round the seasons when Indy had a bye, but the Titans under Fisher have had the number one seed in the AFC twice...and lost in the divisional round both times. Bill Cowher may have lost a bunch of AFC title game, but his Steelers made it to at least the AFC title game in 6 of his 15 seasons there. Fisher's Oilers/Titans have made the playoffs in only 6 of his 15 seasons. And this is not a "Let's blame Fisher solely for the loss the other day" kind of thread. It is looking at his entire body of work as head coach of that franchise. He always gets mad props for being a great coach, yet his lack of success in the playoffs is quite startling, if you look at it objectively.

And one was on a fluke miracle play.

That "miracle" actually led to 3 of Jeff's post season wins. So you could say he'd have only 2 post season wins if not for that crazy play. As far the talent, I think of people belittle the level talent that has been in Tenn over the last 10 seasons. Especially on the defensive side of the ball there have been some amazing players.

To me, a 'crazy play' is one where a fumble happens to bounce right into someone's hands of a pass makes an odd deflection into someone's hamds. Those are fluky plays that took no preparation.The kickoff return in the playoff game was a planned play. I'm not sure I would define that as a fluke. Not anymore than I would a great playcall that resulted in a touchdown pass.

 

[thesurfshop19]

Have the Titans not spent up to the salary cap over the past 10 years? Because looking at it economically, if they're spending all the money they're allowed to, they either have comparable talent or are grossly overpaying for their players, no?

Are the Titans investing in their talent less, or just allocating it differently (e.g. at less glamorous positions, or beefing up the bottom half of their roster)?

 

[AnonymousBob]

It's not really fair to use all fifteen years -- he took over a very bad team. He's made the playoffs six times in the last 10 years, and lost to the eventual SB Champion three of those six times (Rams, Ravens, Pats),

They should have beaten those teams, and should have won Saturday.It seems they have a pattern of choking.

Baltimore had a phenomonal defense this season. It was a good game and it probably could have gone either way. That's just the way football works.If there's any coach that should be getting torn apart after this past weekend it's John Fox. Not every team can win it all and it's not Fisher's fault his players couldn't hold onto the ball.

 

[Liquid Tension]

Guys like Mike Shanahan, Tony Dungy and Bill Cowher always seem to take a lot of heat for their playoff records (Shanny for not winning enough without Elway, Dungy for not winning more with Indy, and Cowher for losing so many AFC title games), but why does a guy like Jeff Fisher escape this same criticism? In 15 seasons in Houston and Tennessee, Fisher has a grand total of 5 playoff wins. 5. That's it. And 3 of them came in one postseason ('99)! Dungy, for example, has taken some heat in the past for losing in the divisional round the seasons when Indy had a bye, but the Titans under Fisher have had the number one seed in the AFC twice...and lost in the divisional round both times. Bill Cowher may have lost a bunch of AFC title game, but his Steelers made it to at least the AFC title game in 6 of his 15 seasons there. Fisher's Oilers/Titans have made the playoffs in only 6 of his 15 seasons. And this is not a "Let's blame Fisher solely for the loss the other day" kind of thread. It is looking at his entire body of work as head coach of that franchise. He always gets mad props for being a great coach, yet his lack of success in the playoffs is quite startling, if you look at it objectively.

Because I think his teams always overachieve. His GM is not nearly as good as others.

 

[Liquid Tension]

Fisher had McNair, George and Mason, among others, for a large chunk of his tenure. Plus a talented defense. Cowher had the talented defense as well, but on offense had Bettis, Ward and.....Kordell Stewart?McNair beats the holy crap out of anything Cowher had at QB for almost his entire Steeler career.

Plus, as soon as Cowher got a good QB, he went 15-1 the first season, and won the Super Bowl in his second season. Coincidence? I think not.

Yeah, that QB really helped him in the SB

 

[Godsbrother]

I think the OP makes a great point. It is not that Fisher isn't a good coach, he certainly is, but his playoff record isn't up to par with other coaches that get a lot of criticism for not winning enough in the postseason.

 

[Godsbrother]

Fisher had McNair, George and Mason, among others, for a large chunk of his tenure. Plus a talented defense. Cowher had the talented defense as well, but on offense had Bettis, Ward and.....Kordell Stewart?McNair beats the holy crap out of anything Cowher had at QB for almost his entire Steeler career.

Plus, as soon as Cowher got a good QB, he went 15-1 the first season, and won the Super Bowl in his second season. Coincidence? I think not.

Yeah, that QB really helped him in the SB

Roeth didn't have a great SB but take a look at the playoffs leading up to the SB. Without him, the Steelers don't get there.

 

[Jason Wood]

Hasn't had as good a players? He had a league MVP at QB, great defensive players, a reliable workhorse runner [Eddie George], solid offensive lines. I think people are too quick to confuse the lack of major market media coverage with quality of his players. C'mon now, he's had players.

 

[Wadsworth]

Hasn't had as good a players? He had a league MVP at QB, great defensive players, a reliable workhorse runner [Eddie George], solid offensive lines. I think people are too quick to confuse the lack of major market media coverage with quality of his players. C'mon now, he's had players.

Pick a starting defense from Titans players over the last 10 seasons and I bet it would stack up against almost everyone's over the same time period. People forget about how good Kearse was the first time around or Rolle when he was a Titan. Guys like Bulluck might not get the nation press, but he's be outstanding over the last 6-7 seasons. There has been plenty of talent there.

 

[Da Guru]

The Titans are well coached team.

Fisher did not turn the ball over inside the 20 three times. Those things just happen..thats football.

 

[Ghost Rider]

I think the OP makes a great point. It is not that Fisher isn't a good coach, he certainly is, but his playoff record isn't up to par with other coaches that get a lot of criticism for not winning enough in the postseason.

Exactly. And I wasn't saying that Fisher should receive criticism as much as those others have (as I think the criticism towards those others has been unfair at times). I was just wondering curious as to why Fisher NEVER gets criticized for his lack of playoff success. Talk about this game or that game all you want, but 5 playoff wins in 15 seasons is pretty weak, and I think questions about why Fisher never seems to have playoff success should be asked.

Fisher had McNair, George and Mason, among others, for a large chunk of his tenure. Plus a talented defense. Cowher had the talented defense as well, but on offense had Bettis, Ward and.....Kordell Stewart?McNair beats the holy crap out of anything Cowher had at QB for almost his entire Steeler career.

Plus, as soon as Cowher got a good QB, he went 15-1 the first season, and won the Super Bowl in his second season. Coincidence? I think not.

Yeah, that QB really helped him in the SB

Roeth didn't have a great SB but take a look at the playoffs leading up to the SB. Without him, the Steelers don't get there.

Exactly. Anyone who watched those playoffs knows that the Steelers wouldn't have gotten close to the SB without Roethlisberger.

Hasn't had as good a players? He had a league MVP at QB, great defensive players, a reliable workhorse runner [Eddie George], solid offensive lines. I think people are too quick to confuse the lack of major market media coverage with quality of his players. C'mon now, he's had players.

 

[Novice2]

Why does Jeff Fisher escape criticism for his lack of playoff success?

Because he is on the competition committee and writes silly little rules such as no group TD celebrations, No throwing the ball down after a first down ect ect. Im sure he will write a 20 yard penalty for players who pick up phones outside of their sidelines this offseason.

 

[sho nuff]

Why does Jeff Fisher escape criticism for his lack of playoff success?

Because he is on the competition committee and writes silly little rules such as no group TD celebrations, No throwing the ball down after a first down ect ect. Im sure he will write a 20 yard penalty for players who pick up phones outside of their sidelines this offseason.

And just wow.

 

[JuniorNB]

Why does Jeff Fisher escape criticism for his lack of playoff success?

Because he is on the competition committee and writes silly little rules such as no group TD celebrations, No throwing the ball down after a first down ect ect. Im sure he will write a 20 yard penalty for players who pick up phones outside of their sidelines this offseason.

Why do you hate people with class?

 

[Banger]

Can we blame Fisher for Chris Johnson getting hurt? If he doesn't get hurt they win the game no problem and they are in the conference finals against the team they whooped on a couple weeks ago.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

I see a lot of excuses being made for Fisher. A lot of the same excuses that could have been made for Dungy in Tampa or Schottenheimer in San Diego.

Like Fisher, those guys took bad teams with not a whole lot of perceived talent and turned them around bigtime, but were chastized for not being able to win the big one and people felt that a new coach was needed to get them over that hump. Fisher fits that mold almost to the ltter, yet no one seems to be talking about it, especially in the media. It is a bit odd.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Can we blame Fisher for Chris Johnson getting hurt? If he doesn't get hurt they win the game no problem and they are in the conference finals against the team they whooped on a couple weeks ago.

What movie screen is that playing on?

 

[Banger]

Can we blame Fisher for Chris Johnson getting hurt? If he doesn't get hurt they win the game no problem and they are in the conference finals against the team they whooped on a couple weeks ago.

What movie screen is that playing on?

:X Not really sure what this means...

 

[todisco1]

Everyone is saying Fisher wins with less talent, but isn't one of the coaches' responsibilities to bring talent to a football team? How many years can you get away with saying he doesn't have good talent without placing at least some of the blame on the coach?

The player's paychecks aren't signed by Jeff Fisher.

Not only that I think that Reese and Fisher clashed on players often. Jeff has a say but Reese was the GM for a long time.

Jeff has more of a say now after Reese left.

Fisher has been there for a long long time. If he doesn't have a HUGE say by now in what players to target through draft/free agency then he is a weak coach. If he does have a big say, then he probably hasn't done as good a job as he could have. That said, I think he is a fine coach and will probably win a SB one day.