There are many types of head coaching candidates out there with varying degrees of experience and expertise. Some have been head coaches before, while others would add a fresh face to the coaching carousel.
So maybe it’s time for the Tennessee Titans to think outside the box with their upcoming hire.
In watching this candidate do his work this season in the worst of situations, it might behoove general manager Mike Borgonzi to consider someone already on the payroll: special teams coach John “Bones” Fassel.
Borgonzi ascended to power to lead the head coaching hire in a carefully worded Friday announcement from Amy Adams Strunk. It is now his risk/reward to bring in someone who can turn the Titans fortunes around.
At the very least, whoever Borgonzi selects to be the next coach should want Fassel as his special teams units. But the Titans still should examine the case for Fassel to be placed in charge of the entire team.
Fassel, the son of former New York Giants head coach Jim Fassel, came to the Titans this offseason and inherited a unit that had not blocked a punt or returned a punt for a touchdown in 13 years. Fassel helped turn rookie return man Chimere Dike – who set a rookie record for all-purpose yardage this season – into a Pro Bowl selection.
Precedence exists
Fassel’s biggest hurdle is that he would be a first-time head coach, and first-time head coaches are usually offensive or defensive coordinators before ascending.
Making the leap from special teams coach to head coach is rare, but John Harbaugh did it successfully in Baltimore. He went from being special teams coach in Philadelphia to one of the most respected head coaches in the league.
Borgonzi has stated the new coach must be a “leader of men.” Fassel fits that bill perfectly. In a sea of Titans negativity, he exudes positive vibes and gets total buy-in from players.
“I just embraced the guys that we had,” Fassel says. “I felt like they had some abilities and it was up to us – myself and Coach (Reyna) Stewart – to make them feel like they were a big part of the team.
“We kept it very simple this year, just focusing on the fundamentals of blocking and tackling. I think chemistry is very underrated, and that is something we tried to bring to the special teams room at least. I think everybody talks about culture, which is fine, but more than that we tried to talk about chemistry and identity.”
Fassel’s philosophy is simple: “Winning and losing are a byproduct of performance. So let’s focus on performance. Let’s focus on competitiveness.”
Dike sees a natural leader in the way Fassel fixed the Titans special teams units and the way he relates to his players.
“He knows a lot of football,” Dike says. “I think the thing that makes him special is just his ability to connect with his players. In general, he cares about all his guys and it makes you want to play that much harder for him.”
Stewart, a former Tennessee Oiler who came with Fassel from Dallas this year, holds his boss in high regards as well.
“First of all, Bones is a fantastic human being,” Stewart says. “For the guys, there is a sense of enthusiasm about who he is and how he interacts with the guys. There’s a sense of care and a sense of intensity mixed with a sense of ball being the thing.”
So what does Stewart think a head coach John Fassel would look like?
“Just considering the way he is with people, with coaches and with players, I think he would be a phenomenal head coach, honestly,” Stewart says. “He understands ball in a way that’s unreal to one degree or another, from situations to history to current to the kickoff that we use now and having a big part in how we put that together.
“I think his football IQ is off the charts, and not just from a special teams standpoint – and understanding how complementary football works together.”
Coaching everybody
You might ask why didn’t the Titans go with Fassel as interim coach when Brian Callahan was fired instead of choosing Mike McCoy. After all, Fassel was interim coach of the Los Angeles Rams for three games after Jeff Fisher was fired in 2016.
Well, the answer to that would appear to be fairly simple. Cam Ward was a rookie quarterback in the midst of a shattered season with his head coach having been fired after six games. At the time, continuity was important to be able to try and keep Ward on track as much as possible amid the chaos. So it made sense to go with an offensive coach who could keep most everything in place and make the transition a bit smoother.
Now that the season is over, the Titans are reshuffling everything anyway, and whoever comes in to guide Ward, whether that be a new offensive minded head coach or a new offensive coordinator answering to a new head coach, Ward will have to adjust.
Fassel deserves consideration, but knows special teams coaches often get overlooked when head coaching vacancies come open.
“I’d absolutely love to compete for a head coaching job someday,” he says. “I also know it really comes from the offensive and defensive side that people consider as head coaches.
“I know it was maybe five years ago, why don’t you go to O or D if you want to be a head coach. But I’m just not going to do that. Special teams is my passion. Special teams is my love. I’m not going to do something on the offensive or defensive side to maybe get a chance to be seen more like a head coach.”
Fassel says, not necessarily for his own benefit, but for all special teams coaches, that they do deserve more opportunities and more consideration for head coaching openings.
“You’re scouring the earth looking for possibilities, but you’re missing out on a whole bunch of prospects as head coaches because special teams coaches for some reason aren’t looked at as head coaches,” Fassel says.
“Maybe because we don’t work with star players. Maybe it’s because we don’t call offensive or defensive plays,” he continues. “But in the special teams world, you’re as close to being a head coach as anything. You’re in tune situationally every snap of the game. You’re in tune with the 48, 53 and 69-man roster and how it all fits.
“You coach players 23 through 69 on the roster,” Fassel contends. “Players 1 through 22 you might not touch much, but I’m not trying to make a case. I’m just saying that if they’re looking at everything, there’s a batch of fantastic coaches that are being overlooked.”
Including one right inside St. Thomas Sports Park.
Terry McCormick also covers the Titans for TitanInsider.com