FOXBORO, Mass. — Bill Belichick didn't want him. Neither did Brad Childress. Now, Jeff Fisher, the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL, will take his turn with mercurial wide receiver Randy Moss.
The Titans were awarded Moss off waivers Wednesday, one day after he was officially released by the Vikings. Fisher, who is one of the most well-respected coaches in the league, has been with the Tennessee organization since 1994 — longer than any coach has been with his current team — so Fisher's staying power and locker-room control could give him the leverage that Childress obviously lacked.
Moss could be a good fit for the Tennessee offense, which lost Kenny Britt for a while with a hamstring injury. The Titans like to spread the field and throw the deep ball, and their offense at times takes a playground approach, which could be beneficial to Moss' free-wheeling style. Quarterback Vince Young, when healthy, could take a number of downfield shots in Moss' direction, and that could open up the underneath stuff for otherworldly talented running back Chris Johnson.
The Titans, who were reportedly the only team to put a claim on Moss, are also 5-3, and they look like a team that should contend for one of the last two wild-card spots, if not the AFC South crown. The Titans are on a bye this week, and their first game with Moss in uniform will be Week 10 in Miami — interestingly, that’s the location of his last game with the Patriots.
Tennessee also plays seven of its last eight games against AFC opponents, so it's still got control of its destiny. And with games against the Dolphins, Texans (twice), Jaguars, Colts (twice) and Chiefs, the Titans will have their shot to knock off a number of postseason contenders.
If Moss is willing and eager to adopt Fisher's system, this could be a major acquisition in terms of the AFC playoff race. However, if Moss displays the attitude that forced 31 other teams to turn their back on him, the experiment will again fail.
