A letter to Jeff Fisher

Note: it seems that the blog-flavor of the month is the “Open Letter” to someone famous. Usually they’ve contained rebukes, but occasionally admiration. Many of these posts have been high-traffic. Not one to avoid shamelessly copying success, here’s one from me.

An Open Letter to Jeff Fisher:

Dear Coach Fisher,

We’ve never met, and likely never will. However, I thought I’d take the time to write you a brief note now that your name is all over the NFL news for a day or two. The first time I really heard anything about you was the Titans-Rams Superbowl. No, I don’t remember which one that was or what year, because I’m not that big of a football remembering person. I remember how that game ended, with your team about a yard from winning. I remember the “Music City Miracle” that it took to get you there. I was also happy you lost, because I was a Kurt Warner fan at the time.

Next time I saw you was when you appeared with Kurt as a Dove Awards presenter. Not many people bother even watching the Doves, and maybe you only did it for PR since they were in Nashville, but at the time I appreciated your graciousness with your ‘nemesis’ and enthusiasm for where you were as a coach and person. Over the years since, I’ve become a fan of the Tennessee Titans mainly because I’ve been a fan of you.

Now, I recognize that you are not perfect. Far from it, perhaps, but no more so than I am. I’ve seen your efforts over the years to produce teams that were not just effective on the field but that also contained men of character off the field. I know that, from what I’ve seen in media, some of the off-field situations have caused you personal grief. You’ve worked hard to rise above those.

I’ve seen your public reactions to success on your teams and adversity with them. You earned my respect years ago with how you handled yourself, and I have yet to see a reason for you to lose it.

It was with sadness I saw the initial “tweet” from the official Titans Twitter account that you were leaving. Any other source and I would not have even gotten on ESPN to check it, but there it was. I don’t know what finalized the rift there in Nashville these past few months, but it’s over.

I will remain, for a time, a fan of the Tennessee Titans. Growing up, I had a preference for the Dallas Cowboys, but a combination of losses and lost character has caused me to look elsewhere. In time, perhaps, the Titans will face the same response from me, not that they’ll notice.

You, however, have a fan in me. I hope that you land well from your departure, whether you go to broadcasts, another NFL team, a college, or, heck, if you go down the road and coach an Upward Flag Football team, I’ll watch when I can. I hope that you receive the success your commitment to excellence deserves. And yes, I know you have a commitment to excellence even though there were bad years at LP Field. You rarely made excuses and you certainly were not pleased with them.

From a fan, I wish you well in the future, but with that I have a request.

Don’t go to Oakland.

Doug Hibbard