In an afternoon press conference, the Titans introduced their new general manager Jon Robinson, along with new permanent head coach Mike Mularkey. The club didn’t confirm the hiring of Terry Robiskie as offensive coordinator, which was reported earlier in the day, but there were still a handful of notable tidbits to come out of the presser. Let’s round them up….
- Robinson will have control of the 53-man roster, while Mularkey will have control of the coaching staff, per Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Mularkey indicated that “there will be multiple coaching changes” in the near future, as Jason Wolf of The Tennessean tweets.
- Former offensive coordinator Jason Michael will become the Titans’ new quarterbacks coach, Mularkey confirmed today (Twitter link via Kuharsky).
- Discussions regarding the defensive coordinator job are ongoing, with Mularkey declining to comment on whether Ray Horton asked to leave (Twitter link via John Glennon of The Tennessean).
- According to Titans president and CEO Steve Underwood, the team was turned down by only one candidate for the general manager job (Twitter link via Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com). That one candidate was probably Ravens assistant GM Eric DeCosta, whom the Titans reportedly wanted to interview.
- While Underwood didn’t unequivocally come out and say it, he hinted strongly that controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk had a pretty good idea that the team would be hiring Mularkey before the head coaching search even began, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Underwood cited a “comfort level” that ownership had with Mularkey, tweets McCormick.
- Robinson suggested that there will be many avenues open to the Titans as they look to improve their roster in the offseason. The team will explore the free agent market for good fits, and will consider all possible options for the No. 1 overall pick, including trading it (Twitter links via McCormick).
- Running back is a position expected to be addressed this offseason by the Titans, according to McCormick, who says Mularkey seems to favor having a power back (Twitter links).
- Underwood confirmed today that the NFL has expressed some concern with the Titans’ ownership structure, but not with the owners themselves (Twitter link via Kuharsky).
There’s always optimism when a new GM is brought in, but Robinson faces a huge job in trying to mold the Titans into contenders.
Henry might still be available for them with their 2nd round pick. He would fit the bill as a power back.
I’m not sure there’s such a clear-cut #1 pick (or quarterback) available at the top of the draft that the Titans would be able to get a major haul for their top choice.