Former NFL coach Jeff Fisher hasn't been out of the league for a season yet, but that doesn't matter. He's already thinking about getting back on an NFL sideline, and that doesn't seem like an unlikely proposition.
Videos by FanBuzz
This, despite the fact that Fisher has become synonymous with mediocrity in the NFL, if not straight-up losing.
As it stands, he's tied with Dan Reeves for the most regular season losses in NFL history with 165. Sure, that's over the course of a long 22 season career and it's not like he hasn't won games — 173 to be exact — but the hiring of Fisher may not necessarily inspire excitement in an NFL fan base at this point of his career.
Still, he's hoping to eventually make a comeback. Here's what he said on the second season of Amazon's All or Nothing, as transcribed by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
"I want to get back on the sideline," Fisher says. "Not going to happen this year, obviously. We'll just see what happens."
Florio then went on to make a case for Fisher, who is certainly connected in the league, and he does have his experience going for him:
Inevitably, there will be an owner who isn't quite sure what to do when hiring a new head coach. Invariably, that owner will ask one or more high-level executives at the league office for advice. Impossibly (in the opinion of plenty of that team's fans), Fisher will receive a glowing recommendation.
Yes, Fisher currently sits atop the all-time regular-season loss record with Dan Reeves, knotted at 165. But Fisher has won 173 times, and more often than not his teams are relevant past Thanksgiving, which is the key to keeping fans engaged through the end of the regular season, or at least close to it.
As Florio pointed out, Fisher also knows how to deal with uncertain situations, which describes the year-to-year in the NFL quite nicely. He was the head coach of the Houston Oilers when they became the Tennessee Oilers and finally the Tennessee Titans, and he also presided over the St. Louis Rams when they took their talent West to Los Angeles.
He has a history of dealing with owners that have a bit of personality (see Bud Adams, Stan Kroenke), and of course, it's hard to deny his experience. He's likely forgotten more about football than some head coaching candidates know.
Is Fisher the new young-gun candidate who's going to excite a fanbase? Absolutely not. Is he the cagey old veteran who can take a great team and turn it into a Super Bowl contender? Unfortunately, most of his history as a head coach would say no.
But is he a solid option for a franchise looking for a coach to take them from Point A to Point B while waiting for "the one"?
Frankly, you could do worse, so at least Fisher has that going for him.
