The next head coach of the Tennessee Titans will be Mike Mularkey, who will have interim dropped from his job title, the team announced Saturday. Mularkey interviewed for the vacancy after serving as the team’s interim head coach following the dismissal of Ken Whisenhunt in early November. He led the Titans to a 2-7 record as interim head coach and will be joined in 2016 by new general manager, Jon Robinson, after the Titans opted to part ways with Ruston Webster, who was hired by the team in 2012.
Titans hire Mike Mularkey as head coach
Tennessee is sticking with the man who took over as interim head coach when Ken Whisenhunt was fired.
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Tennessee's only win of the season under Whisenhunt came in Week 1, a 42-14 drubbing of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But then the Titans went on to lose six consecutive contests, and Whisenhunt was let go. The Titans were only victorious in two games under Whisenhunt in 2014.
Mularkey coached the team to a thrilling 34-28 overtime win over the Saints in his first game as head coach, but the Titans were unable to duplicate that success for the rest of their season, with the exception of a 42-39 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13. Perhaps their most embarrassing moment under Mularkey came in Week 14's loss to the New York Jets, in which every defensive back failed to cover Brandon Marshall on a 69-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
That miscue occurred after a timeout, which only further adds to its embarrassment. After the game, Titans tight end Delanie Walker called out his teammates for appearing to give up on the play.
It was a dreadful season for the 3-13 Titans, who were ranked 12th in the league in total defense this year. The Titans lost their last four games under Mularkey's leadership. Those dreadful numbers aside, No. 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota held his own in his rookie campaign, completing more than 62 percent of his passes and throwing 19 touchdowns. Mariota missed four games in his rookie season due to injury, including the last two games of the season, losses to the Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts.
Mariota’s steady year and the development that it suggests was enough to keep Mularkey employed while the team looks for continuity for its young quarterback. Mularkey’s career record in four seasons as a head coach is 18-35 after previous stints as head coach of the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Titans haven’t posted a winning season since 2011 and are the owners of the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
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