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Former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Munchak is reportedly scheduled to interview for the Detroit Lions' head coaching job on Friday. To get a better idea of what he's all about, I sent five questions to Jimmy Morris from Music City Miracles, SB Nation's Titans blog. You can check out his answers below.
1. To an outsider, the whole process that led to Munchak's firing seemed pretty bizarre. Why exactly did the Titans ultimately make the decision to fire him?
It came down to the Titans brass wanting him to go in a different direction with a few of his assistants. It hasn't been 100% confirmed which assistants it was, but it seems that offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains was the breaking point for Munchak. He thought they would be better off going forward with continuity. Ruston Webster/Tommy Smith thought they needed a change there.
It is hard to say who was right, but it does seem like it would have been the best thing for Jake Locker's development to not give him a third offensive coordinator in three years.
2. Simply based on what the Titans had done on the field under Munchak, do you think firing him was the right move or did he deserve another year?
I do think it was the right move. He did have them going in the right direction, but he is never going to be more than a mediocre coach who makes poor in-game decisions and doesn't assemble a very good staff.
3. Elevating Matthew Stafford's game to another level is one of the top priorities for the Lions' next head coach. Injuries aside, how did Jake Locker develop as a quarterback under Munchak and his assistants?
Jake Locker played really well in the first month of the season before his hip injury. They did a really good job bringing him along this offseason. He really looked like he was ready to take that next step before he got hurt. I would give Munchak good marks as far as Locker is concerned.
4. One area where the Lions really need to be better is in the discipline department. There were too many personal fouls and pre-snap penalties under Jim Schwartz, and especially down the stretch in 2013, there were too many turnovers. How did Munchak's teams fare in the discipline department?
That was Munchak's biggest selling point when he first got the job, but it never really materialized on the field. One of the first changes he made to the facility was putting up a huge sign that said, "Be a pro. Do your job." That sounded great to those of us who had watched some undisciplined teams under Jeff Fisher, but we saw a lot of the things that you are talking about week in and week out.
5. Especially compared to some of the Lions' other candidates, I'm having a tough time understanding why Munchak should be in the running for this job. His track record doesn't include much success as a head coach, and he was merely an offensive line coach before that. In your view, what are his biggest selling points based on his time in Tennessee?
Honestly, I can't think of much that he did in his time here that says he deserves another job. They were 9-7 in his first year. That was better than most people thought they would be, but there hasn't been a lot of positive since then.
