Report: Lions Will Interview Recently Fired Titans Head Coach Mike Munchak
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
DETROIT (CBS DETROIT) - At the moment, both Jim Schwartz and Mike Munchak find themselves unemployed former NFL head coaches who took their respective teams to 7-9 records this year. The Detroit Lions fired Schwartz, and the Tennessee Titans fired Munchak.
With those two and five other freshly fired head coaches looking for work, the coaching carousel is going full tilt, and the latest turn appears to be that Munchak will be interviewing for Schwartz's old job.
Former Titans HC Mike Munchak to interview Friday with Lions about HC job. Chargers OC Ken Whisenhunt frontrunner. Munchak also PSU finalist
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) January 7, 2014
Mike Munchak will be accompanied to Lions meeting by OC Dowell Loggains, also desired by other HC candidates. Loggains meets NYG on Wed
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) January 7, 2014
A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his playing career with the Houston Oilers (now the Titans), Munchak has been with that organization since it drafted him in 1982. With Munchak at the helm, the team went 7-9 in 2013, 6-10 in 2012, and 9-7 in 2011.
Unlike some of the other candidates for the Lions job - most notably offensive coordinators Ken Whisenhunt, Jim Caldwell, Jay Gruden - Munchak does not have a track record of working with quarterbacks. A background of developing passers is an attribute the Lions could be looking for because of the gradual decline in the numbers of Matthew Stafford, the 25-year-old whom Detroit just signed to a hefty contract extension in the summer of 2013.
Considering that factor, how much faith the Lions have in the ability of Dowell Loggains, the offensive coordinator Munchak would reportedly like to bring with him to Detroit, would likely determine whether they would seriously consider Munchak.
If the Lions do hire Munchak, he would be the second straight former Titan to become Detroit's head coach, as Schwartz was Tennessee's defensive coordinator before joining the Lions.
Detroit could have competition, though, if they have serious interest in Munchak. A Penn State graduate, Munchak reportedly interviewed Sunday for the head coaching job at his alma mater.