NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Quick initial impressions on Mike Munchak’s introductory news conference before I circle back to flesh out some themes:
I thought he came across very well in roughly 45 minutes, and while this wasn’t a hire made to win the news conference, I give him an A. He was prepared and presidential, well spoken, light at the right moments, clearly set forth his plan and made it clear this is a fresh start for all in the building.
He thinks his job is primarily three things: to give direction, to manage things and to get out of the way so people can do their jobs.
He said he knows what the Titans are doing well and what needs to change.
He said there is personnel in the building that the team can win with, citing the team’s 5-2 start to 2011.
He said a lot depends on the quarterback who comes in, and said the Vince Young issue has been dealt with.
He ranks preparation as the number one thing. He never wants his team to say, “What do we do now?” He also talked about being disciplined, smart, fast and physical.
As he starts to put together a staff, he said everything is open. Thirteen assistants are under contract and he’s expected to stay within a reasonable budget, but team executives said he’s got the freedom to select his staff. He said it amounts to putting together a puzzle with staff harmony an important ingredient. “Anything is open, we’re starting fresh, it’s not the same old, same old,” he said.
He’s had thoughts about things in the past that, as an assistant, he did not share publicly.
He cited his college coach, Joe Paterno, as his biggest influence.
He doesn’t think not having been a coordinator is a deficit. “I don’t think I am lacking anything other than experience,” he said.
If a chunk of the NFL offseason or season are erased by a lockout, he wants “the coaches to do the adjusting and let the players come in and play.”
Players don’t know him in this role. “For most people in the building, it’s a fresh, new experience,” he said. “It’s up to us to keep it that way.”
He wants to be as involved in personnel decisions as he can be, but will lean on people who know more than he does when he can.
His tenure with the organization got his foot in the door with Bud Adams, but he had to prove worthy to get hired.
More to come.
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