When Titans owner Bud Adams died, control of the team shifted to his son-in-law Tommy Smith.
It’s a big change for an organization that Adams built over decades and Smith, who has the titles of president and CEO, gave some sense of what he’s looking for after Sunday’s loss to the Jaguars. Smith said the team has been inconsistent this season and needs to “strap it up and go” with seven games left in the season.
“I want a tough, hard-nosed football team, and that’s what we’re going to get to,” Smith said, via David Climer of the Tennessean. “We’ve got a lot of work to do yet. ... We want to build something that wins now and in the future. We want an identity that I think we’ve sort of been lacking.”
It’s hard to hear a decision makers say things about a team having “a lot of work to do” and lacking an identity without wondering what that means for the current head coach. Smith said that coach Mike Munchak’s status will be up for evaluation along with most other members of the organization.
Tight end Delanie Walker gave a Jim Mora-style response to a question about the playoffs after Sunday’s loss and another loss on Thursday to the Colts would leave the Titans at 4-6 with everyone expecting quarterback Jake Locker to miss the rest of the season. That’s not a great recipe for winning now and it might mean someone else gets a chance to win in the future.