At a press conference late Sunday evening, Tennessee Titans Coach Jeff Fisher surprised the media when he announced the team's plans to leave the NFL and join the Canadian Football League in 2007. Here's a portion of the transcript:
ESPN the Magazine: Coach, I thought only teams from Canada could play in the CFL?
Fisher: Well, as you know, the NFL is looking at expansion into Mexico. The CFL is also looking into expanding past its borders. After our first pre-season game, we met with CFL officials and were told that after seeing how our team performed we were just the kind of team they needed in their league. And I gotta' tell you, it's nice to feel wanted.
The Tennessean: Jeff, do you think that this will hurt attendance? I mean, alot of people come to LP Field for the rivalries with the other NFL teams.
Fisher: That's a fair question. But let's face it, we stopped being anyone's rival a couple of years ago. We've become like the college teams who get invited by the powerhouses to play for homecoming games. Other NFL teams automatically pencil in a win when they see us on their schedule. And because of that, we can't keep up with the demand of so many teams wanting us to play them.
Also, I think rivalries are overrated. I believe you'll find that the CFL teams and their players are much nicer, much more civil. Our fans won't want to hate them. They're just too darn nice to be disliked. So I think that will give LP Field a much more relaxed feel. And I don't know about you, but any time I can go somewhere relaxing I'll go there in a heartbeat.
ESPN News: Coach, did you consider any other options before committing to the CFL?
Fisher: I'm glad you asked that question. Yes, we actually did. We thought about joining the USFL.
ESPN News: But Coach, the USFL has been defunct for several years.
Fisher: If you'll allow me to explain, I will. We're not idiots, we know the USFL went under years ago. But there's always a chance it will come back. I mean, com'on, Donald Trump has even more money than Bud Adams, he could bring it back if he wanted to. Plus, some of the coaches felt that we would lose far less games sitting idle than if we were to actually play the games on our schedule.
We also considered moving to NCAA Division I. We talked with the Big 12 and the PAC 10. However, when I learned that there were no successful programs whose coach sported a mustache, we decided against this option. We really wanted to play in the SEC because of our location, but they said they didn't need another Vanderbilt or Kentucky.
Fox Sports: Coach Fisher, do you think the different rules for the CFL will be difficult for your team to adjust to?
Fisher: No, our guys are well trained, professional athletes. And I believe the rules will actually be to our advantage. For example, you only get three downs to make a first down in the CFL as opposed to four in the NFL, right? Our best player now is our punter, Craig Hentrich. We feel that if we can get our best player in the game, say, 4-5 more times per game, we're in much better shape. Also, I don't know how many times this year I've seen our running backs, quarterbacks and receivers come this close to breaking a run only to be forced out of bounds. The CFL field is almost 12 yards wider, and we feel that this has huge upside for our team. I can't tell you how excited Vince Young was when he learned that he would be able to stretch the field and be chased more as defenses string out our plays for a loss or minimal gain.
Sports Illustrated: Jeff, do you think you'll lose any players because of this move?
Fisher: The players have all been made aware of our decision. I won't lie to you, some feel that this is a bad move. In fact, this is the real reason Billy Volek left. But most of these guys just want to play football, they don't care where they play. Plus, they're under contract, so what are they gonna' do, quit? And, let's face it, any of our really good players are outta' here the first chance they get anyway, so this shouldn't really impact us all that much.
More on this story as it develops.....
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