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Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Munchak is on the proverbial hot seat and is coaching for his job, reports Mike Silver and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Munchak has been with the Titans organization, and previously with the Oilers, since retiring as a player in 1993. The Hall of Fame guard spent 14 seasons as the offensive line coach for the Titans and was named as Jeff Fisher's successor as head coach in 2011. The Titans saw quick success under Munchak, improving to 9-7 after a losing season in 2010, but missed the playoffs that year and have been on a downhill slide ever since.
The coach's success has been closely tied to that of quarterback Jake Locker, drafted No. 8 overall in 2011 and who has struggled significantly with injuries since coming into the league. Locker has played just 23 games total in three seasons and has not played since Nov. 10. He has just 1,256 yards passing and eight touchdowns in seven games total.
At 5-7, the Titans are in grave danger of missing the postseason for the fifth straight season and third time under Munchak. Reportedly, many of the issues with Munchak stem from a fundamental difference in philosophy between the front office and the coaches, with Munchak pushing the Titans as a passing team rather than a run-first team.
The Titans face the Denver Broncos at 4:05 p.m. CT on Sunday.
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