just as long as he brings
Mike Munchak Offensive Line
Marcus RobertsonSecondary
Mike Heimerdinger Offensive Coordinator
Heimerdinger originally joined the Titans as offensive coordinator in 2000 and presided over the offense during one of the finest five-year stretches in franchise history. Tennessee advanced to the playoffs in three of his five years with the team and ranked in the top 10 in offense twice. During his tenure, the offense reached new heights with nearly every offensive player posting career-best seasons (McNair, George, Wycheck, Mason, Bennett, Brown and McCareins) and establishing new franchise marks. His finest season came in 2003, where the Titans posted the second highest point total in franchise history (435), a franchise record six consecutive games scoring 30 or more points and the franchise's first quarterback to win NFL MVP honors (McNair).
He took an established run game that featured Eddie George, built on it and developed a dangerous passing game over time. In Heimerdinger's first season at the controls in 2000, George posted a career-high 1,509 rushing yards and scored 14 rushing touchdowns. In each of his five initial seasons as offensive coordinator, Tennessee ranked in the top five in time of possession.
While leaning on the run game, Heimerdinger was developing McNair into an elite passer and yearly progress was evident in his passer rating. In the year prior to his arrival (1999), McNair posted a 78.6 passer rating while leading the team to an AFC Championship. In his first season with Heimerdinger, he improved to a then-career best 83.6 and started a yearly climb that culminated with his co-MVP season in 2003 with a 100.4 rating.
The wide receiver corps raised its play under Heimerdinger as the offense transitioned from one that focused on the tight end, to one that was more wide receiver driven. During his tenure with the team wide receivers Derrick Mason and Drew Bennett blossomed into terrific NFL receivers. Over the five years in Heimerdinger's offense, Mason went from a receiver who caught 33 passes in his first two seasons to a Pro Bowl receiver who averaged 81 receptions, 1,101 yards and seven touchdowns per season. He also became the first player in franchise history to record four consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 2001-04.