Jeff Fisher leaves USFL coaching job
Effectively immediately, Jeff Fisher leaves the USFL coaching job with the Michigan Panthers. Former 49er head coach Mike Nolan will take over for the Panthers.
1st season with the Panthers
Fisher finishes his one season with a 2-8 record. He served also as the General Manager for the Panthers. His main QB was Paxton Lynch, a University of Memphis standout and a former first-round pick of John Elway, for the Denver Broncos.
After a hopeful start and high expectations, the Panthers saw difficulties very soon. Fisher got off to a rough start, 1-3, and was criticized heavily for some late-game decisions.
Jeff Fisher, next stop unknown
As the distance from his 2011 firing has increased, Jeff Fisher’s connection to the TN Titans has grown. He coached against his former player (and now college coach) Eddie George in the NFL PA college all-star game.
This game happened in the Rose Bowl this past weekend. Coach Fisher had high praise for one of his players, QB Sean Clifford of Penn State, to the NFL network this weekend.
Jeff Fisher has spoken in glowing terms of the new GM ( my article here ) of the Titans, Ran Carthon. His radio interview with radio is linked below.
Whether Fisher is stepping back from coaching totally, or has another position currently set is not clear.
Mike Nolan, upcoming season for Michigan Panthers
Mike Nolan brings 30 years of coaching experience to the Michigan Panthers. He is a former head coach of the San Francisco. He most recently was the defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys in 2020. This is not a reclamation project but certainly there have been better situations to step into as a head coach
Mike Nolan, what to expect
He has been described as a football “lifer”. (h/t to excellent article in “Philly Magazine”) His father was a coach, but Mike Nolan had the unfortunate task to coach shortly after coach Bill Walsh in San Fransisco. His record there was 18-37. His focus on the defensive side of the ball was when he was the defensive coordinator for New Orleans until 2017. Nolan was impressive enough to be picked up by the Dallas Cowboys as defensive coordinator, where he was until after the 2020 season.
Stay tuned to this space for updates on the USFL scene, my twitter updates @ajayxemem, or a former USFL article here.
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