During his 12 seasons as defensive line coach for the Titans, Jim Washburn often raised the level of his voice while raising the play of his linemen.
On the day Washburn left to take a similar job with the Eagles, one former pupil said he knows what some young Titans defensive linemen are thinking.
"I guarantee you some of them are saying to themselves, 'Gosh, I'm glad that (expletive) is gone.' Because I felt the same way when I was a young guy with him,'' Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth said. "My rookie year he was on my butt, cussing me out. I couldn't even look up and see sunshine, he was on me so much.''
The Titans suddenly know how Haynesworth felt when Washburn was so volcanic. Not only do they lose one of the NFL's best position coaches, their best defensive lineman this season could follow Washburn to Philadelphia, and Coach Jeff Fisher faces another challenge in what already has been a trying offseason.
Fisher is expected to look outside his current staff for a new defensive line coach. Yet with his own stability in question beyond the 2011 season, it seems unlikely he will be able lure one the caliber of Washburn, who in 12 years coached five players to 10 Pro Bowl appearances.
Those young Titans who cringed when Washburn unleashed his profanity-laced roars won't realize what they had until later, said Haynesworth, who landed a $100 million contract with the Redskins after two All-Pro seasons under the veteran assistant.
"I owe Coach Wash pretty much everything. If my deal was $100 million or whatever, then Washburn deserves $90 million,'' Haynesworth said. "I have the talent, but he taught me how to let it loose. As a player, once you can get through the (colorful language), get down to the core of what he is saying, the information is more valuable than gold. He's a great coach, a great teacher. The Titans should have paid a lot of money to keep him from leaving.''
Fisher couldn't convince Washburn to stay, however.
Inside Baptist Sports Park the 61-year-old coach had made it known he would be looking for another job because he wanted more long-term security and was dissatisfied with some facets of the Titans' defense.
