By John Glennon The Tennessean
Titans Coach Mike Munchak filled one big staff opening on Monday, adding former Cowboys secondary/safeties coach Brett Maxie as the new secondary coach.
He doesn't expect much more in the way of turnover.
Munchak said he wouldn't be surprised if former Titans Coach Jeff Fisher, scheduled to be introduced Tuesday as the new coach of the Rams, was interested in taking some of his old Tennessee staff with him to St. Louis.
That doesn't mean Munchak will allow his assistants under contract to interview or leave, however. NFL teams are only required to allow contracted assistants to interview for open head-coaching jobs.
"I wouldn't blame him, because I think we have some coaches that would be good for a lot of staffs," Munchak said. "But ultimately, no, you're not going to want to give up someone who's a good football coach and working for you. That's how most staffs are. You're not going to see many coaches that are under contract get out of contract. That's just how it is."
The Titans last week denied the Bears permission to interview quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains for a similar position.
"It's just how business is done," said Munchak, who was not specifically referring to Loggains.
Maxie, meanwhile, will arrive at Baptist Sports Park this week to replace Marcus Robertson, who was fired.
Munchak had never met Maxie prior to interviewing him but was impressed by factors such as Maxie's 27 years of NFL experience as a player and coach, his ability to improve players that he's coached at different stops and the variety of defensive mentors he has worked under.
Maxie, 50, was undrafted coming out of college, but he played 13 seasons for the Saints, Falcons, Panthers and 49ers before retiring following the 1997 season.
He jumped into the coaching ranks immediately, and along the way he developed cornerback DeAngelo Hall into a Pro Bowler with the Redskins, helped the Dolphins to the fourth-best passing defense in 2007 and helped the 49ers secondary total 66 interceptions from 2001-03 -- third best in the league.
Maxie has worked under coordinators and coaches including Wade Phillips, Dom Capers, Jim Mora Jr. and Rob Ryan.
"Everywhere he's been, he's made a difference in the secondary," Munchak said. "His guys do a heck of a job with interceptions. And he's been around a lot of great defensive minds. He's a very impressive guy, and we think he'll be a great fit for our guys and our secondary and defensive staff."
Maxie spent the past four seasons with the Cowboys, concentrating on safeties, while fellow secondary coach Dave Campo worked more with the cornerbacks.
The Cowboys struggled against the pass in 2011, however, allowing 244 yards per game through the air in Rob Ryan's first year as defensive coordinator. Yet it was an improvement over 2010, and the Cowboys improved in overall defense from 23rd in 2010 to 14th in 2011.
"There's always going to be some challenges when there's a changing of the guard and a new system brought in, especially when you factor in not having an offseason and not having the OTAs and mini-camps to introduce the system," Maxie said. "But I thought, for the most part, our players really responded well. We made improvements in every category in defense -- scoring defense, giving up passing yards and overall defense."
Maxie said his strengths are attention to detail and getting the best out of his players.
"One of the things I pride myself on when I take on a new responsibility like this is seeking out the leaders of the group, trying to make sure we're on the same page and trying to encourage the younger players to follow our lead," Maxie said. "The players that have played with me in the past know they can count on me, and I'm going to try to earn the same respect of them, that I can always count on them."
The only remaining open coaching job left is the assistant secondary position.