Starting over can be difficult - especially after a 1-9 start.
But that was Jeff Fisher's response on Monday after signing a three-year contract to coach the Houston Oilers. He replaces Jack Pardee, fired by owner Bud Adams after Sunday's 34-31 loss to Cincinnati."We are 0-0; the 1995 season starts this afternoon," Fisher said. "I can assure you from the kickoff against the New York Giants (Monday night) until the last play against the Jets on Dec. 24, this team will play as if they are going for the home field advantage."
Adams also fired assistant head coach Kevin Gilbride, leaving offensive coordinator Dick Coury to game-day play-calling duties.
Any hopes Pardee had of lasting the season ended with Doug Pelfrey's field goal as time expired Sunday at Riverfront Stadium. The loss was the sixth straight for the Oilers, assuring their first sub-.500 season since 1986.
Pardee was praised for his firm leadership last year when the Oilers won 11 straight games for a 12-4 record. But that all eroded as the losses mounted this season.
Adams said earlier he would not make a coaching change in the middle of the season. Monday, he changed his mind.
"Contrary to what was said earlier, when you are 1-9 and have a lot of talent, they should be put to work to get the most out of them," Adams said. "He'll do a great job for us. It will give him an opportunity to have command of the troops for the remaining six games."
Under Fisher, the Houston defense ranks third in the AFC and eighth in the NFL.
Adams and general manager Floyd Reese made the decision Sunday night. "We came to the decision that now was the time to make the move," Adams said. "We felt we had the man on board to be the Houston Oilers' head coach for years to come."
Fisher will continue as defensive coordinator. He'll consult with Coury during the week about offensive strategy but mostly allow the coordinator a free hand on game day.
"I'll only call the touchdown plays," Fisher said.
Fisher was named defensive coordinator in February, replacing Buddy Ryan, who resigned to become head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
Fisher was a cornerback with the Bears when Ryan was a defensive coach there. He also was on Ryan's staff at Philadelphia and coached with the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers.
He's called a players' coach by the players.
"I think honesty is the No. 1 thing," Fisher said. "You have to be able to look a player in the eye and tell him if he's not playing. Second you have to teach.
"I think I know how to teach. You have to know which buttons to push. You treat them all the same but push the right buttons."
The Oilers made the playoffs in all four seasons Pardee was their coach, and their seven-year postseason run was the longest current streak in the NFL. But they but won just one postseason game in the Pardee era.
Included in the losses was a historic 41-38 loss at Buffalo two seasons ago. Trailing by 32 points in the third quarter, the Bills fought back and won the game in overtime for the greatest comeback in league history.
The Oilers were hurt more by salary cap losses than anticipated.
Defensive linemen William Fuller and Sean Jones became free agents and fled elsewhere. The Oliers also could not reach a new deal with Warren Moon, who went to Minnesota for a fourth-round draft pick. All three were Pro Bowl players a year ago. The Oilers also lost punter Greg Montgomery, another Pro Bowler.
"How do you cut $12 million off the budget and get better at the same time?" Pardee asked. "In reality, that's what happened."
Pardee and Gilbride were architects of Houston's run-and-shoot, which piled up huge offensive statistics in previous years but floundered with Moon gone.
Cody Carlson, who waited seven years to replace Moon, didn't last through the season opener and has been injury-prone throughout 1994. Bucky Richardson and Billy Joe Tolliver also have taken turns at the starting job.
It didn't take Fisher long to start making decisions. He named Tolliver as the starter and promoted Lorenzo White to starting running back for Monday night's game against New York.