Jim Wyatt

USA TODAY Sports

The Titans couldn't make up their mind about Mike Munchak as the curtain came down on the 2013 season, but their once-happy marriage ended with an awkward split a week later.

In the search for his replacement, the Titans showed no such hesitancy.

In hiring former San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt on Monday, the Titans displayed an aggressive approach that not only got the attention of beleaguered fans in Nashville, but NFL observers across the country as well.

Whisenhunt becomes the 17th head coach in franchise history. He was considered the best candidate remaining as the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns were also in the market for new head coaches.

The Titans knew landing him wouldn't be easy, however. After interviewing Whisenhunt in San Diego on Friday, Titans general manager Ruston Webster and president/CEO Tommy Smith had to move swiftly.

The 51-year-old former Arizona Cardinals head coach had also interviewed with the Lions and Browns. The Titans knew the odds were against them considering the Lions – a team with an established quarterback and numerous offensive weapons -- had long been considered the favorite to land Whisenhunt.

Webster traveled to Houston to meet with Smith on Monday, when they also conducted a second interview with Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. The Titans had also contemplated waiting to interview Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, but because the Seahawks are still in the playoffs there could have been a significant wait to talk to him.

With the Lions ready to send their private plane to San Diego to pick up Whisenhunt -- who was free to take another job after the Chargers lost to the Denver Broncos in the playoffs on Sunday – the Titans made their move. They negotiated a contract with Whisenhunt's agent, Jimmy Sexton, and sealed the deal.

The hope is that Whisenhunt can improve the Titans almost as quickly. They finished 7-9 last season, are 36-44 over the past five seasons and haven't won a playoff game since the 2003 season. Munchak was 22-26 in his three seasons as head coach.

"The Titans did a really good job here," Sports Illustrated NFL writer Peter King said. "I am with so many other people who thought that Ken Whisenhunt was signed, sealed and delivered to the Detroit Lions. So for the Titans to step in like this and land him, it's big. …

"In the wake of the sort of messed-up firing and negotiations with Mike Munchak, you wondered 'does this team really know what it's doing?' Well, this team wanted Ken Whisenhunt and they went out and got him. … My hat is off to Ruston Webster."

Whisenhunt is scheduled to be introduced at a press conference at Saint Thomas Sports Park on Tuesday. Webster and Smith are also expected to be on hand following a nine-day coaching search that included interviews with Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden and Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell. The Washington Redskins hired Gruden last week.

Whisenhunt spent six seasons as head coach of the Cardinals, who fired him after the 2012 season.

"This is a big day for this franchise," Smith said in a statement. "Ken is a well-respected coach in this league and I am looking forward to seeing his vision become reality for this team. He has a history of building successful offenses and took Arizona to a Super Bowl as a head coach. We all share a common goal for this team and that is to build a consistent winner."

Webster told Smith how impressed he was with Whisenhunt and the vision they shared.

"I have a lot of respect for Ken as a coach and as an offensive mind," Webster said in a statement. "The traits that stand out to me when identifying him as our next coach – he is intelligent, has a track record with quality offenses and head coaching success. I really enjoyed our meeting on Friday night in San Diego and we share similar philosophies about the game.

"Additionally, we have several mutual colleagues that have spoken highly to me about Ken both as a coach and as a person. I am excited about Ken joining us and the future of the Titans."

Whisenhunt is charged with jumpstarting a team and a fan base that's been dragging of late. Interest in the Titans has dwindled the past two seasons, with swaths of empty seats becoming the norm at LP Field.

Under Munchak the Titans were 3-20 against teams that finished with winning records. They won just six of 18 games against AFC South opponents.

The Titans believe Whisenhunt's experience and offensive imagination will result in a turnaround.

He has 17 seasons of NFL coaching experience, including the six years (2007-12) as head coach of the Cardinals. He posted a 45-51 record in six seasons, taking them to Super Bowl XLIII after a 12-win season in 2008.

He led them to back-to-back NFC West titles in 2008 (9-7 record) and 2009 (10-6), but was fired after the Cardinals failed to make the playoffs from 2010-12.

He landed with the Chargers, whose offense jumped from 31st to 5th in the NFL.

Whisenhunt has a Nashville connection: he was a special teams and tight ends coach at Vanderbilt in 1995-96.

"Players will love him. He's a great head coach," said former Tennessee State star Dominique Rodgers-Cromaritie, who played under Whisenhunt with the Cardinals from 2008-10. "He's a guy that played the game, and understands the game. Any time you have a coach who has played the game it tends to work out better for the players.

"He goes off cool and calm, but at the end of the day he lets us go about our business as men. That's the thing I like about him. He's not a coach that's going to yell at you a whole lot. He knows what to do to get the job done. If you ask me, he's a great leader. The Titans are lucky to get him."

One of Whisenhunt's biggest projects will be quarterback Jake Locker, who is headed into the final year of his contract. The 2011 first-round pick has missed 14 of 32 potential starts over the past two seasons because of injuries.

Whisenhunt has experience with younger quarterbacks, however. As offensive coordinator with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he helped with the development of Ben Roethlisberger during his first two NFL seasons. He's also worked with veteran quarterbacks Kurt Warner and Philip Rivers.

"I've heard a lot of good things about him as far as the offense. I know he had some good results in Pittsburgh and also with the Cardinals," Titans center Brian Schwenke said. "Just watching the Chargers offensively this year, they really did a good job. So it's an interesting time and I'm excited."

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Wyatt also writes for The Tennessean, a Gannett property.