NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Plenty of departed players and coaches return to a city and a stadium where they used to work.

That's Saturday night's scenario for San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. He returns to Nissan Stadium, where he coached the Tennessee Titans to a 3-20 record in 2014-15 before he was fired.

"It will be tough coming back," said Whisenhunt, who will be on the Chargers' sideline instead of in the coaching booth. "I love the city and the fans, who were always very good to me. It's ironic that last time I was there as a visitor was with the Chargers. I am grateful for my time there.

Ken Whisenhunt's 3-20 tenure at Tennessee did produce a likely long-term answer at quarterback in Marcus Mariota. AP Photo/Mark Humphrey

"I am especially thankful for our players and my staff. I am disappointed that we didn't win enough games but the players worked and played hard for me and I couldn't have asked for more."

Whisenhunt had a shaky ownership situation and a weak roster as the result of a poor job by former Titans general manager Ruston Webster. But he stubbornly didn't do enough to protect his quarterbacks or alter his scheme to fit his personnel, and plenty of people on the team and in the organization didn't feel he took his fair share of the blame.

The fundamental flaw to his term came hand-in-hand with Webster, who's contract was allowed to expire after the 2015 season. They could never answer a question about the identity that they sought for the team. Each talked about how they wanted versatility, but that is a characteristic, not an identity.

There was one huge positive development for the franchise out of the Whisenhunt-Webster partnership, however.

While Marcus Mariota wasn't asked to play from the pocket during his time at Oregon, they saw that it wasn't because he couldn't. They made him the second overall pick in the 2015 draft and set the team up with a quarterback who looks like he can be the long-term future of the franchise.

"It'll be different," Mariota said of seeing his first coach as a member of the Chargers. "Honestly, I am looking forward to it. I have a lot of respect for the man. He really gave me this opportunity. So nothing but good words, and I look forward to seeing him."