Ken Whisenhunt

Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt has no regrets about turning down the Lions last offseason.

(AP Photo)

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Detroit Lions wanted Ken Whisenhunt to be their next coach. They gassed up a plane to go get him in San Diego the day after his season ended.

But that plane never took off.

Whisenhunt instead chose to become coach of the Tennessee Titans. And that's no sweat off the Lions' back.

They went 11-5 in their first season under Jim Caldwell, and if they can re-sign Ndamukong Suh, could be gearing up for another run at the playoffs.

As for the Titans? They went 2-14 last year, and seem a long way from turning that thing around.

Whisenhunt is stuck in the middle of a total rebuild. He could have been at the helm of a playoff-bound franchise. But he says he has no regrets about turning away Detroit.

"It wasn't difficult (to see their success)," Whisenhunt said last week at the NFL combine. "I'm a huge fan of Martin Mayhew and a lot of guys in that organization. There's a lot of guys on that staff. Coach Caldwell, I'm a big fan of his, so I was excited for them and for their organization."

It was something of a surprise when Whisenhunt rebuffed Detroit's advances. His best years as a head coach have come with a franchise quarterback in place, while his worst have come when he had uncertainty at the position.

The Lions have a franchise quarterback in Matthew Stafford. And the Titans, with Jake Locker and Charlie Whitehurst and Zach Mettenberger each starting at least five games last year, and none winning more than one game, do not.

There were some who took Whisenhunt's decision as an indictment of Stafford's game, though he was complementary of the 26-year-old quarterback when asked about him at the combine.

"It's hard for me to talk a lot about players that are on other teams, but from what I saw from him as an opponent -- as a guy through the league -- he's a good football player," Whisenhunt said. "He does a lot of good things."

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