Is this the end of the road for Dick LeBeau?

The storied defensive coordinator will not to return with the Titans next season, a source told Jason Wolf of The Tennessean.

[font=sans-serif]The 80-year-old LeBeau was informed Monday that he would not be invited to join the staff of newly minted head coach Mike Vrabel, hired over the weekend to replace the departed Mike Mularkey.
[/font]
According to Wolf, a second source told the newspaper last week that LeBeau would "be comfortable retiring if it [didn't] work out in Tennessee."
[font=sans-serif]If so, the NFL waves farewell to one of its finest figures. With a career spanning 59 years as a Hall of Fame player and coach, LeBeau still ranks 10th all-time in interceptions following a stellar 14-year run as a defensive back with the Lions.[/font]

[font=sans-serif](Snip)[/font]

[font=sans-serif][font=sans-serif]As the innovator of the "zone blitz" defense, LeBeau has authored some of the league's nastiest and unpredictable schemes. Quarterbacks won't miss him, but if this is truly the end, LeBeau's stamp on the game is enduring.[/font][/font]

[font=sans-serif][font=sans-serif]https://amp.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000909364/article/dick-lebeau-reportedly-out-as-tennessee-titans-dc?networkId=4595&site=.news&zone=story&zoneUrl=url%3Dstory&zoneKeys=s1%3Dstory&env=&pageKeyValues=prtnr%3Daround-the-league%3Bteam%3Dten%3Bconf%3Dafc%3Bdvsn%3Dacs&p.ct=Around%20the%20NFL&p.adsm=false&p.tcm=%23fff&p.bgc1m=%230964bf&p.bgc2m=%23053a74&sr=amp[/font][/font]

---

Shame for him. Coaching probably kept him "young".

---

He should go replace Todd Haley. He's got 50 years experience confounding offenses, I'm sure he could turn around and abuse some defenses as well.

---

“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato

Hire him as a 'Defensive Consultant'

---

"Remember Red, Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies."  - Andy Dufresne, The Shawshank Redemption

Strange considering they had a pretty decent defense. Whatever. I love what the tacks are doing. And that's making terrible moves.

---

IT WAS ALWAYS THE JAGS

The funny thing is that the Steelers had a great defense in the 90's under LeBeau, then he went on to be the HC at Cinci and the Steelers defense sucked under TIm Lewis. LeBeau was fired from the bengals and returned as the Steelers DC and they rose to the top again. LaBeau then departed and the Steelers defense sucks again.

Hmmmmm .... think the Steelers should have held on to him ????

---

The funny thing is that the Steelers had a great defense in the 90's under LeBeau, then he went on to be the HC at Cinci and the Steelers defense sucked under TIm Lewis.  LeBeau was fired from the bengals and returned as the Steelers DC and they rose to the top again.  LaBeau then departed and the Steelers defense sucks again.

Hmmmmm .... think the Steelers should have held on to him ????

I'm just hoping that track record of "LeBeau leaves, defense sucks" holds true for Tennessee

---

IT WAS ALWAYS THE JAGS

Heeey!  We can say his name again!

It’s really unfortunate he doesn’t have an “L” in his name after the “B”.

---

Dick LeBeau is already in the HOF as a player. But if it was just his coaching career, I think he would warrant being in the HOF for that as well. If LeBeau still wants to coach, any team that hires him would benefit from his coaching wisdom.

---

Dick LeBeau is already in the HOF as a player.  But if it was just his coaching career,  I think he would warrant being in the HOF for that as well.   If LeBeau still wants to coach,  any team that hires him would benefit from his coaching wisdom.

I wonder how he failed in Cincy.

Was the ownership and FO THAT bad?!?

Anyway were there a coordinator category for the HOF, yes, he would be worthy of inclusion in the HOF.

That reminds me of Madden.

Madden could have been a HOF inductee for coaching, announcing, and for the Madden series.  He is in for coaching, I know.  But man what a contributor to the game of football.

---

 

Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

Dick LeBeau is already in the HOF as a player.  But if it was just his coaching career,  I think he would warrant being in the HOF for that as well.   If LeBeau still wants to coach,  any team that hires him would benefit from his coaching wisdom.

I wonder how he failed in Cincy.

Was the ownership and FO THAT bad?!?

Anyway were there a coordinator category for the HOF, yes, he would be worthy of inclusion in the HOF.

That reminds me of Madden.

Madden could have been a HOF inductee for coaching, announcing, and for the Madden series.  He is in for coaching, I know.  But man what a contributor to the game of football.

Probably partly on Cincy's front office being that bad, but also part of the fact that some Coaches are simply just great Coordinators, and not so much Head Coaches. Sometimes it just doesn't translate.

---

I wonder how he failed in Cincy.

Was the ownership and FO THAT bad?!?

Anyway were there a coordinator category for the HOF, yes, he would be worthy of inclusion in the HOF.

That reminds me of Madden.

Madden could have been a HOF inductee for coaching, announcing, and for the Madden series.  He is in for coaching, I know.  But man what a contributor to the game of football.

Probably partly on Cincy's front office being that bad, but also part of the fact that some Coaches are simply just great Coordinators, and not so much Head Coaches. Sometimes it just doesn't translate.

Absolutely right!

Dave Wannstedt and Norv Turner are classic examples of this.

---

 

Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

Dick LeBeau is already in the HOF as a player.  But if it was just his coaching career,  I think he would warrant being in the HOF for that as well.   If LeBeau still wants to coach,  any team that hires him would benefit from his coaching wisdom.

I wonder how he failed in Cincy.

Was the ownership and FO THAT bad?!?

Anyway were there a coordinator category for the HOF, yes, he would be worthy of inclusion in the HOF.

That reminds me of Madden.

Madden could have been a HOF inductee for coaching, announcing, and for the Madden series.  He is in for coaching, I know.  But man what a contributor to the game of football.

Great analogy with the Dick LeBeau / John Madden comparison.    Both contributed to the game of football well beyond the category  ( LeBeau as a CB with the Lions.  Madden as the Raiders HC ) that led to them being inducted into the HOF.

Being that Dick LeBeau only had 2 seasons as a HC,  with a franchise that was in a long stretch of bottom basement football,  I would have liked to have seen if he could have produced better results in a better situation.   Norv Turner was fortunate to have the opportunity to be a NFL HC with 3 different teams.  He clearly is a much better Assistant Coach than a HC.   With LeBeau,  it seems less conclusive because of the opportunity / situation factors.

---