Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams is being advised by senior management to part ways with quarterback Vince Young, a league source said Tuesday, but the decision remains his entirely.
Adams has yet to make a decision on keeping coach Jeff Fisher, but Adams has been made aware of the fact that Fisher will not stay if Young remains on the team.
Adams met Monday morning with general manager Mike Reinfeldt and senior executive vice president Steve Underwood in Houston as Fisher wrapped up physicals and held a team meeting in Nashville. More meetings are expected the next few days.
"I will make the decisions that I feel are in the best interest of the team," Adams said in a statement released just before Fisher spoke to reporters Monday. "I do understand the time element involved and would expect to make these decisions in the near future."
Sources also told NFL Network reporter Albert Breer that Reinfeldt and Underwood were likely to back Fisher.
Fisher said Tuesday night on his weekly radio show that talks are ongoing in what he calls a complicated process.
"We didn't anticipate coming to any decisions or conclusions or solutions, if you will, today," Fisher said at the start of his show. "Talks have been ongoing. As I said yesterday, it's a process. It's a complicated process, and there's a lot of moving parts. We're all trusting that collectively we'll arrive at the best decision."
Fisher has one year remaining on his contract, and he does not believe he can win with Young on his team, according to sources close to the coach. And Fisher "has the right within his contract to play whomever he wants," according to a source. So Fisher has no intention of relenting on the quarterback issue whenever he meets with Adams.
Adams has been advised in the past against keeping Young and has remained staunchly loyal to the 2006 first-round pick, so Titans sources are doubtful much will change now.
Adams, who lives in and spends much of his time in Houston, has a disconnect at times with what is going on in Nashville behind the scenes. So although Fisher has said repeatedly and publicly that he wants to stay in Nashville, and that is true, he is prepared to move on over the Young impasse.
Ultimately, Fisher could end up doing a year in broadcasting or work out a financial arrangement to get out of his contract when this comes to a head. Fisher is the longest-tenured coach in the NFL, by far, at 16 years.
Young, 27, finished with the best passer rating of his career (98.6), but his season ended after when he sustained a thumb injury and subsequently had a heated locker room confrontation with Fisher in Week 11.
That prompted Fisher to say there would be a quarterback change -- regardless of the reason.
After not playing most of the second half and overtime of a loss to the Washington Redskins -- Young threw the ball on the sideline and took snaps from under center and in the shotgun formation and behaved as if he wanted to return to action -- Young removed his shoulder pads and jersey while leaving the field after the final whistle.
Young, a captain and two-time Pro Bowl selection, threw the jersey and shoulder pads into the stands on his way to the locker room. Witnesses verified that police or stadium personnel had to retrieve Young's gear.
While talks continue with the top executives, Fisher met with his assistants and started player evaluations Tuesday. He said some players still are being evaluated for possible surgeries.
Fisher also addressed the hit on long snapper Ken Amato by Colts linebacker Gary Brackett at the end of the first half of the Titans' 23-20 loss Sunday to Indianapolis. Fisher wouldn't share what he told NFL officials, but he said the NFL has a great example to make a point with punishment of a hit he called "100 percent unnecessary."
"It was probably one of the most vicious hits that I've ever seen, and then to come in (Monday) morning and have the equipment guys bring his helmet to me, and the helmet was cracked. You can imagine the impact," Fisher said.
Brackett was called for an illegal blindside block on Amato as Brackett ran toward the Colts' goal line and hit the long snapper from the side in springing Antoine Bethea for a return off a missed field goal. Brackett has been fined twice this season for illegal hits, and a third could include a suspension.
Indianapolis coach Jim Caldwell said Monday the Colts would appeal if Brackett were suspended, with the Jets visiting Saturday night for a wild-card game.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
