DIFFERENT COACH TYPE TITANS' FISHER TENDS TO LEAD TEAM MORE LIKE AN NFL PLAYER.

Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer

Jeff Fisher is big on communication.

He's not one of those NFL coaches who is prone to made-for-TV sideline ranting and raving such as Jon Gruden. Nor does he sport the stoic look of a Mike Shanahan.

Fisher, the coach of the Tennessee Titans, is more inclined to embrace a player with a giddy bearhug, dole out a pat on the back or engage in a light conversation. He's the ultimate players' coach.

But he couldn't find the right words to express his disappointment after the Tennessee Titans lost 23-16 to the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV. Receiver Kevin Dyson was tackled at the 1-yard line as time expired.

Fisher, a former Taft High of Woodland Hills and USC standout, returned to Nashville dejected and hardly knew what to say or do.

``We'd just come back from the Super Bowl and we had a parade of about 60-70,000 people,'' Fisher said. ``Just as the parade was ending, I noticed a woman holding a sign that said, 'A setback is a setup for a comeback.'

``That stuck with me for the next couple of days. A week later, I got a letter saying that (phrase) was the title of a book. I read the book three times.''

Fisher, beginning his eighth season as Tennessee's coach - which is a rare longevity streak for the NFL - is headed on a comeback he hopes will land the Titans in the Super Bowl again. The Titans, 1-0 in the exhibition season, play host to the Oakland Raiders in a practice game today at 5 p.m. (PST).

``We're no different than anybody right now,'' Fisher said. ``We're undefeated.''

There's something about Fisher. He has a way about him. A way that has given him something that eludes most NFL coaches these days: job security. He has the second-longest tenure in the NFL, trailing only Pittsburgh's Bill Cowher.

Fisher was justifiably deflated following the Super Bowl loss in 2000. But that was hardly the worst he'd been through. Fisher coached the franchise when it was in Houston, where few cared and even fewer attended games.

Fisher went with the franchise to Tennessee, but the new stadium wasn't ready. Somehow, he withstood the debacle in Houston and made the Titans a success.

``Other than just being a natural athlete, he worked harder than anyone else that played any position,'' said Pat Skinner, Fisher's Pop Warner football coach in the San Fernando Valley. ``He was intense, but he always had a smile on his face. He was a team leader. He was all you could ask for. He's always got a smile on his face and on the sidelines during games, too.''

Fisher didn't have much to smile about last year as the injury-plagued Titans finished 7-9 and failed to make the playoffs. So he returned to his customary game plan.

``We have a philosophy based on trust and communication,'' Fisher said. ``I feel I understand what the players need. I try to do my best to communicate. It's your only chance to be successful. It helps when you have guys like the Steve McNairs and Eddie Georges.''

And it helps them to have a coach such as Fisher, who played in the NFL as a member of the Chicago Bears' secondary for five seasons. He's well-liked by players and front-office staff alike. When he's done roaming the sidelines, he's likely to remain in the NFL as an executive. He's been Tennessee's executive vice president for two years.

Former Chicago Bears quarterback Erik Kramer has got to know Fisher through their Southern California connection and from playing against him. They had a chance to chat again recently during Fisher's Valley Youth Conference Golf Tournament, which he hosts annually.

``He's a personable guy,'' Kramer said. ``He's been in the game long enough. He's a players' coach but not that he's been everybody's best friend either.''

Fisher said he learned from the best by working with communicators such as former USC coach John Robinson, whom Fisher calls the greatest communicator he's ever been around.

But when Fisher played for USC, he wasn't bad at it either. He went to the school with the intention of playing receiver, a position at which he was dominant at Taft. Coaches moved him to defensive back, a role Fisher accepted and in which he flourished.

He played in a secondary with Ronnie Lott, Joey Browner and Dennis Smith.

In 1980, the Trojans had a four-point lead against rival UCLA. Bruins quarterback Jay Schroeder threw a long pass and Fisher tipped the ball, but it went right into the hands of Freeman McNeil, who ran nearly 48 yards to win the game with just over two minutes left.

USC sports information director Tim Tessalone, then an assistant, drew the assignment of requesting Fisher's presence for the postgame interviews.

``It was a very difficult situation for anybody to have to talk about,'' Tessalone said. ``At the time, the Coliseum had dressing stalls and I go into his cubicle. He had his head down. He was upset and sad about what happened.

``I said, 'Hey, Jeff, you certainly don't have to do this, but all the media wants to talk to you. He pops his head up, looks me in the eyes and says, 'Yeah, let's go.' That told me all I needed to know about the guy and his character.''

Fisher, 44, is just the fifth coach in NFL history to post consecutive 13-win seasons. At 43, he already has 60 regular-season victories. His formula for success is simple: He's a people person.

``I've been fortunate in that I've been surrounded by good, quality people, talented people starting from the general manager to the equipment manager,'' Fisher said. ``That's how you establish a foundation for success.''

NFL EXHIBITION

Oakland at Tennessee

5 p.m. TV: ESPN 

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Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher has been heading his team for eight seasons, the second-longest active tenure in the NFL.

John Russell/Associated Press