Tom Coughlin wants his players to excel -- as long as they're following his orders.

Tom Coughlin likes to yell. Mike Maser, the Jacksonville offensive line coach, also likes to yell. So does defensive coordinator Dom Capers. And special teams coach Frank Gansz. In fact, Gansz likes yelling so much, he uses a bullhorn to make his point. I discovered all this at the Jaguars training camp this summer. It was hard to hear yourself think. And maybe that's the point. Coughlin doesn't want his players to think. He wants them to follow.

Coughlin wants his players to follow because he doesn't believe they always have as much invested in winning as he does. He takes their mistakes personally. After last week's 15-10 loss to Baltimore, in which the Jags lost three fumbles, Coughlin said, "to see a team that I coach have such callous disregard for the ball, just tears away at the heart."

Damn, Tom. You think your guys aren't hurting as much as you are? You think a team that finished 14-2 last season enjoys getting blown out by the Colts one week, then losing in prime time the next? It's a players' game too. Coughlin has the players. He just doesn't trust them.

Check out what Coughlin said about LB Hardy Nickerson: "He's great. He does everything we ask him to." Nickerson is a 14-year veteran, and one of the league's most respected players. He was hugely responsible for Tampa Bay's rise to respectability. The Bucs are still reeling from losing one of their leaders. But what matters most to Coughlin? Not that Nickerson makes plays or is the perfect leader for the younger players. Nope. Nickerson follows orders. It's no wonder the players are lost. It's not their team, it's Coughlin's.

Maybe that's why Monday night's opponent, division rival Tennessee, was able to lay the smack down on the Jags three times last year. They're coached by a guy who allows his players to be men.

At Tennessee's training camp, I heard some yelling. But not as much, and not from head coach Jeff Fisher. He leaves the yelling to his players. Guys like Eddie George, Blaine Bishop and Brad Hopkins take the initiative when things aren't going well. Fisher doesn't want his players to follow him -- he wants them to lead one another. So far, it's worked. After losing WR Kevin Dyson for the season and watching Steve McNair go down with a bruised sternum, the Titans are willing themselves into the team that advanced to last year's Show.

After halftime on Monday, when the Titans gather on their sideline, Fisher won't be standing amid the throng of players. He'll be off to the side somewhere while one of the Titans -- probably George -- will address his team. Fisher likes it that way. He says it "brings a team back into focus."

Fisher does not need to add his own fire and brimstone. He's a professional. Coughlin, on the other hand, is still in college.

Alan Grant covers the NFL for ESPN The Magazine.