The NFL is a “what have you done for me lately” league when it comes to the status of a franchise’s Head Coaching position. Teams want to win now and when that doesn’t occur, the fall guy usually tends to be the man calling the shots on the sideline each Sunday. Gone this year are four Super Bowl winning coaches: Mike Holmgren (Seahawks), Tony Dungy (Colts), Jon Gruden (Buccaneers) and Mike Shanahan (Broncos).In 2009, there will be 9 new NFL head coaches, plus 2 promoted interim coaches, for a total of 11 new hires taking the reins. That is over 1/3 of the entire 32 team league, setting an NFL record.
To put this in perspective, Jeff Fisher (Titans) has been with his team since the 1994 season, longer than any other current head coach. Only 3 coaches have led their team to a Super Bowl victory: Bill Belichick (Patriots), Tom Coughlin (Giants) and Mike Tomlin (Steelers). Five head coaches have won the AP Coach of the Year Award: Bill Belichick (Patriots), Sean Payton (Saints), Andy Reid (Eagles), Lovie Smith (Bears) and Mike Smith (Falcons).
2008 new head coaches John Harbaugh (Ravens) and Mike Smith (Falcons) have raised the bar for the 11 new coaches after directing their teams to 11-5 records and making the playoffs last year.
Let’s take a look at how each of the new Head Coaches have fared so far this off-season:
Jim Schwartz (Detroit Lions): It won’t be hard to improve on a 0-16 record, but Schwartz’s biggest obstacle will be to change the entire culture of the Lions franchise. New Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan has had previous success with QB Daunte Culpepper in Minnesota (2002-2004). Free Agents CB Phillip Buchanon (Buccaneers), RB Maurice Morris (Seahawks) and WR Bryant Johnson (49ers) should add some depth. The real question is what do the Lions do with the 1st overall pick in the NFL draft? Out of all the new coaches, Schwartz has the most potential come draft day with two 1st round selections (Picks 1 and 20).
Steve Spagnuolo (St. Louis Rams): Spagnuolo was a hot head coaching candidate a year ago after leading the New York Giants defense to a Super Bowl victory. A year later he inherits a struggling young Rams team that is inconsistent when it comes to their on-the-field identity and play. Already Spagnuolo has been cleaning house of veterans by releasing QB Trent Green, WR Drew Bennett, SS Corey Chavous and OT Orlando Pace. Fan favorite WR Torry Holt looks to be the next on the chopping block. Pat Shurmur will take over the offensive coordinating duties with Ken Flajole orchestrating the defense. With the #2 overall pick in the NFL Draft, look for the Rams to select an OT to fill the void left by Pace.
Todd Haley (Kansas City Chiefs): It has been a whirlwind last month for the Chiefs new coach. Hot after directing the Arizona Cardinals offense in Super Bowl XLIII, Haley lands in Kansas City and acquires potential franchise QB Matt Cassel and veteran LB Mike Vrabel from the New England Patriots. Yet the biggest acquisition from NE may in fact be new General Manager Scott Pioli, one of the best talent evaluators in the NFL. Combine a young team with KC veterans RB Larry Johnson and TE Tony Gonzalez and the Chiefs are now a competitive threat in the AFC West. Look for the team to target LB Aaron Curry (Wake Forest) with the #3 overall pick in the draft.
Jim Mora Jr. (Seattle Seahawks): Mora has been groomed for this position over the past two years serving as Assistant Head Coach/Secondary Coach to recently retired HC Mike Holmgren. Mora is no rookie to the coaching game, having served for 3 seasons as Head Coach of the Atlanta Falcons (2004-2006) and leading that team to a NFC Championship Game appearance. Mora Jr. brought back longtime partner offensive coordinator Greg Knapp to once again focus on a traditional West Coast Offense scheme led by new free agent WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (Bengals). This will be Casey Bradley’s first stint as a defensive coordinator after serving the past two seasons as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Linebackers coach. Seattle holds the 4th overall pick in the draft and could be eyeing QB Matt Stafford (Georgia) if he is still on the board.
Eric Mangini (Cleveland Browns): It didn’t take long for the recently fired Head Coach of the New York Jets to find a new home. After failing to make the playoffs last season with the Jets, Mangini takes over a young, inexperienced and talented Browns team. His first order of business was to ship disgruntled Pro Bowl TE Kellon Winslow II to Tampa Bay and slowly start bringing over Jets free agent players such as DB Hank Poteat and DT C.J. Mosley. Heading into Training Camp, Mangini must also decide who starts at QB between Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson. On defense, new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan (Raiders) looks to instill an aggressive styled defense to compete against AFC North powerhouses such as Pittsburgh and Baltimore. With the 5th overall pick in the draft, expect a DE such as Brian Orakpo (Texas) to be a target.
Tom Cable (Oakland Raiders): After taking over as interim Head Coach from Lane Kiffin in 2008, Cable posted a 4-8 record with the Raiders. Owner Al Davis decided to stick with his guy and so far the players have seemed to respond well. They locked up Pro Bowlers CB Nnamdi Asomugha and P Shane Lechler. The Raiders have promised to go younger and build from within and they proved it by passing on WR Terrell Owens. Most of this offseason has been cutting ties with last year’s overrated free agents: OT Kwame Harris, DT William Joseph and WR Ashlie Lelie. With the 7th overall pick in the draft, look for the Raiders to target an OT or WR such as Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech) or Jeremy Macklin (Missouri).
Mike Singletary (San Francisco 49ers): This Hall of Fame Linebacker nicknamed “Samurai Mike” made plenty of headlines in 2008 with his passionate, emotional coaching style and on-camera feud with TE Vernon Davis. After taking over for Mike Nolan as Head Coach, Singletary earned the trust of his players and fans by posting a 5-4 record and leading a competitive team. This offseason, the team has stayed somewhat quiet in free agency despite flirting with QB Kurt Warner (Cardinals) and contemplating a reunion with WR Terrell Owens (Bills). The 49ers have a strong, young nucleus and will rally for their field commander Singletary in ‘09. QB’s Shaun Hill, Alex Smith and Damon Huard will battle for the starting position. With the 10th overall pick in the draft, expect whoever the best OT that is left on the board to be snatched up.
Josh McDaniels (Broncos): It has been a rocky start for the youngest head coach in the NFL. The Broncos have signed a “who’s-who” list of free agents including FS Brian Dawkins (Eagles), RB Correll Buckhalter (Eagles), Andra Davis (Browns), Chris Simms (Titans), Jabar Gaffney (Patriots), etc. McDaniels may have already severed his relationship with Pro Bowl QB Jay Cutler with trade rumors and the defense is getting a complete makeover thanks to the “hybrid 3-4” loving defensive coordinator Mike Nolan (49ers). Denver will need to come up with an identity quickly to compete in the new and improved AFC West division. With the 12th pick in the draft, look for the Broncos to target a Linebacker, possibly one of the three choices from USC.
Rex Ryan (New York Jets): After leading the Baltimore Ravens to the AFC Championship, Ryan heads to New Jersey along with LB Bart Scott (Ravens) to take over the Brett Favre-less New York Jets. Known for his stellar defensive schemes, Jets fans are desperate for a team that can challenge in the AFC East. While losing a player like WR Laveranues Coles (Bengals) stings, but adding FS Jim Leonhard (Ravens) to the secondary helps. Rumors are the Jets could be looking at QB Mark Sanchez (USC) with the 17th overall pick or a burning fast WR.
Raheem Morris (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): It’s safe to say that no one saw Morris stepping into the Head Coaches seat this season. Originally signed as the team’s new defensive coordinator, Morris was promoted to the HC position without even a game played. His first order of business was a complete overhaul of veteran players that led the team to a 9-7 record in 2008 and short of the playoffs. Gone are QB Jeff Garcia, WR Joey Galloway, LB Derrick Brooks, WR Ike Hillard, RB Warrick Dunn and LB Cato June. The team will build around newly signed RB Derrick Ward (Giants) and TE Kellen Winslow II (Browns). Morris will have big shoes to fill succeeding Super Bowl winning head coach Jon Gruden, but players seemed to have embraced the change. With the 19th overall pick in the draft, look for the Buccs to target either DE Robert Ayers (Tennessee) or DT Peria Jerry (Ole Miss).
Jim Caldwell (Indianapolis Colts): If you have to take over an NFL franchise, it’s always nice knowing that future Hall of Fame QB Peyton Manning is leading your team. After serving the past 7 seasons as the Colts QB Coach, Caldwell will make the easiest transition among all of the new Head Coaches. Look for this to be an extension of the Tony Dungy era as the Colts continue to be a dominate force in the NFL. Despite losing another future Hall of Fame player in WR Marvin Harrison, the Colts have stayed pretty quiet this offseason. The biggest obstacle for them in 2009 will be to keep their players healthy in order to compete on a week by week basis. With the 27th overall pick in the draft, don’t be surprised if Indy takes the best WR on the board such Darius Heyward-Bey (Martyland) or Percy Harvin (Florida).
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