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1 2009 Coaching & Philosophy Changes by Jason Wood The NFL is a demanding league, and the coaching carousel never stops spinning. This offseason was particularly tumultuous. Nine teams hired new head coaches, and two more Oakland and San Francisco removed the interim tags from 2008 midseason coaching replacements. Four teams replaced Super Bowl winning head coaches: Denver (Mike Shanahan), Indianapolis (Tony Dungy), Seattle (Mike Holmgren), and Tampa Bay (Jon Gruden). The Broncos looked outside the organization for Shanahan s replacement, but the other three teams promoted from within. Although the head coaching turnover is what grabs headlines, the changing landscape among assistant coaches remains vitally important to NFL fans and fantasy football owners. This year, an astounding 21 defensive coordinators were replaced; in one case, by the team s head coach (Wade Phillips in Dallas). That s clearly a sign of the times, as defenses struggle to keep up with explosive offenses the NFL rules committee seems to be so intent on producing. On the offensive side, 11 new coordinators are in place. Just remember, the smartest hires in February can look like the worst in December; and the guys everyone assumes will struggle are just as likely to emerge from the pack. Arizona Cardinals Head Coach: Ken Whisenhunt Offensive Coordinator: Russ Grimm & Mike Miller (replace Todd Haley) Defensive Coordinator: Bill Davis (replaces Clancy Pendergast) What to expect on offense: The Cardinals offense won t look much different this year under the watchful eyes of Russ Grimm and Mike Miller. Whisenhunt will call the plays on game day, and work closely with Grimm and Miller to game plan. Grimm, who has worked alongside Whisenhunt for a long time in Pittsburgh and Arizona, will serve as the run game coordinator. Miller, the WR coach last season, will be the passing game coordinator. Expect a renewed emphasis on the ground game. The team drafted Chris Beanie Wells in order to inject life and balance into the playcalling. What to expect on defense: Hopefully, improvement. The Cardinals made the Super Bowl last year despite allowing almost 27 points per game defensively. Clancy Pendergast was let go in favor of Bill Davis, the Cardinals linebackers coach. Although it s hard to argue change was warranted, it s unclear whether Davis will have more success. Davis struggled as the 49ers defensive coordinator before joining the Cardinals staff, and the Cardinals haven t done much to improve the defensive roster. Baltimore Ravens Head Coach: John Harbaugh Offensive Coordinator: Cam Cameron Defensive Coordinator: Greg Mattison (replaces Rex Ryan) What to expect on defense: Fans have to be nervous about the state of the Ravens vaunted defense. Rex Ryan, a fixture on the defensive staff since joining the team in 1999, has taken the Jets head coaching job, and brought a number of assistant coaches with him. The Ravens promoted linebackers coach Greg Mattison, a surprising move after just one season on the staff. Mattison has 36 years of collegiate coaching experience but had never coached in the NFL before last season. He and John Harbaugh coached together under Jack Harbaugh in the 80s, so there is a trust level there. Realistically, Mattison won t change much about the scheme; an aggressive 3-4 defensive front. He has enormous shoes to fill, but his cupboard is stocked with groceries. Carolina Panthers Head Coach: John Fox Offensive Coordinator: Jeff Davidson Defensive Coordinator: Ron Meeks (replaces Mike Trgovac) What to expect on defense: One of the more surprising coaching changes this offseason for a number of reasons. Mike Trgovac had been with Carolina for seven seasons, coming aboard with John Fox. Despite a late season defensive swoon, the Panthers offered Trgovac a contract extension but ultimately he opted to depart. Meeks steps in after his own seven-year stint in Indianapolis; where his defenses were known for being undersized but productive. Meeks will continue to run a 4-3 defensive front that emphasizes consistent pressure on the outside. It s less clear whether Meeks plans to implement the Cover-2 a hallmark of the Tony Dungy coaching tree that will depend on what Meeks sees from his players in camp. Cleveland Browns Head Coach: Eric Mangini (replaces Romeo Crennel) Offensive Coordinator: Brian Daboll (replaces Rob Chudzinski) Defensive Coordinator: Rob Ryan (replaces Mel Tucker) What to expect on offense: We know that the organization will run through Eric Mangini, and very little will be said by 14 FOOTBALLGUYS.COM

2 other coaches or the team s players to the media. That said, Mangini will let the offense run through Brian Daboll, who takes over the role of offensive coordinator for the first time in his NFL career. Daboll spent two seasons in NY as the QB coach and was the Patriots WR coach for five seasons before that. Daboll will implement a version of Charlie Weis pro-style offense, which figures to give Brady Quinn a leg up in the quarterback race. The hallmark of the Weis offense is diversity, and Daboll will want to bring an air of unpredictability to the playcalling. What to expect on defense: Mangini replaces Romeo Crennel in Cleveland just as he replaced Crennel as the Patriots defensive coordinator years ago. Mangini will be the architect of this defense and, schematically, it will look the same. Mangini is a devout disciple of the 3-4 defensive front and eschews exotic blitz packages. While Mangini will call the shots, Rob Ryan will have a heavy hand; he s too talented not to. Landing Rob Ryan is a coup for a defense that struggled under the old regime. Mangini wanted to hire Ryan to run the Jets defense in 2008, but the Raiders wouldn t let him out of his contract. Ryan outlasted three head coaches in Oakland, and is known for getting the most out of his players. Dallas Cowboys Head Coach: Wade Phillips Offensive Coordinator: Jason Garrett Defensive Coordinator: Wade Phillips (replaces Brian Stewart) What to expect on defense: Wade Phillips took over the playcalling from Brian Stewart last year and it became an easy decision to let the DC go this offseason. Interestingly, Jerry Jones opted not to hire a replacement, instead letting Phillips handle both roles. Being an NFL head coach is a daunting task, as is being the defensive play-caller. Needless to say, Phillips is going to have to rely heavily on his defensive assistants during the week to help game plan. Denver Broncos Head Coach: Josh McDaniels (replaces Mike Shanahan) Offensive Coordinator: Mike McCoy (replaces Rick Dennison) Defensive Coordinator: Mike Nolan (replaces Bob Slowik and Jim Bates) Josh McDaniels What to expect on offense: Make no mistake, the Broncos are trying to build Patriots West and owner Pat Bowlen is hoping Josh McDaniels can replicate the success of New England s offense. Whether McDaniels is up to the task remains to be seen, but he will need to prove that any QB can execute his system after trading Jay Cutler away. McDaniels will call an attacking style of offense that changes its looks to fit the opposing defenses each week. Offensive coordinator Mike McCoy comes over from Carolina where he served as the passing game coordinator and QB coach. About the only other certainty with the offense is that Knowshon Moreno, Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal should be important cogs. What to expect on defense: The Broncos were among the worst defenses in the league last year and are making sweeping changes, including moving from a 4-3 front to a 3-4 front. The Broncos were smart to land Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator. Nolan was inconsistent as the 49ers head coach but has vast experience as an NFL coordinator; serving as DC with the Giants, Jets, Redskins and Ravens. The Broncos will need to be patient, as their personnel isn t ideally suited for a 3-4 yet. Detroit Lions Head Coach: Jim Schwartz (replaces Rod Marinelli) Offensive Coordinator: Scott Linehan (replaces Jim Colletto) Defensive Coordinator: Gunther Cunningham (replaces Joe Barry) What to expect on offense: Jim Schwartz is a defensive minded coach and he s going to rely heavily on Scott Linehan to build the offense around first overall pick Matt Stafford. Linehan brings a wealth of experience to his new role, serving as the Rams head coach over the last three seasons and the offensive coordinator in Minnesota and Miami prior to that. He emphasizes a north-south approach and will transition the team away from the zone-blocking scheme utilized by the former coaches. In the passing game, Linehan believes in using multiple sets and taking shots downfield. Daunte Culpepper, who may start to open the season, enjoyed his most productive seasons in Minnesota with Linehan as his coach. What to expect on defense: Jim Schwartz will have a strong hand in rebuilding the 0-16 Lions defensively, but he ll rely on Gunther Cunningham to do the heavy lifting. Cunningham is a fiery guy, known for expletive-laden tirades as much as he is for his defensive schemes. Even though Cunningham is ICON SMI FREE DAILY FOOTBALLGUYS.COM 15

3 best remembered for his dual stints in Kansas City, it was his time in Tennessee coaching alongside Schwartz that landed him this job. Cunningham has promised an aggressive, blitzhappy defensive approach, and will look to use man coverage much more than he did in Kansas City under Herm Edwards. The defense will be built around the linebacking corps of Ernie Sims, Julian Peterson, Larry Foote and Jordan Dizon. Houston Texans Head Coach: Gary Kubiak Offensive Coordinator: Kyle Shanahan Defensive Coordinator: Frank Bush (replaces Richard Smith) What to expect on defense: The Texans fired Richard Smith after another uninspiring defensive campaign and promoted from within, naming Frank Bush to his first defensive coordinator post. Bush coached the defensive line the last two seasons and plans on using more deception, and running a lot of different blitzes out of the base 4-3 formation. In addition to adding wrinkles to the existing playbook, Bush has to integrate a number of projected new starters. He expects to put more players in the box to stop the run, and that will put pressure on the defensive backs to cover downfield. Bush also wants his defensive lineman to push upfield; he never wants them going sideways. Indianapolis Colts Head Coach: Jim Caldwell (replaces Tony Dungy) Offensive Coordinator: Clyde Christensen (replaces Tom Moore) Defensive Coordinator: Larry Coyer (replaces Ron Meeks) What to expect on offense: A seismic changeover occurred this offseason as HC Tony Dungy, OC Tom Moore and OL Coach Howard Mudd all retired. Dungy was the least surprising, and the Colts had his replacement formally in place. Jim Caldwell takes over the head reins, and Clyde Christensen will transition to OC following eight seasons as an offensive assistant. On one hand, Tom Moore was the only OC Peyton Manning s ever known, on the other hand, for years Manning has been taking three plays into the huddle and making the call himself. It s tough to say how the players will react to the loss of Dungy, Moore and Mudd, but don t underestimate the preparedness and resiliency of this veteran group. What to expect on defense: While the Colts defense had a reputation for giving up big chunks of yardage under former DC Ron Meeks, the fact remains that Meeks defenses were among the stingiest and most aggressive in the AFC under his watch. Regardless, Meeks opted out after Tony Dungy retired, and the Colts have brought in Larry Coyer as his replacement. Schematically, Coyer is cut from the same Cover-2 cloth that Dungy and Meeks are, but he had the tendency to blitz more while calling the defensive plays in Denver a few seasons ago. Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach: Jack Del Rio Offensive Coordinator: Dirk Koetter Defensive Coordinator: Mel Tucker (replaces Gregg Williams) What to expect on defense: When Mike Smith left to take the Falcons head coaching job, the Jaguars thought they had found the best replacement possible in Gregg Williams. While Williams has carved out an impressive career in a number of NFL stints, he simply wasn t a good fit with Jack Del Rio and the Jaguars. Mel Tucker joins the Jaguars staff from Cleveland, where he served as defensive coordinator last season and coached defensive backs from Tucker s inexperience, particularly in a 4-3 scheme signals that Jack Del Rio will be taking a more hands on approach this year. Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach: Todd Haley (replaces Herman Edwards) Offensive Coordinator: Chan Gailey Defensive Coordinator: Clancy Pendergast (replaces Gunther Cunningham) What to expect on offense: Todd Haley takes over for Herm Edwards fresh from a run to the Super Bowl as the Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator. Haley opted to retain Chan Gailey as offensive coordinator, signaling that he s serious about the holistic requirements of the head coaching position. Retaining Gailey doesn t mean the offense won t look different this year. The team traded for QB Matt Cassel, and you can be sure the Chiefs will throw the ball more than they did under Herman Edwards. It s unlikely the Chiefs have the offensive personnel to run the 3- and 4-WR sets Haley utilized in Arizona, but they should have a more effective rushing attack now that Larry Johnson is back in the team s good graces. What to expect on defense: The Chiefs are going to run a 3-4 front this year and drafted Tyson Jackson with the third overall pick to expedite the transition. The Chiefs don t have the linebackers in place to fully leverage the flexibility of a 3-4 defense, so expect Clancy Pendergast to play a relatively close to the vest scheme in his first season. Pendergast joins Haley from Arizona, where he served as defensive coordinator until being fired after the Super Bowl. Chiefs fans have a right to be skeptical about Pendergast s appointment, the Cardinals finished no better than 26th in points allowed over the last four seasons. New England Patriots Head Coach: Bill Belichick Offensive Coordinator: Vacant (no one replaces Josh McDaniels) Defensive Coordinator: Dean Pees What to expect on offense: For those who argue Josh McDaniels wasn t a product of Bill Belichick s system, the fact the Pats aren t going to hire a coordinator in his place should give them pause. Can you really be irreplaceable when the team doesn t bother to replace you? Offensively things won t change in New England regardless of who calls the plays. As long as Tom Brady is healthy, the Pats will have a potent offense. New Orleans Saints Head Coach: Sean Payton Offensive Coordinator: Pete Carmichael (replaces Doug Marrone) Defensive Coordinator: Gregg Williams (replaces Gary Gibbs) What to expect on offense: When Doug Marrone decided to accept the head coaching position at Syracuse University, the Saints wasted no time in promoting Pete Carmichael to offensive coordinator. Carmichael has been the team s QB coach the last three seasons and has an excellent working relationship with Drew Brees. Sean Payton will continue calling 16 FOOTBALLGUYS.COM

4 the plays, but Carmichael will be more involved in the gameplanning now. What to expect on defense: Payton s tenure has been characterized by explosive offenses paired with meandering defenses. Gregg Williams hopes to change that by bringing the most aggressive zone-blitzing scheme to the Big Easy. Williams has been defensive coordinator in Jacksonville, Tennessee and Washington and will be asked to get more out of the Saints front seven. Williams likes to use a lot of man coverage so he can blitz from all over the field, but the Saints defensive backs aren t particularly well suited to play on an island. New York Giants Head Coach: Tom Coughlin Offensive Coordinator: Kevin Gilbride Defensive Coordinator: Bill Sheridan (replaces Steve Spagnuolo) What to expect on defense: Giants fans knew this day was coming, but they hoped it wouldn t be so soon. Steve Spagnuolo, whose arrival in New York coincided with the team s return to elite status, has taken the head coaching job in St. Louis. The Giants opted to promote from within, naming linebackers coach Bill Sheridan to the post. Sheridan has enormous shoes to fill, but benefits from an absolutely stacked roster. His main job will be maintaining the status quo, while integrating new pieces like Michael Boley, Rocky Bernard and Chris Canty. New York Jets Head Coach: Rex Ryan (replaces Eric Mangini) Offensive Coordinator: Brian Schottenheimer Defensive Coordinator: Mike Pettine (replaces Bob Sutton) What to expect on offense: New head coach Rex Ryan is a defensive guy through and through, and he was impressed enough with incumbent OC Brian Schottenheimer to retain his services. Schottenheimer is a disciple of both the West Coast offense and the Air Coryell offense and leverages a power running attack to set up downfield passing. The biggest question for Schottenheimer is getting the team s young QBs ready to play, as either first rounder Mark Sanchez or inexperienced Kellen Clemens will be under center. What to expect on defense: One word aggression. Ryan s defenses in Baltimore were ferocious, combining unbridled aggression with world-class preparation and scouting. Even though Ryan s defenses look chaotic, it s actually the disciplined roles each man maintains that allow for such attacking play. The Jets will likely undergo a bit of a transition period, but this is a team loaded with quality defensive personnel. Plus, the additions of LB Bart Scott, S Jim Leonhard and CB Lito Sheppard will speed up the process. Mike Pettine will serve as Ryan s right hand man, just as he did in Baltimore coaching the outside linebackers. Oakland Raiders Head Coach: Tom Cable (replaces Lane Kiffin) Offensive Coordinator: Ted Tollner (replaces Greg Knapp) Defensive Coordinator: John Marshall (replaces Rob Ryan) What to expect on offense: The Raiders are going to play Al Davis style of ball, and he s going to put coaches in place to make sure of it. Tom Cable took over as interim head coach last year, and the team s play improved under his watch. An offensive line coach by nature, Cable will try to bring consistency and toughness to the zone-blocking scheme. He will call the plays but rely heavily on Passing Game Coordinator Ted Tollner and QB coach Paul Hackett for game-planning. Tollner, a journeyman coordinator if there ever was one, has experience in both the West Coast offense and the Air Coryell system. What to expect on defense: Rob Ryan outlasted three Raiders head coaches and has finally moved on to Cleveland as his contract had run out. John Marshall has big shoes to fill, but the Raiders defense ranked 24th and 26th in points allowed over the last two seasons. Marshall has nearly 30 years of NFL coaching experience, including stints as defensive coordinator in San Francisco, Carolina and Seattle. The Raiders will use a 4-3 defensive front under Marshall, and will play a read-andreact 2-gap system. San Diego Chargers Head Coach: Norv Turner Offensive Coordinator: Clarence Shelmon Defensive Coordinator: Ron Rivera (replaces Ted Cottrell) What to expect on defense: The Chargers fired Ted Cottrell last October and promoted LB coach Ron Rivera. Rivera had been a successful defensive coordinator in Chicago before wearing out his welcome by flirting with too many head coaching opportunities. Rivera is a versatile coach and acquitted himself well last year in a 3-4 scheme. But he prefers a 4-3 front and the Chargers are going to mix up their front seven looks this year to encompass Rivera s experience calling both schemes. San Francisco 49ers Head Coach: Mike Singletary (replaces Mike Nolan) Offensive Coordinator: Jimmy Raye (replaces Mike Martz) Defensive Coordinator: Greg Manusky What to expect on offense: Mike Singletary has far more notoriety for his achievements as a player than he does in his brief coaching career. Singletary is going to heavily rely on his assistants in his first full season as the 49ers head coach. Offensively, Jimmy Raye will call the shots. Raye is from the Coryell School, but he s much more conservative than Mike Martz. The good news is Raye has been an NFL offensive coordinator for six different teams. The bad news is he s lasted less than two seasons per stop. Raye s first order of business is choosing a quarterback - no easy feat with this roster. What to expect on defense: On the surface, not much has changed in San Francisco. Manusky was Mike Nolan s defensive coordinator and Singletary was a defensive assistant, too. So what s changed from this time last year? Nolan is gone and so is the propensity to play a complex hybrid system that morphs back and forth between 3- and 4-man fronts. Once Singletary took over last year, Manusky ditched the hybrid approach for a pure 3-4 and simplified the playbook. The result was a nearly 10-point improvement in points allowed. Expect more of the same in FREE DAILY FOOTBALLGUYS.COM 17

5 Seattle Seahawks Head Coach: Jim Mora (replaces Mike Holmgren) Offensive Coordinator: Greg Knapp (replaces Gil Haskell) Defensive Coordinator: Gus Bradley (replaces John Marshall) What to expect on offense: The Seahawks enjoyed a lot of success running a traditional West Coast offense, and that won t change under the new coaches. Greg Knapp has a long history of working with Jim Mora both were coordinators in San Francisco and then Knapp was Mora s OC in Atlanta. While Knapp continues to advocate a WCO passing attack, he developed an affinity for the zone-blocking scheme while in Atlanta and will implement the scheme in Seattle. He believes in using a committee of RBs and emphasizes offensive balance above all else. What to expect on defense: Gus Bradley is the latest in a long line of Monte Kiffin disciples to land a defensive coordinator position. Bradley coached the Bucs linebackers in and has been called a head coach in waiting by his mentor. Bradley will run a version of the Cover-2, just as his predecessor did, but expect the team to play a more aggressive 1-gap front than the 2-gap system Marshall advocated. Bradley also expects his defensive backs to play the QB and react rather than play the man. St. Louis Rams Head Coach: Steve Spagnuolo (replaces Scott Linehan) Offensive Coordinator: Pat Shurmur (replaces Al Saunders) Defensive Coordinator: Ken Flajole (replaces Jim Haslett) What to expect on offense: Steve Spagnuolo is a defensive-minded coach through and through, which means he ll rely heavily on his new OC Pat Shurmur to right an offense that ranked 30th in points scored last season. Shurmur worked with Spagnuolo in Philadelphia, where Shurmur has served as the Eagles QB coach for the last seven years. You can expect Shurmur to implement an offensive system evocative of the Eagles, but he ll try to attain more balance to take advantage of Steven Jackson, the team s best offensive weapon. Key to any improvement comes with rebuilding the offensive line and second overall pick Jason Smith needs to perform immediately. What to expect on defense: When Spagnuolo became the DC in New York after serving under Jim Johnson in Philadelphia, many wondered if he could replicate the Eagles success defensively. Not only was Spagnuolo an apt pupil, he overtook his mentor in many ways. A lot of coaches talk about attacking the opponent, but few follow through as aggressively as Spagnuolo did in New York. Now granted, he had the weapons in New York on the defensive line, but there s no question he ll turn the Rams into a blitz-happy unit in short order. Ken Flajole, a well respected defensive assistant in Carolina, will handle the DC duties. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach: Raheem Morris (replaces Jon Gruden) Offensive Coordinator: Jeff Jagodzinski (replaces Bill Muir) Defensive Coordinator: Jim Bates (replaces Monte Kiffin) What to expect on offense: Jeff Jagodzinski left his role as the Packers offensive coordinator for the head coaching position at Boston College. Two seasons later, he s back in the NFL after being fired by BC for interviewing with the New York Jets. It s no surprise that Jagodzinski landed on his feet in Tampa Bay, where he will be tasked with taking the Bucs offense in a new direction. Although Jagodzinski has roots in the West Coast offense, he pulls elements from a number of different schemes and is loathe to label his style of playcalling as WCO. He will emphasize a zone-blocking scheme and hopes to use the run to set up downfield passing off play action. What to expect on defense: The pairing of Jim Bates and Raheem Morris is a curious one. Both are advocates of 4-3 fronts, but that s roughly where the similarities end. Morris is a Tampa Cover-2 guy through and through, believing the defensive tackles need to get upfield and pressure the passer. Bates prefers his tackles to stand their ground and plug holes, letting the linebackers flow to the gaps. Morris will probably look for Bates to have input on the front seven specifically, while he focuses more on the defensive backfield, where he s most experienced. With the youth movement afoot, there is more uncertainty in Tampa Bay than there s been in a long, long time. Tennessee Titans Head Coach: Jeff Fisher Offensive Coordinator: Mike Heimerdinger Defensive Coordinator: Chuck Cecil (replaces Jim Schwartz) What to expect on defense: The Titans smartly promoted from within to replace Jim Schwartz, who took the Lions head coaching job. Cecil has been a Titans assistant coach since 2001, coaching the defensive backs for most of his tenure. Don t expect much to change under Cecil, save for the recognition that no defense is going to be as stout without the services of DT Albert Haynesworth as they were with him. Other Notable Coaching Changes Bob Sanders (BUF) Defensive Line Coach Richard Smith (CAR) Linebackers Coach Rod Marinelli (CHI) Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line Joe DeCamillis (DAL) Special Teams Coordinator Rick Dennison (DEN) Offensive Line Coach Mike Priefer (DEN) Special Teams Coordinator Mike Trgovac (GB) Defensive Line Coach Shawn Slocum (GB) Special Teams Coordinator Russ Purnell (JAX) Special Teams Coordinator Gary Gibbs (KC) Linebackers Coach Bill Muir (KC) Offensive Line Coach Dave DeGuglielmo (MIA) Offensive Line Coach Scott O Brien (NE) Special Teams Coordinator Bob Sutton (NYJ) Defensive Line Coach John Fassel (OAK) Special Teams Coordinator Rob Chudzinski (SD) Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends Joe Barry (TB) Linebackers Coach 18 FOOTBALLGUYS.COM