My NFL New Coaching Hires Thoughts

 

Music to listen to:  Roxanne (live) by The Police

The latest offseason head coaching cycle in the NFL has brought about the usual assortment of coordinators getting their first chance at the top position for a team along with college coaches who have minimal experience at the professional level.  Let’s look at the new hires and see how he will fit with his job:

Chip Kelly, Philadelphia:  It’s been an interesting ride for a man who was the offensive coordinator at New Hampshire only seven years ago.  Now, Kelly has one of the highest profile coaching gigs in the entire NFL.  Kelly’s offensive innovations were successful at Oregon while leading the Ducks to their best run of football in program history which included multiple Pac-12 titles, Rose Bowl victories and even an appearance in the BCS title game in 2011.  The biggest question that he will have to face is what to do at the quarterback position.  Michael Vick seems like he would be a good fit for the offense…five years ago.  The injuries and lack of progression has left Vick as an average quarterback whose biggest positive attributes, running and arm strength, have regressed significantly over the last two seasons.  Nick Foles, who started the last few games for the Eagles this past season, lacks the mobility to properly execute Kelly’s offense.  The Eagles still have Desean Jackson and Jeremy Macklin at receiver and the underrated LeSean Mccoy at running back but the offensive line must improve along with the bad defense.  The Eagles are taking a big chance on Kelly but if the offense is successful and the defense becomes average, the rewards will be strong.

Mike McCoy, San Diego:  The Chargers went with another offensive mind in replacing Norv Turner with Mike McCoy, who has been an offensive coordinator at numerous places, lastly in Denver working with Tim Tebow and Peyton Manning.  The Chargers have a solid QB in Philip Rivers to work with and a decent defense.  However, the overall talent must improve, which lies more with new general manager Tom Telesco.  The AFC West is unpredictable so the Chargers may be right in the thick of a division title with a few offseason moves.

Gus Bradley, Jacksonville:  The Jaguars bucked the trend of hiring guys with offensive experience as the head coach, instead going with former Seattle defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.  He’s highly respected in league circles and guided a highly aggressive and effective Seahawks’ defense into one of the best units in the NFL, even though you have to wonder how much Pete Carroll, a highly regarded defensive mind in his own right, had something to do with that.  Whoever Jacksonville hired honestly wouldn’t have mattered because the Jaguars have arguably the weakest overall roster in the NFL.  The Blaine Gabbert pick looks worse every day as the quarterback has made minimal improvements over his two years in the league.  Furthermore, Maurice Jones-Drew had an injury-filled campaign in 2012 and running backs at his age and usage rate tend to regress at this stage of their career.  The only direction the Jags can go is up under Bradley because the bar has been set so low.  A five-win season would be considered an improvement.

Andy Reid, Kansas City:  Reid had a very successful tenure at Philadelphia but a separation between him and the Eagles was needed for both parties.  He has now bounced back to lead Kansas City, who like half of the NFL, has a quarterback issue.  A decision must be made on Matt Cassel.  The Chiefs will have the services of Pro Bowler Jamaal Charles at running back but may be losing receiver Dwayne Bowe to free agency.  Reid will install his version of the West Coast offense and will throw the ball often which may or may not mesh with Charles.  The defense was actually solid for the Chiefs last season and they plan to keep the 3-4 scheme to have continuity.  The Chiefs also have the top overall pick in this year’s NFL draft which could be used multiple ways.  Despite the ending at Philly, Reid was one of the most consistent head coaches in the NFL for over a decade and serves as a major upgrade for the Chiefs.

Mark Trestman, Chicago:  This coaching hire was a nod to Jay Cutler and the offensive unit that lacked consistency under former head coach Lovie Smith.  Trestman has had numerous positions within the NFL, head coaching experience from his time in the CFL leading Montreal and highly regarded for offensive innovation.  The defensive unit, which has been the strong point of Chicago for years,  may take a slip under Trestman but should be fine if key players are retained, mainly Brian Urlacher.  The Bears offense needed to improve and Trestman has the qualifications to do just that.

Bruce Arians, Arizona:  He did an excellent job in Indianapolis this past year serving as interim head coach which Chuck Pagano went though cancer treatment so Arians’ ability to deal with instability and adversity aren’t questioned.  However, the Cardinals are in major trouble, especially at the quarterback position which is mediocre at best.  The offensive line is also the worst in the NFL and the defense outside of Patrick Peterson at cornerback needs a major upgrade as well.  The Cards are in arguably the toughest division in the NFL and need to receive more help from the offense and Arians may be the man for the post.

Rod Chudzinski, Cleveland:  This hire needs to be looked at with the consideration that Turner is the Browns’ new offensive coordinator and former Cardinals’ defensive coordinator Ray Horton now has the same position with Cleveland.  When you put all of that together, the hiring of Chudzinski looks OK.  He had a decent tenure a few years ago as OC with the Browns and had average moments the past two seasons as the OC with Carolina even with Cam Newton.  Along with Michael Lombardi hiring as the new GM, the entire Browns organization has been overhauled this offseason.  The talent on the roster has always been low on the Browns and this season will be no different, despite the presence of Trent Richardson at running back.

Doug Marrone, Buffalo:  The Bills have some talent on the roster and seem to be closer to a playoff team than not.  However, the hiring of Marrone leaves little inspiration for the Bills’ fan base.  He had a decent tenure at Syracuse but didn’t even have the team contend for a conference title and is now expected to lead an NFL franchise to post-season success.  The biggest key will be to get better production from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and defensive end Mario Williams, the highest paid and profile players on each side of the ball for the Bills.  Until this happens, Buffalo will be in perpetual motion as an average NFL franchise.