Impact of coaching changes for the 2009 NFL season
Going into the 2009 season, many of us are excited to see teams with new players acquired during the offseason, but most of the time, it doesn’t really affect those who are interested in more than just the game itself. With the exception, of course, when Randy Moss was acquired by the New England Patriots, he had a huge impact. For me, what really matters is not the players acquired, but the coach and the system that he instills in the team that makes the team win or lose. As we get closer to the season, let’s take a look at the teams that made managerial changes and how it would affect the teams’ winning ability.
1. Eric Mangini (Cleveland Browns, 4-12-0 2008): The former New York Jets coach enters the 2009 season with an old group that is still intact. When he started coaching the Jets in 2009, they made it to the AFC wild-card game only to lose to his old mentor, Bill Belichick. Impact: I think the Browns will have what it takes to win but they are in the division with the Steelers, the offense will change drastically but they expect the defense to be much tougher, ergo put your money on the Browns’ point spread .
2. Josh Mc Daniels (Denver Broncos, 8-8-0 2008): This coach got him going before the season started, and in the process he lost his best offensive weapon. While the team is still deciding who their QB1 is, I don’t expect them to make that much this season. Impact: Come game time, Mc Daniels will play each series with a scoring mentality, with a not-so-great defensive core, he’ll rely on his bread and butter offense.
3. Todd Haley (Kansas City Chiefs, 2-14-0 2008): Last year he was the man responsible for propelling Kurt Warner back to greatness and was 2:02 away from a Superbowl ring until that catch by Holmes. He’s the guy you want running your offense. Impact: The Chiefs will win more games this year compared to 2008 and make a case for the division, making Belichick regret releasing Kassel, stats show.
4. Steve Spagnuolo (St. Louis Rams, 2-14-0 2008): He turned the New York Giants defense into a monster and teams playing against them were scared to the bone every time they served the ball. Not sure if he can do the same thing with the Rams though, but in the same way he’ll make the Rams competitive, but you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Impact: The Rams are known as the “Great Show on the Grass,” I think this year they won’t be.
5. Rex Ryan (New York Jets, 9-7-0 2008): Like Spagnuolo, Coach Ryan is the man behind the Ravens’ terrifying defense, but unlike Spagnuolo, this Jets team is a candidate for the AFC Wild Card. Impact: Coach Ryan will be more focused on his defense and let the offensive coach take care of the offense, this is a team I’ll be watching this season.
6. Jim Schwartz (Detroit Lions, 0-16-0 2008): The Lions went 0-16 last year, winning 4-6 games this year will save them some dignity this year. Schwartz was the defensive coach for the Titans prior to this job and held the teams to 14.1 points per game. Impact: Will reduce points allowed but will take time for Lions to get back on the playoff stage
7. Tom Cable (Oakland Raiders, 5-11-0 2008): Cable was the head coach at the University of Idaho from 2000-2003 and compiled an 11-35 record and four straight losing seasons. Impact: Add this to Al Davis’ unexplained acquisition record, but I like the guy, he’ll play to win the game.
8. Jim Mora (Seattle Seahawks, 4-12-0 2008): Jim Mora will inherit the team from Mike Holmgren, who retired last year. He was the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Impact: Not much of an impact, the system is fine but it’s more of an offensive issue because of the uncertainty at quarterback.
I didn’t include San Francisco, Tampa Bay and Indianapolis because the coaches on this team just inherited their retired coaching staffs, except for Tampa Bay since Jon Gruden was fired. Don’t expect much change in these teams as they will simply continue with the system they inherited from their predecessors, as the saying goes “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
Written by Tony Silva – Expert Handicapper for Spreadticker.com
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