Post by TheShadow on Jul 19, 2006 4:39:23 GMT -5
www.nfl.com
By Vic Carucci
National Editor, NFL.com
OPENING DRIVE
Ten teams open training camp in the next week or so with new coaches.
New coaches generally mean new approaches on a variety of fronts, including offensive and defensive strategy.
In most cases, there is more to teach and learn in camps of teams that have undergone a coaching change than in those of clubs with established coaches and systems.
Here is how I rank the 10 coaches who were part of one of the more dramatic offseasons of upheaval in recent memory in the order of their chances for immediate success (which means that a low ranking does not at all rule out the possibility of future success):
1. Herman Edwards, Kansas City: He took over a contender after Dick Vermeil's retirement. Edwards, former head coach of the New York Jets, should make the team better by going to more of a smash-mouth offensive approach that maximizes the production of Larry Johnson and by instilling an aggressive, swarming mentality that should help improve the defense. Edwards' motivational skills are on a par with those of Vermeil, his former coach in Philadelphia.
2. Scott Linehan, St. Louis: He was left a good, solid team after Mike Martz's departure. Linehan, a former offensive coordinator in Miami and Minnesota, should be able to add more of a ball-controlling dimension to the offense by giving Steven Jackson a larger rushing role and by having tight ends more involved in the passing game. Former Saints coach Jim Haslett, the Rams' new defensive coordinator, will do his part to allow the Rams to pose a serious challenge to Seattle in the NFC West.
3. Brad Childress, Minnesota: He assumed control of a pretty good club after Mike Tice was fired. His horizontal approach to the passing game meshes perfectly with the knowledge and skill of his veteran quarterback, Brad Johnson. Childress, who served as Andy Reid's offensive coordinator in Philadelphia, also should tighten things up considerably after the many off-the-field distractions of last season.
4. Sean Payton, New Orleans: He ended up with a team loaded with question marks after Haslett was fired, but he has the potential to provide some very positive answers. Landing Reggie Bush with the second pick of the draft, alone, should do wonders for the offense, but the improvement could be dramatic if Drew Brees is fully recovered from shoulder surgery by the start of the season. Payton, a former offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, is capable of getting plenty of production from a healthy Brees.
5. Rod Marinelli, Detroit: The former defensive line coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took over a team, previously guided by Steve Mariucci (and interim coach Dick Jauron), with several underachieving players. Marinelli's largest contribution should be in changing the more carefree culture that had existed and requiring greater accountability. Martz, the new offensive coordinator, also should get better results from a struggling offense.
6. Art Shell, Oakland: He returned to a troubled Raiders team, which he coached from 1989 to 1994, after Norv Turner was fired. Shell brings much-needed toughness to the offense and will emphasize a power rushing attack that should help on both sides of the ball. His greatest challenge will be finding a consistently effective quarterback. Aaron Brooks gets the first crack.
7. Gary Kubiak, Houston: The former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator faces some lofty expectations after replacing Dom Capers, because Texans owner Bob McNair and the fans are no longer satisfied with merely being in the NFL. Although top overall draft pick Mario Williams has the tall task of making people forget that the team passed on Bush, the focal point of scrutiny for Kubiak's rookie season will be the performance of David Carr.
8. Mike McCarthy, Green Bay: He found himself with numerous holes to fill after taking over for Mike Sherman. The fact quarterback isn't one of them is the reason McCarthy, former offensive coordinator in San Francisco and New Orleans, didn't end up at the bottom of the list. Brett Favre is still good enough to give the Packers a chance to win, even with so many question marks in his supporting cast.
9. Dick Jauron, Buffalo: He took a job that neither he nor anyone else thought would be available before Mike Mularkey's surprise resignation. Jauron has enough head-coaching experience (all with Chicago) to make the best of it, but he faces an enormous challenge in finding a competent starting quarterback from among J.P. Losman, Kelly Holcomb, and Craig Nall, and turning around a defense that struggled last year.
10. Eric Mangini, N.Y. Jets: He became the NFL's youngest coach when, at 35, he replaced Edwards, who requested his release to join the Chiefs. Youth and inexperience aren't necessarily major drawbacks, but they could prove to be stumbling blocks in the early going, especially for a team that needs to find a quarterback (from among Chad Pennington, Patrick Ramsey, Kellen Clemens, and Brooks Bollinger ) and has many other holes to fill. As Bill Belichick's former defensive coordinator, Mangini does have a pretty good model to follow.
SHORT YARDAGE
* Randy Moss should be able to help prop up Brooks as the Raiders' quarterback (or whoever else ends up under center). I don't know that Moss or Brooks will have monster seasons. It's a bit unrealistic to expect them to develop instant chemistry and for them to adjust smoothly to a new coach and new offensive coordinator in Tom Walsh. However, Moss is still capable of being a dominant receiver when he is healthy, which presumably is the case as he enters training camp. He proved that by averaging 24.5 yards per catch in four games for Oakland last season. The rest of the season -- while battling through rib, groin muscle, and pelvis injuries -- he hardly resembled the All-Everything form he showed in Minnesota.
* I don't think defensive coordinator Jim Johnson is simply blowing smoke when he points to Darren Howard, the big end whom the Eagles signed as a free agent from New Orleans, as being crucial to Philadelphia's defensive success this season. As Johnson points out, Howard was part of some very good defenses with the Saints. Howard has had as many as 11 sacks in two seasons (2000 and 2004) and should be able to increase the production the Eagles got from the man he replaces, N.D. Kalu, who had two sacks last year. But I think another end, Jevon Kearse, will have the most to say about whether the Eagles' defense can be dominant this season. Kearse needs to be a consistent pass-rushing terror who forces opponents to alter their blocking schemes to account for him.
* I'm going to have to agree with the uneasiness that Cleveland Browns general manager Phil Savage has publicly expressed about his team's quarterback situation. Charlie Frye is far too young and is likely to encounter far too many bumps in the road as a first-year starter for the team not to have a steady, veteran backup. Ken Dorsey is not that guy. But Browns coach Romeo Crennel sees no need to seek any such addition. Savage recently told the Canton Repository, "I'd keep saying, 'Romeo, you OK with the quarterback thing?' He'd look at me with a smile on his face and say, 'Phil, I'm fine.'"
FIVE REASONS WHY…
…Steve McNair should have a significant impact on the Baltimore Ravens:
* Big-game experience and poise.
* Healthy enough to still move in the pocket and scramble when necessary.
* Solid supporting cast, especially in running backs Jamal Lewis and Mike Anderson.
* Derrick Mason, his favorite target in Tennessee.
* Coaches who know a thing or two about the passing game in Brian Billick, Jim Fassel, and Rick Neuheisel.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
-- Speaking of the impact of quarterbacks in new settings, I like what I continue to hear from Detroit about Jon Kitna. First, I think he has the talent and supporting cast to thrive in Mike Martz's offense. Second, he has the right personality to cope with the pressures that go with being a starter in a town desperate for success from that position.
-- Call me crazy, but I think there's a pretty good chance that Ashley Lelie will report to the Denver Broncos training camp when it opens on July 28 despite missing all of their voluntary and mandatory offseason workouts. I doubt he is any happier about not having the official stamp as the Broncos' No. 1 receiver, but I also don't think he wants to part with $6,000 a day for failing to report to camp. By the way, other teams have not exactly been breaking down the Broncos' door to acquire the disgruntled, but talented, receiver.
-- After being limited to only five games the last two years with knee and shoulder injuries, defensive tackle Kris Jenkins was back practicing for the Carolina Panthers in June. He has been confronting problems with alcoholism and depression, which surfaced during his considerable time on the sidelines, and is planning to be ready on opening day. Yet another reason to like the Panthers' chances of winning the Super Bowl.
-- LaDainian Tomlinson thinks Philip Rivers can flourish in his first season as a starting quarterback for the San Diego Chargers the way Ben Roethlisberger has done in his first two seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tomlinson says that, like the Steelers, the Chargers can minimize the need for Rivers to win games with his arm with a strong defense and running game. It's a reasonable premise, but I think Tomlinson is greatly underestimating Roethlisberger's passing skills.
ROAMING IN BUFFALO
I've never known a more optimistic person than Jerry Flaschner. That is saying something, considering how much optimism I regularly encounter with coaches, players and other NFL types -- often when it is unwarranted.
Jerry's license plate read: "NO PBLM." And whenever I was in the man's company, I couldn't help but think of his motto. "No problem" was what he saw when he began each day, regardless of the circumstances. It wasn't that Jerry viewed the world through rose-colored glasses. He simply recognized the value of maintaining a positive attitude, which would invariably rub off on everyone around him.
Our friendship began in the 1980s, when Jerry was one of the primary movers and shakers of the Monday Quarterback Club of Buffalo and I was covering the Bills for the Buffalo News. We would talk at length before and after every meeting, which would follow a Bills home game. When he would offer his typically glowing assessment of a Bills game or season, I would actually feel bad if I didn't agree.
Through the years, Jerry and his wife, Joy, became part of our family. I always felt that the Caruccis became part of theirs. Not even my own mother, who is extremely attentive to such things, could get a birthday or anniversary card to us faster than the Flaschners.
Ask Vic!
Have a question for Vic on anything NFL related? Don't just sit there -- send it to AskVic@nfl.com, and the best questions will be answered throughout the season right here on NFL.com!
Jerry, who served in the Marines, built a successful business, but his greatest pride came from raising a beautiful family and from the accomplishments of his children and grandchildren. He was constantly boasting about the achievements of others. He always greeted you with a warm smile and a big hug. He always made you feel better than you did before you saw him or talked with him on the phone or received one of his many upbeat e-mails.
About four months ago, Jerry began a quiet battle with cancer. I say quiet because many of his closest friends weren't aware of it for a long time. That was how Jerry wanted it. Anything to the contrary would be in violation of his motto. At one point while Jerry was connected to a dialysis machine, one of his sons, a doctor, asked him how he felt.
"Perfect," Jerry said. He was not being sarcastic.
Last week, at the age of 77, Jerry passed away. I'll remember him because he was a good friend. I'll remember him more because of his eternal optimism.