New Coaches Hope to Upgrade Pro/College Programs
By Jim Feist
Football head coaches get all the glory, but top assistants can be extremely important in a team's success or failure. Offensive and defensive coordinators have great influence on game plans and a unit's effectiveness. There was no better example than former NY Giants' defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, now with the Rams. He came over from the Eagles under outstanding DC Jim Johnson and was a key cog in their amazing 2007 Super Bowl run.
Assistants are often the NFL star head coaches of tomorrow, as well. A former defensive assistant, Lovie Smith, took the Bears to the Super Bowl (before getting on the hot seat). Bill Parcells lost one of his top assistants four years ago, Sean Payton, who went to New Orleans and helped lead the Saints Super Bowl title turnaround.
Competent football assistants can be huge assets. Buddy Ryan was the principle architect of the Bears' 46 defense that led the way to the 1986 Super Bowl. He left the team after that victory and the Bears were never as dominant defensively. Let's look at some key coaching changes in the college and pro ranks.
Seahawks: Pete Carroll left the football factory of USC for another stint in the NFL. He coached the 1994 NY Jets (6-10 SU, 5-9-2 ATS) and the Patriots from 1997-99 (28-23 SU, 21-25-2 ATS). That ' s a combined 26-34-4 ATS mark in the pros. At the all-important QB position he inherits a very good one in Matt Hasselbeck, who will turn 35 in September.
He ' s battled injuries, so it ' s no surprise Carroll used the No. 6 pick in the draft on mammoth Oklahoma State tackle Russell Okung. They had another first round selection in Texas safety Earl Tomas (No. 14) and grabbed Notre Dame WR Golden Tate in the second round. Carroll ' s biggest mistake in New England was bringing in Ernie Zampese as offensive coordinator, which was a disaster. He brings in Jeremy Bates, who ran the offense at USC and worked under Mike Shanahan and Jon Gruden in the pros.
Redskins: Mike Shanahan inherits a 4-12 team, but what a boatload of talent and promise. Injuries decimated the Redskins last season, but they welcome back TE Chris Cooley and a backfield of 28-year old Clinton Portis, plus newcomers Larry Johnson and Willie Parker. Shanahan addressed the offensive line with Oklahoma tackle Trent Williams, the No. 4 pick in the draft.
They like young WR Malcolm Kelly alongside Santana Moss (902 yards). Now, who is going get them the football? Dumping Jason Campbell for star QB Donovan McNabb was a no-brainer, a huge upgrade at the most important position. Shanahan has a terrific offensive mind (Bill Belichick has praised him for years as the best coach in the NFL) and don ' t forget the Redskins were ranked No. 4 and No. 10 overall in total defense the last two years.
Notre Dame: New Coach Brian Kelly turned Cincinnati into a powerhouse and steps up to a high profile program. He was 34-7 with the Bearcats over three years. This Notre Dame offense was very good under Charlie Weis, averaging 30 points, 128 yards rushing and 323 yards passing in 2009 and Kelly brings in his own pro-style/spread attack.
The bad news is that QB Jimmy Clausen and WR Golden Tate are off to the NFL. The entire starting offensive line needs to be replaced and junior QB Dayne Christ is coming off major knee surgery. QB Nate Montana (the son of former great Joe) is in the mix. Kelly preaches physical defensive play, something Weis was never able to upgrade. The defense gets everyone back on the front seven, but they allowed too many big plays and blown leads. Kelly is the right guy, but Notre Dame fans will need patience.
La Tech: Totals players might want to make a note of this small school coaching change. Derek Dooley left for Tennessee, a coach who loved the ground game. New Coach Sonny Dykes is the opposite, the former offensive coordinator at Texas Tech and Arizona with those wide-open, chuck-it-at-all-costs passing attacks. He took an Arizona offense that averaged 16 points per game before he arrived to 30 points per game. Nine starters are back on offense, seven on defense, including senior QB Ross Jenkins (17 TDs, 5 INTs).
USC: New Coach Lane Kiffin inherits a squad that was overvalued in 2009 at 4-9 ATS. Kiffin is one of the most famous young coaches in the country, odd for a guy who hasn ' t done much winning. His 2010 Trojans returns 11 starters (5 on offense, 6 on defense) including sophomore QB Matt Barkley (15 TDs and 14 picks). The offense lost a lot of firepower, though.
There is plenty of experience on defense for new DC Monte Kiffin, but they struggled uncharacteristically at times in 2009 because of youth, getting blasted by Oregon (44 points) and Stanford (55 points). USC is 24-9 under the total the last three years. Tennessee was 7-6 last season under Kiffin, losing a string of close games, one to UCLA as an 11-point favorite. He doesn ' t want to make a habit of losing to the Bruins!