New NFL Coaches

Every year there are hires and fires in the NFL, or a legendary coach steps down. So how will they fare? Lets take a look at them.

Detroit-Jim Schwartz. If a coach cracks a joke in his debut press conference he is either a John McKay type clone, or another long line of Detroit failures. The Lions seem to be aggressive, adding some help in LB Julian Peterson. There is a lot of pressure to see how Schwartz can handle the draft. Me? I would go for the OT. Once you build that line, everything should fall into place. The Roy Williams trade with Dallas gives them extra picks. As for the hire, the last time Detroit had success was bringing in a proven head coach in Bobby Ross. Matt Millen is gone as GM, so the front office should be a bit more organized, but a strong GM like a Parcells or Polian type is needed to get things right here. I give them a C on the hire, but Schwartz needs 3 drafts to fix this mess.

St Louis-Steve Spagnuolo. Better known as the man whose defense cost the Pats a perfect season, the Disciple of Jim Johnson gets a head gig a year later than expected. The good news, his defense isn't too bad. The bad news is the offense has literally nothing. The Rams have once again hired a hot named coordinator for their head gig, but I think Spag's youth and enthusiasm can spread to a young team. While not as dire as Detroit, he needs 2 good drafts. I give them a B.

Kansas City-Todd Haley. The Chiefs have a new GM in Scott Pioli who helped turn the Patriots into a force of nature. He has reached out to Todd Haley, the OC for the Cardinals who has been responsible for their huge offensive turnaround last year. The bad news is Haley doesn't have Larry Fitzgerald here. But they do have Matt Cassell, who might be the answer at QB. Larry Johnson and Tony Gonzalez have uncertain futures, but Dwayne Bowe is a consistent WR and should help in the passing game. The defense is young and solid, but haven't had an impact player since the late and always great Derrick Thomas. GM hire is an A, Haley gets a B minus.

Seattle-Jim Mora, Jr. Mike Holmgren is gone, and taking his place is an experienced head coach. Jim Mora Jr has more playoff wins than his father, but is not inheriting the same type of team he did in Atlanta. He might be able to get the right weapons, but this is a rebuilding job at best. The good thing is the NFC West is weak, so a bad record could get you into the playoffs. The bad thing is the top team went to the Super Bowl. I'm not sure this is the right fit, but Mora is where he wants to be in the state of Washington, just not as the head coach of the Huskies. I have to give them a D. An outside coach could do a lot better here than an insider.

Oakland-Tom Cable. The problem isn't the head coach in Oakland, it's Al Davis. I thought that until Lane Kiffen opened his mouth at Tennessee. Tom Cable had the Raiders finish strong under the interim tag, but can he roll that over to 2009? In JaMarcus Russell, he has the QB with the strongest arm in the NFL; but he has been inconsistent. The offense, except the line looks good but the Raiders need defensive help more in this draft. The Raiders need Davis to stay out of the way, and transition to a strong front office man. I give the hire an F because I think Cable won't last more than 2 years. Plus nobody really wanted the job.

San Francisco-Mike Singletary. When Mike Singletary played for the Bears, he had his eyes wide open, and could scan the field and take out whoever had the ball. There is a QB competition b/t Shaun Hill and possible bust Alex Smith, but from all accounts it is going well. The transition to a smash mouth offense fits the personality of the coach, but maybe not the team personnel. The defense looks to be in good hands, and the future looks bright. But the only knock is history-great players do not always make good head coaches. But things look good so far. I give the 49ers an A for the retention of last years interim coach.

NY Jets-Rex Ryan. Rex Ryan brings a strong pedigree of defensive coaching to his first gig as head coach. His father Buddy helped the Bears go 15-1 and dominate Super Bowl XX, but failed as a head man in Philly and Arizona. After Mangini and Favre last year, the Jets should have made the playoffs, but lets be realistic, this was a 9-7 team last year. It seems the offense will remain the same, but a QB has to be found, and I doubt the draft will help there, unless Sanchez is still on the board. In Baltimore, Rex Ryan had one of the best defensive units ever assembled. In the Jets, well, they aren't the Ravens. But all things considered, I give them a C, this is another Mangini.

Cleveland-Eric Mangini. He had Brett Favre's drama last year, so welcome to the Derrick Anderson and Brady Quin fiasco. Mangini may have deserved to be fired from the Jets, but this might be a better fit. The athletes are better, younger and can be molded into what he wants them to be. Since the Browns returned to the NFL they never brought in an experienced NFL head coach, and that is also a plus. Once hte QB issue is resolved, and the defense can be fine tuned, this could be a good unit. But remember this is the same system used by Romeo Crennel and the same pedigree. Oh boy. B minus.

Tampa Bay-Raheem Morris. Okay, here is the story of an assistant who becomes a coordinator, is interviewed by a team only to fulfill the Rooney Rule, and then is made the head coach after his boss is fired. Raheem Morris is that man, but is he the right fit? Everything is against him: never been a head coach on any level, no coordinator experience, etc. That's why he may just be the right man for the job. His predecessor had success in Oakland before jumping ship to Tampa. The Bucs are releasing long time older players, and are experiencing a youth movement. This youth movement may take a while, but this is undoubtedly the most intriguing off season hire in the NFL. The Bucs get a B.

Denver-Josh McDaniels. Like Spag's, Josh McDaniels is someone who could have been a head man in 2008. But this looks like a big mess. Turmoil and uncertainty have gripped the locker room (at least on the surface). Say what you will about all the great things Mike Shannahan did at Denver, they were only a .500 team the last few years. I question this hire because Denver could have used Spag's more than this guy. The Broncos had problems defensively, and needed that mind set. Guess who gets the F?

Indianapolis-Jim Caldwell. Tony Dungy hand picked this man to replace him. And with good reason. The success at Wake Forest can be traced to Jim Caldwell. His no nonsense and no excuses approach isn't a 180, and his laid back attitude makes him the right fit. Being Peyton Manning's position coach made his previouis Colts job easy, but to fill in for Tony Dungy, and make a seamless transition is tougher. But they have the right guy to do it. His offensive philosophy is different from the conservative Dungy, just look at his records Wake put up in his tenure. This is the only A plus given out here.