NFL 17 Offseason: best head coach hire ranking
The NFL is a results-orientated business, and owners have far less patience than they did before the salary cap era. Coaching turnaround is high, and it's hard to get it right. Many of the coaching hires made this offseason didn't feel like big changes. Six teams changed head coaches this off-season. Here is the ranking list.
1: Buffalo Bills and Sean McDermott
The best hire by far. McDermott has proven success over six years in Carolina. His defenses brought the Panthers three NFC South titles in a row and took them to the Super Bowl. McDermott inherits a talented defense in Buffalo, giving him a good baseline to work with. He is also taking control of an offense similar to what he is used to in Carolina; a run-heavy unit with a mobile quarterback. There are interesting times to come in Buffalo, and we've yet to see who McDermott's coordinators will be, but the Bills could be a force to be reckoned with next season.
2: San Francisco 49ers and Kyle Shanahan
After firing Chip Kelly a season ago, the 49ers have now picked his replacement in Atlanta offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who has had sustained success for Washington, Cleveland and Atlanta. This season, his high powered offense led the Falcons to their first NFC Championship appearance since 2012. He now inherits a talent-starved roster, the 2nd overall pick, and a quarterback conundrum to figure out. There are rumours that he could tempt impending free agent Kirk Cousins away from the Redskins, which would boost his chances in San Francisco. Shanahan could succeed though, and has his father Mike to turn to for advice. *Kyle Shanahan is not yet the 49ers head coach, but the expectation is he will take the job once Atlanta's season is over.
3: Los Angeles Rams and Sean McVay
The Rams signed former Washington Redskins offensive coordinator Sean McVay to a five year contract after firing Jeff Fischer (at last). McVay becomes the youngest head coach in NFL history, and will be under pressure to fix the Rams' awful offense. He has two former first round picks to work with in quarterback Jared Goff and star running back Todd Gurley. McVay has also inspired confidence by hiring Wade Phillips, the architect of Denver's Super Bowl victory last season, as the defensive coordinator. After years of archaic football under Fischer, things are finally looking up for the Rams.
4: Denver Broncos and Vance Joseph
The Broncos were taken by surprise as Gary Kubiak, who won them a Super Bowl last season, stepped down due to health concerns. Denver decided on Miami defensive coordinator Vance Joseph as their next head coach. Joseph had Miami's defense playing well this season en route to their first playoff appearance since 2008. He is also a former Kubiak disciple, coaching defensive backs in Houston. As a former defensive coordinator, there are concerns about Joseph's ability to fix Denver's lacklustre offense. But Joseph is a former quarterback who worked under former Denver offensive coordinator Adam Gase in Miami, so this seems like a nice balanced hire for the Broncos.
5: Jacksonville Jaguars and Doug Marrone
When the Jaguars fired Gus Bradley after Week 15, offensive line coach Doug Marrone took over. Despite interviewing other candidates, the Jaguars opted to offer Marrone the job full-time. Marrone reported believes that Blake Bortles can still be their franchise quarterback, and owner Shad Khan must've liked what he saw from Marrone in two games. Marrone coached the Bills from 2013 to 2014, finishing with a 15-17 record. With former head coach Tom Coughlin overseeing all facets of the team, expect a tough approach next season. Jacksonville has a talented roster, and just needs a few more pieces to push them ahead in the AFC South.
The Eagles went outside the organization for their hire, right back to the coaching tree that ran Philadelphia for 14 seasons. Nearly a quarter of the teams in the NFL changed coaches, yet continuity was a buzzword during introductory news conferences. Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota and Eli Manning won't have to learn new offensive systems. Chip Kelly might retain defensive coordinator Eric Mangini in San Francisco, and Hue Jackson might hire Ray Horton as defensive coordinator only a few years after Horton coached the Browns' defense under Rob Chudzinski.
Some teams also made surprising decisions to retain their head coach. Former Patriots scouting director turned Lions general manager Bob Quinn decided to keep former AFC adversary Jim Caldwell as Detroit's head coach. Colts coach Chuck Pagano and general manager Ryan Grigson hugged and made up with a beaming Jim Irsay looking on like a proud father.
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