Write On Sports LLC - "Fantasy Impact Changes " by Paul Ruggeri

Fantasy Impact Changes

2006-09-04 00:25:25 | By: Paul Ruggeri

COACHING CHANGES

Coaching philosophies have a huge impact on fantasy player production. With a different coaching philosophy and the opportunity for more touches, catches, and passing opportunities a fantasy player can have a greater chance to produce. There are more coaching changes this year than there have been in 7 years, so expect the fantasy landscape to change. From the run to pass oriented coach, or teams that run West Coast offenses, these philosophies are sure to impact fantasy stats. With this in mind, here is a list of new head coaches and offensive coordinators and what to expect from each team.

Buffalo Bills
HC: D. Jauron
OC: S. Fairchild
Jauron is a defensive minded coach who has bounced around the league and has publicly stated he plans on running the ball this year. Yet who can blame him for running the ball when you have no proven QB and your best player on the team is a running back. As bad as the Bills were last year there is little reason to believe they will get any better this season. The only respectable fantasy option on this team will be McGahee who will be sure get the ball at the RB spot. Drafting wideouts from this team could cause frustration with Losman at the helm.

Denver Broncos
OC: R. Dennison
Having a new OC in Denver could change the fantasy landscape in the altitude of Colorado. Denver’s old OC (Kubiak now the Texans HC) was considered the brainchild of the zone blocking system that made every average RB a superstar in the Broncos system. However this team remains well managed, and coached, and a major change in production from last year should not be expected. As always, Denver's starting RB is a mystery that probably won't be solved until week 5, so buyer beware on all Denver RB’s.

Detroit Lions
HC: R. Marinelli
OC: M. Martz
Marinelli comes to Detroit, via Tampa, where he handled defensive line and assistant coach duties. However, fantasy wise, the more interesting move is the new OC Martz who is every QB and WR’s dream. With high draft picks spent on offense over the pass few years the Lions are looking for Martz to correct their scoring problems. As always with Martz expect lots of passing all season long. Kitna should do well in Martz's system and so too Roy Williams. K. Jones will have the opportunity to be the next Marshall Faulk - if he can go through the season without major injury. There is a ton of upside potential in Detroit, but beware, no matter how rapid Martz can make the changes, it's still the Lions.

Green Bay Packers
HC: McCarthy
OC: J. Jagadzinski
McCarthy has been a coach for several teams over the past 10 years, most notably as OC for the Saints from 2000-2004 and the QB coach for Green Bay in 1999. Having worked with Brett Favre before, the transition should be a bit easier. However the Packers season will not depend on the coaching job, but instead on its two superstars. Green Bay needs Favre to keep the INTs down and a healthy recovery from RB Amman Green. Expect things to be better for these two players as Green is reportedly back to top speed and will give Favre an additional offensive weapon.

Houston Texans
HC: G. Kubiak
Houston as an organization has been a fantasy letdown from the start. The Texans have unbelievable talent at every offensive position -- except the offensive line, which is only impressive in the number of sacks they allow. Kubiak was hired to fix the situation. He brings his praised zone blocking from Denver that every RB on the planet seems to explode in. However, with Domanick Davis being out for the season, questions still remain whether Kubiak has the talent to implement his scheme. If the offensive line can get the job done, expect good things from Lundy and/or Morency.

Kansas City Chiefs
HC: H. Edwards
OC: M. Solari
Put together a defensive minded head coach and an offensive line coach as your OC, what you are going to get … run, run, run. With a guy like Larry Johnson don’t expect the Chiefs to pass much. Gonzalez is still a premier tight end and will get his catches, but with a potent running attack, and additions to the defense like Ty Law, this team is going to play ball control all year. I would expect a down year for Trent Green and any of its WR’s (not that they really have a top choice).

Miami Dolphins
OC: M. Mularkey
A change in OC in Miami is no reason for concern. If anything Miami is this year’s fan favorite golden child. With Culpepper now the QB and Saben having full control of every element of the offensive and defensive systems, expect the Dolphins to pick up where they left off last season and be a major NFL and Fantasy producer. Brown, Chambers and Culpepper could all be at the top of the league in their respective fantasy positions by year end.

Minnesota Vikings
HC: B. Childress
Spending the past several years as the Eagles OC, Childress has demonstrated he will run a West Coast offense that is based on pass first. It’s hard to gauge what to expect from this team that is filled with starters that have wandered around the league. I would expect a slow start offensively until a little chemistry develops midseason. Also, a lot will depend on the ageless Brad Johnson.

New England Patriots
OC: J. McDaniels
If any team in the NFL has proven that no one person (except HC Belichick) is more important than the team, it is the Patriots. So having a new OC should not be a major concern. As always with New England, you do have to wonder whether all the off season departures, on both sides of the ball, will hamper the Pat’s ability to maintain their recent success (or, whether Branch will continue to hold out throughout the season). McDaniels has been with the team for 5 years and is already fully integrated with the current philosophy and should run a very similar offense to the one we have seen in the past few years.

New Orleans Saints
HC: S. Payton
As OC for the Cowboys and Giants the past 5 years Payton developed a reputation for getting the most out of his players. He does not have a standard scheme, but develops his offensive attack based on his personnel. With players like Brees, Horn, McAllister, and Bush he will have a lot to work with. Again this might be a team that may be frustrating at the start of the season but could find its groove (and ways to incorporate Bush) by the second half of the season and be quite explosive (if not in wins and losses, for fantasy stats).

New York Jets
HC: E. Mangini
OC: B Schottenheimer
Mangini is the youngest coach in the NFL. He is a defensive minded coach and a disciple of Bill Belichick, who has a large task in turning the Jets around. With question marks at virtually every offensive position this is a very scary team to rely upon in your fantasy draft. This is a team in rebuilding mode and should be avoided until next year.

Oakland Raiders
HC: Art Shell
OC: Tom Walsh
No, you did not black out and wake up 12 years later. Art Shell is once again the HC of the Raiders. Shell has not been a coach for an NFL team since 2000. There is no doubt that Shell is “Old School” and will plan on running the ball with a combination of long passes to stretch the field. You can’t expect Oakland to get much worse than last year, however, I also wouldn’t expect them to get much better either. With new coaches and new QB’s it’s always a fantasy risk to select a player from this team, even from the choice of players like Randy Moss.

Philadelphia Eagles
OC: M. Mornhinweg
A new OC in Philly probably means nothing; most of the play calling and decisions come directly from HC Andy Reid. With the meltdown of the Eagles last year and the departure of TO the teams fantasy standouts are a bit clouded. Before the arrival of TO, no Eagles WR was ever worth a Fantasy roster spot. Stallworth, although talented, may take a while to grow comfortable with his role with the Eagles.

San Francisco
OC: N. Turner
Hell has frozen over… the inventor (49’s) of the West Coast offense will no longer run the West Coast offense for the first time in over 25 years. But don't worry San Francisco, Turner has proven to the league time after time that he is better served as an OC than a head coach. He is very well known as a run the ball first play caller, while trying to mix it up with long deep passes to keep the defense in check.

Saint Louis Rams
HC: S. Linehan
OC: G. Olsen
Linehan is one of the leagues hottest offensive minded coaches. He helped turn around Miami last season and before that had one of the highest-octane offenses with the Vikings (as OC from 02-04). He might not be as pass happy (crazy) as Martz was, but expect a more balanced attack that should benefit all the offensive positions. As always any starting QB, RB, or WR on the Rams is worth a spot on your team.

Washington Redskins
OC: A. Saunders
If you watched the KC Chiefs play the last few years you would realize they had no problems moving the ball, largely due to their OC Saunders who has moved to Washington after the departure of Vermile. Saunders is well known for being able to field a potent offense and stresses the use of running and intermediate passes to tight ends. Although during the preseason this team looked horrible, expect the talent players on offense be just fine when the season begins.