THEY’RE GOING GREEN
NFL’s six new coaches are short on experience but long on enthusiasm
Reuse and recycle? Not in the NFL this season, where teams have gotten away from hiring retreads as head coaches.
Of the league’s six new head coaches, five are doing the job for the first time, and the sixth, Jacksonville’s Doug Marrone, has a slim NFL resume with two seasons as coach in Buffalo.
New to the job are the Rams’ Sean McVay, San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan, Denver’s Vance Joseph, Buffalo’s Sean McDermott, and — but for one game as Bills interim coach last season — San Diego’s Anthony Lynn.
“I think there’s some really good, new energy here,” Rams quarterback Jared Goff said. “Coach McVay and the rest of his staff have done a great job exuding that energy and really letting us feel it. I think it’s really a fresh start for a lot of people. I think it’s a really good feeling. Just freshness is the best way to describe it.”
McVay was 30 when he was hired, making him the youngest head coach in modern NFL history. He was offensive coordinator in Washington for the last three years, last season drawing up a Redskins offense that set a franchise record with 6,545 yards and was the first team in club history to average at least 400 yards (403.4). He’s hoping to work the same magic with Goff that he did with Kirk Cousins.
Shanahan broke some franchise records with his offense last year too, and his Atlanta Falcons got all the way to the Super Bowl. After building a 28-3 lead in the first two-plus quarters against New England, however, they were undone by Tom Brady in the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history.
That All-Pro quarterback wasn’t the only reason the Patriots won. The Falcons faltered down the stretch, as well, particularly on offense.
“I believe we missed an opportunity,” Shanahan said. “We didn’t get it done. I’ll go back through every play for the rest of my life.”
At least the Falcons had the opportunity. The Bills, meanwhile, have gone 17 years without making the playoffs. That’s the challenge for McDermott, who spent the last six seasons as defensive coordinator in Carolina. Since 2011, with McDermott as their coordinator, the Panthers’ defense has ranked second in sacks (261), third in turnovers (169) and 12th in points per game (22.1).
But now it’s about scratching that itch that has persisted for almost two decades.
“I understand this type of city and town,” McDermott said. “That’s how I grew up. That’s how I wake up every morning — just like them. I’m hungry. I’m not going to shy away from this challenge.”
Lynn just came from Buffalo, where he was the team’s assistant head coach and offensive coordinator. He was a former NFL running back — a backup to just enshrined Hall of Famer Terrell Davis in Denver — so it stands to reason that Lynn’s teams can run the ball.
In both of Lynn’s seasons as offensive coordinator, the Bills led the league in yards rushing and touchdowns. Before that, he was running backs coach for Dallas, Cleveland and the New York Jets.
The Chargers are coming off a 5-11 season and have relocated to Los Angeles, but Lynn insists this is not “a rebuilding project.”
“This is not a two-year transition,” he said. “This is long-term, baby. We have a very talented roster. I like the corner pieces that we have and we can build a championship program around.”
Joseph too says he isn’t rebuilding in Denver, only reloading. He spent last season as defensive coordinator in Miami, where the Dolphins made their first posteason appearance since 2008.
Up the coast in Florida, the Jaguars are waiting for that type of turnaround. They have won only 17 games in five years. Marrone was promoted to full-time head coach after taking over as interim for the final two games of last season.
“I’ve been here two years and I’ve seen the pride in this city,” Marrone said.
“I’ve seen the passion they have for this team. And I want you to know that I feel the pain and I know how difficult it’s been. But make no mistake about it, the people of Jacksonville deserve a winner. We will put the right people in place to get that done. That’s why I’m here.”