2013 NFL Coaching Changes – Part 2

Today we will conclude our list of 2013 NFL coaching changes.

In Fantasy Football, a player’s playing time and usage is essential when we evaluate their value. A good player that never plays is not as good as an average player that gets a large workload (i.e. every owner that had Michael Turner when he played with the Chargers can attest to this logic). Consequently, it makes sense to look at a coach’s background and style to determine how he will use his players. Or more importantly, what affect a coach will have on his new team.

Rob Chudzinski, Cleveland Browns

Browns fans hope that Chudzinski’s time in Cleveland will resemble his first stint with the organization. When he was the offensive coordinator for the Browns in 2007, Chudzinski lead an offense that finished eighth in the league in yards, sent four players to the Pro Bowl, and finished second in the AFC North with a record of 10-6. To that end, Chudzinski is tasked with improving a 2012 offense that finished 24^th in rushing and 25^th in total yards.

Gus Bradley, Jacksonville Jaguars

Mike Mularkey was unable to last longer than one season with the Jaguars, and if Gus Bradley is unable to improve upon an offense that finished 2012 as the 29^th ranked unit, he might not last much longer. Bradley was the engineer of the Seattle defense that finished 2012 first in total defense, third in passing yards allowed, and eleventh in rushing defense, but the Jaguars biggest problems are presented on the offensive side of the ball. More so than the addition of Bradley, the Jaguars will have Maurice Jones-Drew returning off an injury plagued season, and could be the ingredient needed to add some flavor to a bland Jaguars offense.

Chip Kelly, Philadelphia Eagles

Chip Kelly can be compared to Pete Carroll in many ways. Both coaches manned high powered PAC 12 offenses that made multiple runs at the national championships. Kelly and Carroll each turned out a high rate of NFL prospects. And interestingly enough, both coaches left their respected colleges for the NFL right before their university’s programs became scrutinized for multiple NCAA violations and infractions.

Carroll, albeit in his second time around in the NFL, is succeeding, but it remains to be seen whether or not Kelly will be able to acclimate to the NFL. Many pundits and football experts have taken the easy shot at Kelly, and said the offense he ran at Oregon will not translate to the NFL. That much is obvious, but one would be foolish to think that Kelly intends to run a Saturday afternoon offense on Sundays. The Eagles offense did not fail for lack of talent last year, and Kelly, with his innovative and flexible offensive mind, could be what the Eagles need to set their offense on course.

Mike McCoy, San Diego Chargers

McCoy, more than any other coach on this list, has had a very mediocre rise to the top. This observation is not a jab at the results he has produced, or at his abilities as a coach, but at the ease with which his jobs have been made. When McCoy spent his first two years with the Broncos, Kyle Orton set career highs in nearly every passing category and the Broncos passing attack ranked seventh in the NFL in passing yards per game, but these prolific passing numbers were the result of a Josh McDaniel’s offense that all but completely abandoned the run, and winning football games at the same time. In 2011, McCoy was tasked with implementing an offense that would fit the skillset of Tim Tebow. Consequently, this meant running the ball eighty percent of plays, and is the most basic offensive scheme of the last three decades. And then came 2012 when the Broncos signed Peyton Manning, and lets be honest, the sure fire Hall of Famer was the real offensive coordinator for a Broncos offense that finished fourth in total offense last year.

The production McCoy has gotten out of his offenses has been largely from circumstance, and it may be overly optimistic to assume it came from McCoy. Out of all the teams that made a 2013 NFL coaching change, the Chargers could be the first team to make a coaching change in 2014.

Devon Jordan is obsessed with statistical analysis, non-fiction literature, and electronic music. If you enjoyed him here, follow him on Twitter @devinjjordan.