New Coaching Staffs Bring Changes
Each year there are new coaches in football, and they bring many changes. Some are obvious, like overhauling an offense, but many are subtle. Some are even emotional. New Steelers coach Mike Tomlin appears to be similar to Bill Cowher, a focused, serious guy who knows how to get a team to give its all on the field.
Norv Turner, though, in San Diego couldn't be more different emotionally than fired Marty Schottenheimer. Schottenheimer was a fiery, rah-rah kind of coach. Say what you want about his conservative nature and strange play-calling at times, but the players liked him. Turner is quiet, a more personable guy who doesn't scream. He prefers to teach with a calm demeanor.
He was brought in because of his offensive background, running wide-open spread offense, but what's most interesting is how much they've been out of sync the first three weeks. They were fortunate to beat the Bears in the opener with a late comeback, then got flattened at New England and fell apart in Sunday's 31-24 loss at Green Bay.
Shawne Merriman was furious after the loss: "We're the San Diego Chargers; this is not the way we're accustomed to playing. And dammit, we're going to fix it. I can't explain it. This gets under my skin, because we're better than this and ain't none of us are going to take this around here. We're going to get it back this week, and we're going to fix it."
MVP LaDainian Tomlinson said, "I am actually at a loss for words right now. I'm just kind of frustrated and baffled with the team right now." That 14-2 season in 2006 is history. This is a new season, a new year, and a new coaching staff. Most disturbing is the fact that San Diego is 27th in the NFL in total offense with 276 yards per game. Disturbing because of all the talent AND that the new coach was hired for his offensive skills.
Other times coaching staffs alter the Xs and Os of a way a team plays. The Carolina Panthers are 12th in total offense after being 23rd a year ago. New offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson has brought in zone blocking and the offense is more aggressive (and productive) than under Dan Henning. They are currently sixth in rushing the football.
That was one reason I had a play on Carolina Sunday. In my analysis I wrote, "The Falcons have little in the way of a home field edge right now. The Panthers played a terrific opener on the road at St. Louis, but gave that win back when they collapsed vs. Houston. With this being a divisional contest, I fully expect Carolina to come really focused off the loss and I'm convinced they're a full TD better than the Falcons, even on the road. I'm laying the number with the Panthers for my September NFL Game of the Month." Carolina got the cover in a 27-20 win with 175 rushing yards.
Speaking of running the football, that's what the Oakland Raiders are doing under new coach Lane Kiffin. He was the OC at USC under Pete Carroll and likes a power running team to help set up the passing game. Oakland is rushing for 159.3 yards per game, third in the NFL. More important, they've scored 20 or more points in every game. Last season, their joke-of-an-offense scored over 14 in just four games!
Probably the biggest mirage out there is the Denver Broncos. Third in total defense, sixth in total offense. Yet, a more revealing number is 0-3 against the spread. They barely beat two bad teams, Buffalo and Oakland, by a total of 4 points, then got run over by Jacksonville Sunday, giving up 186 rush yards. Entering Week 3, the Broncos ranked 27th against the run by allowing 156 yards per game. They surrendered 186 yards against the Jaguars in a 23-14 loss.
The Broncos are 2-5 SU, 0-7 ATS in their past seven home games. Their pass defense has been great under a new defensive coordinator, but they've faced QBs J.P. Losman, Josh McCown and David Garrard. Let's see, who do they face this week? Only Peyton Manning! Now we'll find out if the Broncos new defense is for real. They certainly didn't look it against Jacksonville.
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