One of the most important occurrences every offseason is the coaching carousel. While some hires (e.g., Joe Gibbs) get tons of press, many of the changes, particularly at the coordinator level, go under the radar of the typical fantasy footballer. That's a mistake, because a coach's ability and as importantly, his philosophy, play a HUGE role in the performance of the team's players.

This offseason, seven teams ushered in new head coaches, and another four teams changed offensive coordinators. What that means is that more than a 1/3 of the league will have someone new managing their offensive game plans.

Now, some might say that good coaches build teams around the strength of the personnel on hand. While this is true in theory, it stands to reason that someone who has risen to the ranks of NFL top brass is confident in his own ability to craft a scheme, and as a result you'll often notice trends in a coach's play calling that are worth noting, regardless of personnel. Is a coach willing to adapt? Few question the offensive acumen of Steve Spurrier, but his inability to adjust to the Redskins personnel and NFL defensive schemes resulted in woefully disappointing offensive production while he was coaching the team. Meanwhile, someone like Bill Parcells has shown a willingness to emphasize the run or the pass depending on the fit of his personnel.

Below we take a look at the major coaching changes in the NFL this offseason. For each team, we posted the offensive statistics of the coaches' prior NFL stints as head coach and offensive coordinator. In the event the head coach is a defensive mind, we have listed the offensive coordinators history as head coach (if applicable) and coordinator.

It's difficult to draw hard and fast conclusions from looking at a coach's past stops. Some coaches will have learned from past mistakes, others will build off past successes. And certainly with new teams bring new players, which in and of itself is the biggest variable in the equation. Nevertheless, at Footballguys we believe the best owners are the most informed, and overlooking coaching changes would be a mistake.

Arizona Cardinals

• Head Coach - Dennis Green; Minnesota Vikings head coach for ten seasons (1992-2001), 49ers assistant under Bill Walsh, Stanford University head coach



• Offensive Coordinator - Alex Wood; served as Denny Green's QB coach in Minnesota and was the WR coach in Cincinnati last season, notable given the success of Chad Johnson and Peter Warrick



• Defensive Coordinator - Clancy Pendergast; Pendergast has been an NFL assistant for nine seasons, most recently (2003) as the linebackers coach in Cleveland. Most of his career was spent with the Cowboys, having served as the secondary coach from 2001-2002

FANTASY IMPACT

It's no secret that Dennis Green is a proponent of an aggressive passing attack, which stems from his time learning the nuances of offensive football under Bill Walsh. Green's offensive teams have thrown at least 20 touchdowns nine times, and he's averaged a whopping 28 touchdowns per season. As impressively, in all but one season, his quarterbacks have thrown more TDs than INTsThe fact that Green has been able to forge such productive offenses with a revolving door of quarterbacks is both a testament to his abilities and, as importantly, reason to believe that Josh McCown may be a sleeper this year for the Cardinals.

Despite being a proponent of wide open passing attacks, over his career, Green's run/pass ratio has equaled the league averages of 45% rush/55% pass; which shows that Green, like all good coaches, is capable of recognizing and building around his offensive weapons on hand.

Looking ahead, Dennis Green inherits a team largely unproven with the exception of Anquan Boldin, who enjoyed one of the most productive rookie seasons by a receiver in NFL history. With the presence of Larry Fitzgerald, Boldin and Bryant Johnson, one can assume that Green will look to pass the ball more than he runs the ball - unless Marcel Shipp is a lot better than we've been lead to believe at this stage of his career.

While his coordinators are relative unknowns, Alex Wood's work with Minnesota's QBs (Cunningham, Culpepper) and his work last season with Peter Warrick and Chad Johnson, both breakout fantasy receivers, makes for an intriguing situation in Arizona. Unfortunately for Cardinals fans, Green has never put much emphasis on defense, and Clancy Pendergast isn't going to be confused for a defensive guru anytime soon. Given how poor the defensive roster is entering this offseason, it wouldn't be out of line to assume Green will have the Cards a much better fantasy team long before they're a better NFL team.

Atlanta Falcons

• Head Coach - Jim Mora; Mora spent the last seven years as a San Francisco assistant coach, serving as defensive coordinator from 1999-2003. Mora also served as the secondary coach in New Orleans (1992-1996) and San Diego (1989-1992)



• Offensive Coordinator - Greg Knapp; spent the last nine years with San Francisco, and was the team's offensive coordinator for the last three seasons. He also served as the team's quarterbacks' coach for the three years prior



• Defensive Coordinator - Ed Donatell; was hired after being unceremoniously fired from the same position in Green Bay, following a haunting playoff loss in Philadelphia (4th and 26). Donatell served as the Packers DC for four seasons. Prior to that he oversaw the defensive backs in Denver, serving in that capacity during the team's Super Bowl wins

FANTASY IMPACT

Jim Mora is a defensive coach and will focus his attention, along with Ed Donatell, on improving a defense that finished 32nd (dead last) against the pass and 29th against the rush last year. Mora has entrusted the Falcons offense to Greg Knapp, his longtime associate in San Francisco. Knapp's primary job is simple; create schemes that allow Mike Vick to produce.

Knapp was a coordinator for the last three seasons; which doesn't give us much to go on but several facts stand out. One, Knapp is committed to running the ball. In all three seasons, the 49ers rushed for more than 2,200 yards as a team, averaged better than 4.4 yards per carry and scored 16 touchdowns. That bodes well for a team with three dangerous runners in Vick, T.J. Duckett and Warrick Dunn. While we don't know if Knapp's able to adjust his play calling to fit the team's needs, since he had virtually the same offensive unit in San Francisco each season, we do know that his propensity to favor the run bodes well for the mobile Vick, particularly in that it's clear Vick won't be asked to shoulder the load by dropping back to pass 30 times a game.

It's unreasonable to expect the Falcons first season under Knapp to produce the 3,500+ yards passing his team's have averaged when Jeff Garcia was quarterbacking, but don't be surprised to see the team produces a yards per attempt greater than 7.0 and more touchdowns than interceptions; aided by Vick's strong arm and the speedy receiving corps of Peerless Price and Michael Jenkins.

Buffalo Bills

• Head Coach - Mike Mularkey; just 42 years old, becomes one of the youngest head coaches in the league after spending the last three years as the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator



• Offensive Coordinator - Tom Clements; Clements joins Mularkey in Buffalo after serving under him as the quarterbacks' coach in Pittsburgh. Clements is widely credited with putting together systems to get the most out of Kordell Stewart and Tommy Maddox, players thought to be limited in their abilities



• Defensive Coordinator - Jerry Gray; in somewhat of a coup, Jerry Gray remains with the team as defensive coordinator, the same position he held the last three seasons under Gregg Williams

FANTASY IMPACT

Like Knapp, Mularkey served as an offensive coordinator for the last three seasons. It's difficult to get a read on what Mularkey will do in Buffalo from his stint in Pittsburgh, because he was admittedly handcuffed somewhat by a conservative head coach to some degree with the Steelers. In fact, looking at Mularkey's three years as Pittsburgh OC, more questions arise than answers.

A team defined by smash mouth football saw its rushing attack dwindle from 2,774 yards in 2001 to just 1,488 yards in 2003. In addition, the team's attempts, yards per attempt and touchdowns also declined each season under Mularkey's watch. Yet, the passing game largely didn't compensate for the downturn in rushing output. There's no question that some the blame falls on the team's offensive line and running back situations, but one has to wonder then why Pittsburgh named o-line coach Russ Grimm an assistant head coach this offseason.

Mularkey has promised a balanced attack with the Bills, and the personnel appears suited for such a balance (Buffalo was overly pass heavy the last few seasons) given Bledsoe's age, and the presence of not one but two very talented running backs in Travis Henry and Willis McGahee. Mularkey's offensive coordinator Tom Clements, who coached the Steelers quarterbacks, will have two main duties this year: 1) Reinvigorating Drew Bledsoe after a horrible 2003 and 2) Mentoring first round draft choice J.P. Losman as the Bills eventual successor at quarterback. One final offensive coaching note, the team also brought in Jim McNally as offensive line coach, who worked miracles in New York.

Look for Mularkey and company to rebuild the offensive line to allow more protection for Drew Bledsoe, who can still make plays in the pocket, if protected. The team is also sure to strike a better balance between running and passing, making more liberal use of Travis Henry and Willis McGahee. The receiving corps won't be forgotten about either, and the trio of Moulds/Evans Reed will do their best impersonation of Ward/Burress/Randle El this season.

The scheme that powered the 2nd ranked defense in the NFL will stay the same, with Jerry Gray remaining as the team's defensive coordinator.

Chicago Bears

• Head Coach - Lovie Smith; Smith spent the last three seasons as the defensive coordinator under Mike Martz in St. Louis. Smith was the Tampa Bay Bucs linebackers' coach for five seasons prior to taking the Rams job



• Offensive Coordinator - Terry Shea; Terry Shea has learned from two of the best offensive minds in league history: Bill Walsh and Dick Vermeil. Most recently Shea served as QB coach in Kansas City, but has also had positions with Walsh at Stanford and as the head coach for Rutgers University



• Defensive Coordinator - Ron Rivera; Rivera gets his first coordinator job in the town where he made a name as a player. Rivera is a local Chicago favorite, who cut his teeth as the Eagles linebackers coach under Andy Reid

FANTASY IMPACT

Offensively, this all comes down to Terry Shea. Lovie is a defensive guy, and he handpicked Shea to run this offense. Is he up to the task? We just don't know, but he is about as well schooled in the passing game as you could ask for, and that bodes well conceptually for Rex Grossman's development. Defensively you can bet on one thing, the team will make the linebackers the focal point of the scheme. Lovie prefers to run a cover-2, whereas Rivera has experience using aggressive zone blitz schemes; how much of each system is implemented probably comes down to evaluating the defensive talent on the roster.

No coach on the Bears staff has experience calling plays in the NFL. This is a surefire endorsement that, no matter how promising the young coaching staff may be longer term, there will be significant growing pains this year. Combine the coaches' inexperience with a reshuffled offensive line, a new starting quarterback and unproven receivers, and this is a team that shouldn't be expected to produce at a high level out of the gate.

New York Giants

• Head Coach - Tom Coughlin; Coughlin takes over for Jim Fassel in New York in an unmistakable move to add toughness and discipline to the veteran team. Coughlin had a long stint as the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach, and aside from being a noted disciplinarian has a long history as an offensive coach, including serving under Bill Parcells for three seasons in New York



• Offensive Coordinator - John Hufnagel; Coughlin selected John Hufnagel, the Patriots QB coach in 2003, shortly after the Patriots won the Super Bowl. Hufnagel will be responsible for grooming Eli Manning much in the way he worked with Tom Brady in New England



• Defensive Coordinator - Tim Lewis; Tim Lewis joins the Giants staff after being let go by Bill Cowher in Pittsburgh. Lewis served as the Steelers defensive coordinator for the last few years, and is best known for his blitzing style, using linebackers to pressure the QB

FANTASY IMPACT

Tom Coughlin joins the Giants under similar circumstances to when he took over the expansion Jaguars. While the Giants have a cadre of proven veterans, the team appears committed to rebuilding around Eli Manning. Rookie quarterbacks struggle, but you can be sure that Coughlin will install an efficient passing offense. Coughlin's teams threw more TDs than INTs in all but one season. Recall the success that Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell enjoyed under Coughlin; which projects well for Amani Toomer, the Giants most talented and reliable pass catcher.

In looking over Coughlin's body of work, you see that his teams have never been horrible offensively; which again is a testament to his focus on minimizing turnovers and playing disciplined football. In contrast, his teams have never had a high yards per carry (odd given the presence of Fred Taylor in Jacksonville). While we're fans of Tiki Barber, it's unclear how he'll fit into Coughlin's offense and must not turn the ball over as he did in 2003; Coughlin's autocratic style won't tolerate turnovers of any kind.

Although it's not shown in the data, Coughlin has historically favored a goal line back. If Coughlin installs holdover Ron Dayne (or perhaps brings in a veteran such as Stacey Mack), that would negatively impact the fantasy value of Tiki Barber.

On the defensive front, the Giants are sure to blitz quite a bit more under Lewis, known for using aggressive blitz schemes, particularly with his linebackers.

Oakland Raiders

• Head Coach - Norv Turner; Norv Turner apparently wanted so desperately to be an NFL head coach again that he took a job most coordinators had the foresight to turn down. Turner accepted a five-year deal to coach the Raiders and brings with him years of experience running the offenses in Dallas, San Diego, Miami and Washington (where he was also the head coach)



• Offensive Coordinator - Jimmy Raye; Jimmy Raye, a Jets assistant the last two seasons, has been an offensive coordinator three times previously, and has coached for ten teams in his career. Raye is a fellow proponent of the vertical passing game set up by power running, similar to Turner's modus operandi



• Defensive Coordinator - Rob Ryan; Rob Ryan, the son of defensive guru Bubby Ryan, spent the last four years coaching linebackers for the New England Patriots. Ryan got his start in the NFL as a secondary coach under his father in Arizona. He's also served as the coordinator at Oklahoma State

FANTASY IMPACT

After a lengthy and embarrassing coaching search, the Raiders landed Turner. Turner, who first made his mark as the offensive coordinator for the dominant Cowboys teams of the early 1990s, is often credited as an "offensive genius" by many pundits and casual observers alike. Yet, in looking at his vast body of work, it's difficult to say that Turner has consistently delivered the maximum output from his team's personnel.

Just take a look at the MIN & MAX values for Turner's offensive units and you'll see startling contrast. In terms of the passing game, Turner favors a downfield passing attack along with an aggressive power running game. Are the Raiders suited for such an offense? The Raiders should have the makings of a solid offensive line, after spending high draft picks on T Robert Gallery and C/G Jake Grove; who join a talented veteran group. It may take some time for the line to gel, but over the course of the season the unit should be effective. The offensive line has to be a difference maker because the team has question marks at the skill positions. Will Rich Gannon bounce back at the age of 39 from shoulder surgery? Which RBs will emerge from the half dozen currently on the roster? Do Jerry Rice and Tim Brown have enough left in the tank and if not, can Jerry Porter ascend into the WR1 spot?

The bottom line with Turner is that he doesn't appear to make stars where there aren't any already. In other words, when he has talented players (e.g., Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman, Ricky Williams), he gets solid production; but rarely if ever has he crafted an offensive attack from players that weren't expected to produce.

With that in mind, don't expect miracles from the Oakland offense in 2004. Defensively, Rob Ryan will install an aggressive 3-4 defense with massive tackles Ted Washington and Warren Sapp manning the middle.

Washington Redskins

• Head Coach - Joe Gibbs; what needs to be said about the man who brought three Super Bowl titles to D.C. before retiring to form a NASCAR team? Gibbs returns unexpectedly and has also taken control of football operations, perhaps the only man alive that owner Dan Snyder would've allocated so much power



• Offensive Coordinator - Don Breaux; Gibbs has a deep, experienced offensive coaching staff including Joe Bugel, who holds the title of Assistant Head Coach. But it's believed Bugel will focus on the offensive line. To that end, Gibbs named Don Breaux offensive coordinator. Breaux coached the Redskins running backs from 1981-1993 and then served as a tight ends coach for the Jets and Panthers over the following eight seasons.



• Defensive Coordinator - Gregg Williams; Williams quickly joined Gibbs' staff after being fired as the Bills head coach. Williams was considered one of the most in demand defensive coordinator possibilities, having crafted strong defenses in his years with Tennessee (formerly Houston) prior to becoming a head coach.

FANTASY IMPACT

In 14 seasons calling NFL plays, Gibbs ran the gamut offensively from the rush heavy teams lead by John Riggins to the Super Bowl team that relied on the arm of Mark Rypien. If you're looking for a coach that's not beholden to one style of play calling, look no further than Joe Gibbs. Note the symmetry of his coaching career to date. In 14 seasons, 50% of his play calls were passes, the other 50% were rushes. His highest percentage or rushes in a season - 58%, his highest percentage of passes - 58%. This is a man who identified the weaknesses in opposing teams' defenses, and crafted game plans to take advantage of those weaknesses.

Stylistically Gibbs was known for his innovative motion offense, and also favored max protection schemes to keep the quarterback on his feet. It's exactly that type of scheme that may work well in today's NFL, where teams have built defenses to stop the spread offenses made popular in recent years. There's no question that Gibbs is a bit of a throwback when it comes to rushing the ball. His teams' averaged more than 520 carries per season and the Redskin's aggressive acquisition of Clinton Portis signals Gibbs' intention to pick up where he left off. Some skeptics may point to Gibbs' teams paltry 3.84 career yards per rush as a sign of worry, but remember that Gibbs never had a RB quite like Portis (Riggins and Byner were grinders) and we would caution against holding that against the young RB.

Until someone proves otherwise, we're giving Gibbs the benefit of the doubt and expect big fantasy production from this team. Coaching football is a lot like riding a bike; once you learn you don't ever really forget.

The Redskins are not lacking in talent offensively, with one of the best young running backs in football, two solid tackles, a talented QB tandem and a deep receiving corps. You can count on Gibbs & Company putting an emphasis on protecting the quarterback, which means he'll have plenty of time to find Coles, Gardner & Company on the outside.

Defensively, Williams was the hottest commodity this offseason and will have every opportunity to prove his worth on a team long on big contracts but short on impact. Is this finally the year Lavar Arrington lives up to the hype? Will the team generate a pass rush with the no name line it's assembled? Can Fred Smoot and Shawn Springs pick up where Champ Bailey left off? Stay tuned.

Other Coaching Changes of Note

• Cleveland Browns Offensive Coordinator - Terry Robiskie has been promoted to offensive coordinator after serving as receivers coach in 2003. Robiskie has many years of experience, serving in the OC capacity in Oakland under Art Shell and also serving as a coach/interim head coach in Washington during the Norv Turner era.



• Detroit Lions Defensive Coordinator - Dick Jauron, the ousted coach of the Chicago Bears, replaces Kurt Schottenheimer as the Lions defensive coordinator. Jauron served as the Bears head coach for five seasons and was a successful defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars.



• Green Bay Packers Defensive Coordinator - Bob Slowik was promoted to defensive coordinator. Slowik replaces Ed Donatell, fired as a scapegoat for allowing Philadelphia to complete the 4th and 26th which helped the Eagles beat the Packers in the divisional playoffs. Slowik, who coached the Packers secondary last season, has been an NFL defensive coordinator twice before, with the Bears and the Browns.



• Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Coordinator - Gunther Cunningham, long time Chiefs assistant coach and former head coach, has returned home to serve as Dick Vermeil's defensive coordinator. Most recently Cunningham was coaching the linebackers in Tennessee.



• Miami Dolphins Offensive Coordinator - Chris Foerster. Joel Collier, the longtime running backs coach for the Dolphins was named the team's new offensive coordinator after Norv Turner accepted the Oakland head-coaching job. However, after a few weeks on the job, Collier stepped down and was replaced by Chris Foerster, who had just joined the Dolphins as tight ends coach. Foerster has 11 years experience coaching in the NFL, most recently as the tight ends coach with the Indianapolis Colts.



• Minnesota Vikings Defensive Coordinator - Ted Cottrell replaces George O'Leary as the Vikings' Defensive Coordinator after serving in the same capacity with the Jets for the last three seasons. Cottrell has 23 years of NFL coaching experience and was the coordinator for the Bills from 1998-2000, fielding a pair of top 3 defenses in the process.



• New York Jets Defensive Coordinator - Donnie Henderson was named the Jets new defensive coordinator. Henderson served as the Ravens secondary coach for the last five seasons.



• Pittsburgh Steelers Offensive Coordinator - TE coach Ken Whisenhunt was promoted to offensive coordinator and Russ Grimm, the team's offensive line coach, was given the title of assistant head coach.



• Pittsburgh Steelers Defensive Coordinator - Dick LeBeau, the man credited with creating the zone blitz, is returning to the Steelers for his second stint as the team's defensive coordinator. LeBeau served on the Bills staff last year after a go as the Bengals head coach prior to Marvin Lewis.



• St. Louis Rams Defensive Coordinator - Larry Marmie, long time coaching associate of Mike Martz, has been hired to replace Lovie Smith. Marmie most recently held the defensive coordinator job in Arizona.



• San Diego Chargers Defensive Coordinator - Wade Phillips, most recently defensive coordinator for the Falcons, has accepted the same position under Marty Schottenheimer in San Diego. Phillips has served as head coach of the Bills, and held numerous coordinator positions throughout the years.



• San Francisco 49ers Offensive Coordinator - Ted Tollner has accepted a promotion to offensive coordinator of the 49ers. Tollner served as the team's QB coach under Greg Knapp, who is now in Atlanta.



• San Francisco 49ers Defensive Coordinator - SF hired Willy Robinson as its new defensive coordinator. Robinson had spent the last four years as the Steelers secondary coach, and is a long time associate of head coach Dennis Erickson dating back to the University of Miami days.