Ever year there are coaching changes in the NFL that affect the Fantasy Football landscape. Some changes are good while some are not so good. There are an unparalleled number of coaching changes heading into the 2009 Season.

11 Head Coaches will be starting their first full season with a new team. 12 teams have new Offensive Coordinators while a shocking 20 teams have a new Defensive Coordinator. The Bottom line is that out of the 96 front line Coaches, Head Coach (HC), Offensive Coordinator (OC) and Defensive Coordinator (DC) 43 of them are in the first full year at the position.

The Falcons, Bears, Vikings, Redskins, Bills, Bengals and Steelers are the only NFL teams with their 2008 front line, coaching staffs returning for the 2009 Season.

In this two part series we will take a look at the Coaching changes for the 2009 season and how they may affect Fantasy Football. Lets start with the NFC.

ARIZONA CARDINALS

Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt returns for his third season with the Super Bowl runner up Cardinals. The Cards lost OC Todd Haley to the Chiefs and have split the OC position between two coaches. Russ Grimm takes on the running backs and offensive line coaching duties while retaining his assistant HC title. Mike Miller returns for his second season as the Cards wide receiver coach. Bill Davis moves up from the linebacker coach to defensive coordinator and replaces Clancy Pendergast who moved on to the Chiefs with Haley.

Whisenhunt has done a tremendous job of bringing respect to the desert. Grimm is a very respected football mind who has 17 years of experience as a coaching assistant. Miller coached three wide receivers (Fitzgerald, Boldin, Breaston) to over 1,000 yards receiving each in 2008. Davis guided all three starting Cardinal linebackers to a 100+ tackle season in 2008.

Stats Slant: With this coaching crew, the Cardinals are poised to make another deep playoff run in 2009. Hitch your Fantasy wagon to the Cardinals offence with this coaching staff and enjoy the ride.

ATLANTA FALCONS

The Falcons are one of just seven teams that did not make any changes to their front line coaching staff. This is not surprising when you consider the remarkable turn-around in Atlanta last season. Mike Smith enters his second season as the Falcons Head Coach. Mike Mularkey returns as offensive coordinator for his second season. Brian VanGorder will also enter his second season as the Falcons defensive coordinator.

Stats Slant: You can’t go wrong with coaching staff either. This is another coaching staff that you will want to hitch your Fantasy wagon to for an enjoyable ride in 2009.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Offensively, the same group of coaches returns to Carolina for the 2009 season. John Fox enters his eighth season as the Panthers Head Coach. Fox is as a no-nonsense, defensive minded coach who has a very good relationship with his players. Jeff Davidson enters his third year as offensive coordinator. After seven years in Indianapolis Ron Meeks comes over to Carolina as their new defensive coordinator.

Stats Slant: The Panthers will continue to focus on their power rushing attack. They had 504 rushing attempts compared to 414 passing attempts in 2008 and you can expect more of the same in 2009.

CHIGAGO BEARS

The Bears are another team that returns with its 2008 coaching staff intact for 2009. Lovie Smith enters his fifth season as Head Coach and is under the gun to produce. Ron Turner enters his third season as offensive coordinator and has some new weapons at his disposal. Defensive coordinator Bob Babich is back for his third season with the Bears.

Stats Slant: It’s a make or break season for this group of coaches. The addition of QB Jay Cutler will certainly help. The Bears had a woeful 57.6 completion percentage in 2008 while attempting 528 passes. The Bears drafted WR Juaquin Iglesias and WR Johnny Knox to give Cutler some extra weapons and both of them have great speed to stretch the field. The Bears won’t be passing much more in 2009 (if anything, they will pass less) but with Cutler at the helm they should see much more production out of their aerial attack. The player who will benefit the most with Cutler coming over is RB Matt Forte who will see a lot less bunch formations at the line of scrimmage in 2009.

DALLAS COWBOYS

The Cowboys coaching staff remains basically unchanged heading into the 2009 season. Somewhat surprisingly, Head Coach Wade Phillips is returning for his third season in Dallas. He has also added the duties of defensive coordinator to his portfolio. Jason Garret returns for his third season as the assistant Head Coach/offensive coordinator in 2009.

Stats Slant: This is another group that is on a frazzled rope heading in the 2009 season. The pressure is on in Big D and if the Cowboys stumble out of the gate, changes will come sooner rather than later. The departure of WR Terrell Owens (Buffalo) means QB Tony Romo will finally get a shot to be the true team leader in Dallas. We expect the Dallas coaching staff to bring a more balanced mix of run and pass to the table for the 2009 season.

DETROIT LIONS

After going 0-16 last season there’s no question that changes were needed in Detroit. The Lions 2009 front line coaching staff will all be entering their first year. Jim Schwartz brings his hard nosed, no nonsense attitude with him from Tennessee where he was the defensive coordinator for eight years. One of Schwartz’s first moves was to bring in offensive coordinator Scott Linehan who spent the last three years as the Rams Head Coach. As the OC/QB coach in Minnesota from 2002 to 2004, Linehan directed the Vikings to NFL overall rankings of second, first and fourth in total offense. Gunther Cunningham takes over as the defensive coordinator in Detroit after serving in the same capacity for the Chiefs over the past five years.

Stats Slant: There isn’t anywhere to go but up for this squad. StatsGuru likes the addition of all three of these no nonsense coaches who bring a wealth of experience to the table. We expect the Lions to run an exciting offense in 2009 that will put points on the board. If their O-Line can hold up and if the additions on defense pan out, the Lions have the players in place to make a run at an 8-8 season. Don’t sleep on guys like WR Calvin Johnson and RB Kevin Smith on Draft Day!

GREEN BAY PACKERS

Mike McCarty enters his fourth season as the Packers Head Coach and was instrumental in helping QB Aaron Rodgers have a relatively success 2008 season as the Packers starter. Joe Philbin enters his seventh season with the Packers and his third as offensive coordinator. The Packers defense cost them a lot of games in 2008 and that cost defensive coordinator Bob Sanders his job. Dom Capers comes in as the new DC in Green Bay and brings 24 years of coaching experience with him.

Stats Slant: The Packers will return in 2009 with basically the same offensive package and coaching philosophy in place. They should also be in some shootout type games so there is Fantasy value under this coaching staff. The Packers are changing to a 3-4 defense in 2009 and were focused on adding defensive players during Draft Weekend. They did very well with their selections of DT B.J. Raji and OLB Clay Matthews. This coaching staff will continue to help the offense put up good Fantasy numbers. Under Capers, the defense will be somewhat improved in 2009 but still not much more than a D2.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

The Vikings front line coaching staff from 2008 is returning for the 2009 season. Brad Childress begins his fourth season as the Vikings Head Coach. Childress had a rough first two years with the Vikings but lead them to a 10 win season and the NFC North Division title in his third year. Darrell Bevell begins his third year as the offensive coordinator. Leslie Frazier is back for his third year as the defensive coordinator.

Stats Slant: We see the Vikings as being poised to take another step forward in 2009. This coaching crew has shown slow but steady progress and the pieces are in place for a deep playoff run. Childress was very active in meeting with first round pick WR Percy Harvin prior to the Draft. If Harvin pans out….look out! The addition of OT Phil Loadout will take some pressure of OT Bryant McKinnie and the two will combine to form the biggest set of OT’s in the league. Having coaches who are “openly” active during the Draft is always a good thing. This is the third team we are endorsing as one that you should hitch your Fantasy wagon to based on the coaching staff and their overall philosophy. Enjoy the ride!

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Sean Payton enters his forth season as Head Coach of the Saints and will once again be guiding a team with an explosive offense. Neither 2008 coordinator, OC Doug Marrone or DC Gary Gibbs, will be returning to the Saints in 2009. Marrone went back to Syracuse to take over the HC duties with the Orangemen. Gibbs has replaced DC Gunther Cunningham in Kansas City. Can that be good for the Chiefs? 2008 QB/Passing game coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. has been elevated to run this high-octane offense and is the Saints new offensive coordinator. Gregg Williams comes over to the Saints after one year as the Jaguars defensive coordinator. He inherits a Saints D that was 23^rd in yards allowed and 26^th in points allowed in 2008. He definitely has his work cut out for him.

Stats Slant: The Saints offense will continue to hum along under Payton and PC Jr. Get ‘Em while you can! The Saints D wouldn’t be recommended even if Chuck Knoll were guiding them. The Saints Round 1, Pick 14, (14) selection of CB Malcom Jenkins will help some but not enough to make them a viable Fantasy D in 2009.

NEW YORK GIANTS

Tom Coughlin returns for his sixth season as Head Coach of the G-Men. Kevin Gilbride is back for his third season as the Giants offensive coordinator. The Giants lost DC Steve Spagnuolo to the Rams where he takes over as their new Head Coach. Bill Sheridan moves up, after four years as the linebackers coach in New York, to become the new defensive coordinator.

Stats Slant: These guys have solid credentials, we just don’t believe in them from a Fantast perspective. You will be taking your chances drafting anyone in this coaching system. Need proof? The Giants highest scoring player in Fantasy ‘08 was QB Eli Manning at 36^th overall. That’s not very impressive when you consider that Manning finished just 14^th best out of all NFL QBs’ in 2008. Yikes!

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

The Eagles front line coaching staff is back, unchanged, for the 2009 season. Andy Reid enters his eleventh season as Head Coach of the Eagles. He is also the Executive VP in charge of Football Operations. Marty Mornhinweg enters his seventh season with the Eagles and his fourth as the offensive coordinator. Mornhinweg is widely recognized as a brilliant offensive mind. Jim Johnson returns for his eleventh season as the teams Defensive Coordinator. JJ guided the Eagles to the top scoring Fantasy defense in 2008.

Stats Slant: This group is one of the best there is in the entire NFL and they are one of the most Fantasy friendly crews out there. Under the guidance of Reid, the Eagles made out like bandits at the Draft. This coaching crew is poised to guide a group that will put up some big Fantasy numbers in 2009.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

The Seahawks bid farewell to retired (for now) Head Coach Mike Holmgren and named Jim Mora Jr. as their new HC. Mora Jr. moves up from being an assistant head coach/secondary for the past two years in Seattle. He was the HC in Atlanta from 04-06. Greg Knapp joins the Seahawks as offensive coordinator. Knapp was the OC under Mora Jr. in Atlanta and most recently spent two years as the Raiders OC. Can this be good for the Seahawks and Fantasy Football? Gus Bradley takes over as the new defensive coordinator in Seattle. Bradley has spent the past three seasons under the guidance of DC Monte Kiffin in Tampa Bay as the defensive quality control coach and most recently as the Bucs linebackers coach.

Stats Slant: There are a ton and we mean a TON of questions in Seattle this season. This coaching crew only adds to the pile. We will take a wait and see attitude here and update you in our TEAM PREVIEWS that we will start posting in late July.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Mike Singletary took over as the 49ers Head Coach with nine games left in the 2008 season and went 5–4 including a 4–1 stretch to close out the season. The late season run and his hard-nose coaching style was enough to land him a new four-year contract. Jimmy Raye enters his first season with the 49ers as their Offensive Coordinator. Raye spent the last three years as the Jets running backs coach. Greg Manusky enters his third season as the defensive coordinator in San Francisco. Manusky played 12 seasons in the NFL as a linebacker with Washington, Minnesota and Kansas City.

Stats Slant: Singletary doesn’t put up with poor effort from anyone around him. The question is how much talent does he have to work with? This is another team that we are going to take a “wait and see” attitude with and we will paying close attention to in spring training. These are all quality coaches but do they have the experience and talent to turn the 49ers into consistent winners and make them Fantasy viable? They do have some good things happening including playing a schedule that saw their 2009 opponents post a 113 wins and 142 loses in 2008. We will keep you posted.

ST. LOUIS RAMS

The Rams have new coaches at all three front line coaching positions. Former Head Coach Scott Linehan is the OC in Detroit, OC Al Saunders is out of work and DC Jim Haslett is currently the Head Coach of the Orlando, Florida franchise in the United Football League. New Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo comes over to the Rams from the Giants where he spent the last two years as their Defensive Coordinator. Pat Shurmur joins the Rams as their Offensive Coordinator coming over from the Eagles. Shurmur was the Eagles QB Coach for the past seven years under HC Andy Reid. Ken Flajole moves in as the Rams defensive coordinator after spending the past six seasons on the Panthers coaching staff. Flajole was most recently the Panthers linebackers coach working with HC John Fox in Carolina

Stats Slant: It doesn’t get much greener than this. It’s pretty safe to say that if you drafted a coaches in Fantasy Football, these guys would be Free Agents when your Draft was over. We will take another “wait and see” attitude with this group. We think Steven Jackson is poised for a big year if he can stay healthy and we all know how much the Giants like to run the ball. Will Spagnuolo use Jackson to his full potential? Stay tuned!

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

The Bucs are starting from scratch with their three front line coaching positions. Watch for former Bucs HC Jon Gruden to land in a pre-game TV studio for now. Former OC Bill Muir has moved on to the Chiefs to become their offensive line coach. Former DC Monte Kiffin has joined his son, HC Lane Kiffin, as the DC for the Tennessee Volunteers. Raheem Morris steps in as the new Head Coach for the Bucs. Morris has had a couple stints with the Bucs sandwiched around one season as the Kentucky State Wildcats DC in 2006. In his second go round with Tampa, as their defensive backs coach, Morris helped the Bucs pass D go from a 19^th ranking in 2006 to the #1 ranking in 2007. Morris was scheduled to take over as the DC replacing Kiffin in Tampa but, when the Bucs released Gruden, they immediately elevated him to HC. Jeff Jagodzinski comes in as the new offensive coordinator in Tampa. JJ was fired from Boston College (where he was the HC for two years) after they found out he had interviewed for the Jets vacant HC position. Jim Bates joins the Bucs as their new defensive coordinator after spending time as the assistant Head Coach for the Denver Broncos (2007) and as defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers (2005), Miami Dolphins (2000-2004) and Atlanta Falcons (1994).

Stats Slant: Wait, maybe it does get greener than the Rams coaching staff. With their QB situation up in the air (and after a thorough house cleaning of veterans in the off-season) this group has their work cut out for them. They would go un-drafted as Fantasy Coaches as well.

WASHINGTON REDSKINS

We finish our look at the NFC coaching changes with the Washington Redskins. The Redskins finished the 2008 season by losing four of their last five games including loses to the 49ers and Bengals. We find it somewhat surprising that their three front line coaches are returning in 2009. HC Jim Zorn returns for his second season but will be on a short leash. Sherman Smith begins his second season as offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator Greg Blache enters his second season as well in Washington.

Stats Slant: Which Redskins team will we get in 2009? Will we get the one that opened 6-2 or the one that finished 3-5 in 2008? These coaches know football, we just wonder about the talent around them and their ability to pull the right strings to keep the players focused. Overall we wouldn’t suggest that you hook your Fantasy wagon to any Redskin player based on the coaching staff.

Stay tuned! We will post the AFC coaching changes later in the week.

StatsGuru