Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - He doesn't catch a pass, take a handoff or make a tackle, yet the head coach is the foremost influential figure in each and every NFL organization. As the old
football axiom goes, great coaching and average talent will always beat poor coaching and great talent.
Patience has become a virtue of the past now that the NFL is a win-now league. The rise of the Rams, Ravens and Patriots has placed an even greater amount of pressure on coaches to produce results in a shorter period of time. Jon Gruden stepped into an unstable situation in Tampa Bay and led the Bucs to the Super Bowl title in his first season with the club -- why can't you?
THE CHANGES
Dallas Cowboys: hired Bill Parcells to replace Dave Campo. Nobody made a better hire than Jerry Jones this offseason. Luring Bill Parcells out of retirement was pure genius. The Cowboys are the New York Yankees of the NFL and Parcells couldn't pass up on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead America's Team back to greatness. The Big Tuna says he feels good and the health problems that forced him out of coaching have subsided. It will take some time for Parcells to transform the Cowboys into his team, but he's off to a good start. Jones handled the Emmitt Smith situation, while Parcells upgraded the roster with the additions of OT Ryan Young, TE Dan Campbell and CB Terence Newman. Still, the Cowboys have glaring holes at two key positions: quarterback and running back. Parcells must choose between a pair of unproven signal-callers -- Chad Hutchinson and Quincy Carter -- and find help for Troy Hambrick, who takes over for the legendary No. 22 in the Dallas backfield. The return to glory will take longer than one season, but if anyone can restore the greatness it's Parcells. For Better or Worse? BETTER!
Detroit Lions: hired Steve Mariucci to replace Marty Mornhinweg. If at first you don't succeed...you know the rest. Matt Millen began his front-office tenure with the Lions by staking his reputation on Mornhinweg. Five wins in two seasons later and Mariucci arrives in the Motor City as a savior. Mooch lost the power struggle in San Francisco, but his 60-43 coaching record speaks for itself. He has an excellent young QB to work with in Joey Harrington, and first-round pick Charles Rogers is a Terrell Owens clone. However, the big worries are on the defensive side of the ball. Millen drew league-wide ire when he overspent for CB Dre' Bly, who signed a five-year, $24.5 million free- agent contract with the Lions that included a whopping $6.5 million signing bonus. The linebacking corps was upgraded with the additions of veterans Earl Holmes and Wali Rainer, and getting Boss Bailey in the second round of the draft was an absolute steal. This is a long-term project for Mariucci, but he's the right man for the job. For Better or Worse? BETTER!
San Francisco 49ers: hired Dennis Erickson to replace Steve Mariucci. The power struggled that led to Mariucci's departure could be the beginning of a rocky road for the Niners. The club's brain trust was peeved over Mariucci's refusal to open up the offense more and opted to replace him with former NFL coach Erickson, who has installed a pass-happy offense that includes a multitude of formations all intended to take better advantage of Terrell Owens' ability. However, Owens is actually the root of the problem in San Francisco. The superstar receiver wants a new contract before the start of the season, but team owner John York doesn't seem keen on giving the mercurial Owens a $20 million signing bonus. The 49ers will miss Mariucci more than they think. One of the team's greatest strengths was its offensive balance. Mariucci enjoyed great success by pounding the ball with RBs Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow. Erickson seems ready to leave that blueprint in the dust. For Better or Worse? WORSE!
Cincinnati Bengals: hired Marvin Lewis to replace Dick LeBeau. Lewis, the architect of the 2000 Ravens defense, finally gets a crack to lead his own team. While the opportunity was overdue, Lewis is expected to do the impossible in Cincinnati: make the Bengals a winner. However, there are actually signs of life from the NFL's doormat. Lewis won't get a chance to coach super ‘backer Takeo Spikes, who signed a lucrative free-agent deal with Buffalo, but he did lure name free agents like LB Kevin Hardy, CB Tory James and DT John Thornton to Cincy. The saga surrounding Akili Smith is also over now that the team has cut him. The Bengals continued their makeover to legitimacy with a strong draft. QB Carson Palmer, WR Kelley Washington, OL Eric Steinbach and CB Dennis Weathersby all have excellent potential. For Better or Worse? BETTER!
Jacksonville Jaguars: hired Jack Del Rio to replace Tom Coughlin. NBA coaching legend Pat Riley always said that a team can only listen to one voice for so long. After a certain amount of time the coach's motivational techniques grow old and stop working on the team that has heard him say the same things for years and years. That was the case with Coughlin, who was the only head coach the Jags have ever know before Del Rio. While Del Rio doesn't have any head- coaching experience, this appears to be the right move at the right time. Ownership wants to deliver a more exciting product to its football-hungry fans, and this former NFL linebacker has an aggressive attitude that can make the Jags a contender again. Del Rio helped turn around the Carolina defense last year and will have some big-time weapons to work with in Jacksonville. The Jags opened the Del Rio era by spending $47 million on defensive free agents Hugh Douglas and Mike Peterson. Rookie DB Rashean Mathis has the ability to become an impact defender. There are still some problems on offense -- lack of depth behind oft-injured RB Fred Taylor and no solid No. 2 receiving option to complement Jimmy Smith -- but the drafting of Byron Leftwich gave the team a reason to look forward to life after Mark Brunell. For Better or Worse: BETTER!
