2014 NFL Coaching Turnover and Fantasy Football Implications

Apr 18, 2014
2014 NFL Coaching Turnover and Fantasy Football Implications

Every offseason, several teams make the decision to go in a new direction by making a change at head coach. This offseason, seven teams -- the Browns, Lions, Texans, Vikings, Buccaneers, Titans and Redskins -- have new head coaches. We also have 12 new coaches at the all-important offensive coordinator (OC) position. (Texans HC Bill O'Brien will also run the offense.)

To get everyone up to speed, here's a team-by-team review of each coaching staff along with some key pass/rush statistics from the 2013 season. These changes are vitally important to fantasy football owners and lay a solid foundation in preparing for the 2014 fantasy football season.

Note: The average Pass/Rush split in 2013 was 56.6%/43.4%, the average Yds/Catch was 10.87, and the average Yds/Rush was 4.17.

Arizona Cardinals

HC Bruce Arians enters his 2nd season as the head man in Arizona. The Cardinals were 12th in total offense and 16th in points in 2013, which were huge improvements from the previous season. Arians led good offenses during his tenure (2007-2011) as OC in Pittsburgh; the Steelers had an average rank of 11.0 in total offense from 2009 to 2011. His Colts offense in 2012 was also solid — 10th in total yards. Harold Goodwin will continue to be the OC in Arizona, but Arians will still call the plays. Arians does not have a history of using his running backs extensively in the passing game, but Andre Ellington caught 39 passes while playing just 40% of the snaps in 2013, and he’s expected to play a larger role in the offense this season.

2013 Pass/Rush: 57.8%/42.2% - Pass/Rush TDs: 24/12 - Yds/Catch: 11.8 - Yds/Rush: 3.6

Atlanta Falcons

HC Mike Smith is entering his 7th season with the Falcons. Prior to last season, Smith led the Falcons to five straight winning records and playoff appearances in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012. OC Dirk Koetter enters his 3rd season as the Falcons' play-caller after the team slipped from 8th to 14th in total yards over the last two years. The offense will get a boost if WRs Julio Jones and Roddy White and RB Steven Jackson can stay healthy. The trio combined to miss 18 games last season.

2013 Pass/Rush: 67.2%/32.8% - Pass/Rush TDs: 26/11 - Yds/Catch: 10.2 - Yds/Rush: 3.9

Baltimore Ravens

OC: Gary Kubiak replaces Jim Caldwell
HC John Harbaugh enters his 7th season as the main man in Baltimore. His streak of six straight playoff appearances was snapped in 2013. Former OC Jim Caldwell is now the head man in Detroit, so the team hired Gary Kubiak (who was fired by the Texans) to run the offense. In 19 seasons as a head coach or an offensive coordinator, Kubiak’s offenses have had an average rank of 7.8 in total yards and 10.7 in points scored, so this is a solid hire by the Ravens. Kubiak has a history of featuring the tight end going back to his days in Houston (Owen Daniels, now in Baltimore) and Denver (Shannon Sharpe), so his arrival is good news for Dennis Pitta, who figures to flourish in a featured role. The Ravens threw some cold water on the Pitta hype by signing Daniels in free agency, but Pitta should still have a fine year. Kubiak’s offenses have had an average rank of 9.1 in rushing yards, so his arrival could mean good things for Ray Rice, provided his offseason issues resolve themselves.

2013 Pass/Rush: 59.4%/40.6% - Pass/Rush TDs: 19/7 - Yds/Catch: 10.8 - Yds/Rush: 3.1

Buffalo Bills

Doug Marrone enters his 2nd season as the head coach of the Bills. He and OC Nathaniel Hackett ran an extremely run-heavy scheme last year; the Bills were one of five teams who actually ran more than they passed. We’re expecting the Bills to be very run-heavy again in 2014, though the addition of Mike Williams gives the passing game a boost.

2013 Pass/Rush: 48.9%/51.1% - Pass/Rush TDs: 16/15 - Yds/Catch: 11.3 - Yds/Rush: 4.2

Carolina Panthers

HC Ron Rivera enters his 4th season as head coach of the Panthers after successful stints as defensive coordinator for the Bears and Chargers. Mike Shula enters his 2nd season as the OC; the Panthers finished 18th in points and 26th in yards gained in 2013. Shula’s only other OC stint was in Tampa back in the late '90s. During his tenure there, the Buccaneers finished no better than 22nd in total yards, but the team had a winning record under HC Tony Dungy. The Panthers are going to have a tough time throwing the ball after losing their entire receiving corps, though they’re expected to address the receiver position in the draft. The Panthers ran the 5th-heaviest run offense last season and are expected to be very run-heavy in 2014.

2013 Pass/Rush: 49.5%/50.5% - Pass/Rush TDs: 24/14 - Yds/Catch: 11.6 - Yds/Rush: 4.2

Chicago Bears

Marc Trestman enters his 2nd season as the head man in Chicago after turning the Bears’ offense around in 2013. Chicago finished 2nd in points scored and 8th in yards gained in Trestman’s first season after finishing 16th and 28th respectively in Lovie Smith’s final season as head coach. As expected, Trestman’s arrival was good news for RB Matt Forte, who set a career high with 74 receptions. Alshon Jeffery also flourished in his second season, so big things are expected from the Chicago offense in 2014. Aaron Kromer will continue to serve as OC, though make no mistake — this is Trestman’s offense through and through.

2013 Pass/Rush: 59.0%/41.0% - Pass/Rush TDs: 32/13 - Yds/Catch: 11.9 - Yds/Rush: 4.5

Cincinnati Bengals

OC: Hue Jackson replaces Jay Gruden
HC Marvin Lewis enters his 11th season with the Bengals, and has compiled a 30-18 record the last two seasons with three playoff berths. New OC Hue Jackson replaces Jay Gruden, who left to become the head man for the Redskins. Jackson was the running backs coach in 2013 after coaching the secondary in 2012. Jackson ran the Raiders’ offense in 2010 and 2011 and was pretty run-heavy, throwing the ball just 51.1% of the time while finishing 4th and 7th in rushing attempts. Compare that with Gruden’s Bengals, who threw it 55.0% of the time during the last two seasons. He also had success with Stephen Davis in Washington and Warrick Dunn in Atlanta. The Bengals figure to go a bit more run-heavy in 2014, though Jackson never had a wideout the caliber of A.J. Green during his time in Oakland. Jackson’s promotion looks like good news for Giovani Bernard, who is expected to see a jump in touches from the 226 he saw as a rookie. Green and Andy Dalton may take a hit as Jackson takes the offense in a more run-heavy direction.

2013 Pass/Rush: 55.0%/45.0% - Pass/Rush TDs: 33/14 - Yds/Catch: 11.9 - Yds/Rush: 3.7

Cleveland Browns

HC: Mike Pettine replaces Rob Chudzinski
OC: Kyle Shanahan replaces Norv Turner

One year after hiring HC Rob Chudzinski and OC Norv Turner, the Browns are at it again, this time hiring Mike Pettine as head coach and Kyle Shanahan as offensive coordinator. Pettine is a defensive coach, so this will be Shanahan’s offense. He was the OC for the Texans from 2008 to 2009 and the Redskins from 2010 to 2013. In his six-year career as an OC, his offenses have had an average ranking of 9.2 in yards and 17.5 in points scored. Pierre Garcon led the league in targets in 2013, so Josh Gordon should see a ton of work as the “X” receiver in Shanahan’s offense. Jordan Cameron will continue to see plenty of work as well (a la Jordan Reed). The Redskins were top 5 in rushing yards the last two seasons, so this was a good landing spot for free agent RB Ben Tate. But the upside of Cleveland’s offense will depend largely on what kind of play Shanahan is able to get at the quarterback position. Brian Hoyer is penciled in as the starter, but the Browns may elect to pick a passer early in the draft. In Gordon, Cameron and Tate, there is plenty of supporting talent to make this a top 10 offense if the quarterback play is solid.

2013 Pass/Rush: 66.3%/33.7% - Pass/Rush TDs: 25/4 - Yds/Catch: 11.5 - Yds/Rush: 3.9

Dallas Cowboys

OC: Scott Linehan joins Bill Callahan (still with team)
HC Jason Garrett is entering his 4th season as head coach, but it seems that he will relinquish play calling duties to the newly hired Scott Linehan, who will apparently share OC duties with Bill Callahan. If this is Linehan’s offense, it should be an upgrade for the Cowboys. He spent the last five years running the Lions’ offense, which finished in the top 6 in yards gained in each of the last three seasons. Linehan has been fairly pass-happy in recent years, finishing in the top 5 in pass attempts in five straight seasons. After finishing 31st and 25th in rush attempts in 2011 and 2012, the Lions were 14th in rush attempts in 2013, so Linehan may bring that newfound balance to Dallas to utilize the solid play of RB DeMarco Murray. The Linehan hire looks good for the entire offense, especially Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and Terrance Williams.

2013 Pass/Rush: 63.6%/36.4% - Pass/Rush TDs: 33/12 - Yds/Catch: 11.3 - Yds/Rush: 4.5

Denver Broncos

HC John Fox is in his 4th season as the head honcho in Denver. Adam Gase enters his 2nd season as OC. Peyton Manning will continue to have a big role in shaping this offense, so we're not expecting much of a drop-off in production. The loss of Eric Decker may sting, but the team signed Emmanuel Sanders, who should be able to fill a similar role in the offense. Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker and Julius Thomas are capable of picking up the slack.

2013 Pass/Rush: 59.5%/40.5% - Pass/Rush TDs: 55/16 - Yds/Catch: 12.1 - Yds/Rush: 4.0

Detroit Lions

HC: Jim Caldwell replaces Jim Schwartz
OC: Joe Lombardi replaces Scott Linehan

Former Ravens OC Jim Caldwell takes over for Jim Schwartz as the head man for the Lions. He served as the head coach of the Colts from 2009 to 2011, though his OC at the time, Tom Moore, was running the offense. The team was in the top 10 in both points and yards in 2009 and 2010, but fell to 28th and 30th in 2011, which was the year Peyton Manning missed due to a neck injury. Caldwell had success as the interim OC for the Ravens in 2012, taking over for Cam Cameron and helping to guide the team to a Super Bowl win. Surprisingly, the offense slipped to 29th in yards and 25th in points in 2013, Caldwell’s first full year as an NFL offensive coordinator. Joe Lombardi joins the team as OC. He spent seven seasons with the Saints as an offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach. He’s expected to use a committee at RB, spreading the touches between Reggie Bush and Joique Bell, going so far as to recently say: “I see these guys kind of having a split role and both being very productive.” New Orleans was pass-heavy during his time there, so don’t expect the Lions to suddenly turn into a running team.

2013 Pass/Rush: 58.9%/41.1% - Pass/Rush TDs: 29/15 - Yds/Catch: 12.5 - Yds/Rush: 4.1

Green Bay Packers

HC Mike McCarthy is in his 9th year as the head coach and the team's primary play-caller. Expect the powerful offensive attack to continue under the guidance of QB Aaron Rodgers. OC Tom Clements enters his 3rd season as OC, but there's no doubt that this is McCarthy's offense. As long as Rodgers stays healthy, this is a top tier offensive attack, especially with the talented Eddie Lacy carrying the running game.

2013 Pass/Rush: 55.4%/44.6% - Pass/Rush TDs: 25/17 - Yds/Catch: 12.4 - Yds/Rush: 4.7

Houston Texans

HC: Bill O’Brien replaces Gary Kubiak (will also serve as OC)
Former Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien takes over for the ousted Gary Kubiak as the lead man in Houston. The Texans haven’t hired an offensive coordinator, so O’Brien will oversee the offense and call the plays. Prior to Penn State, O’Brien spent five years as an offensive assistant to Bill Belichick in New England. In his two seasons at Penn State, O’Brien passed the ball just 47.2% of the time. This isn’t likely to keep up now that he’s in the NFL, but it should be noted that O’Brien likes to run the ball, which bodes well for Arian Foster. In 2013, Penn State finished 4th in the Big Ten in total yards and 8th in points scored. The Nittany Lions finished 4th and 7th respectively in 2012.

2013 Pass/Rush: 60.5%/39.5% - Pass/Rush TDs: 19/7 - Yds/Catch: 11.3 - Yds/Rush: 4.2

Indianapolis Colts

Chuck Pagano enters his 3rd season as HC of the Colts, though he missed most of the 2012 season due to his battle with leukemia. OC Pep Hamilton enters his 2nd season as the offensive coordinator. As expected, Andrew Luck’s completion percentage rose in Hamilton’s quick-hitting West Coast offense, from 54.1% in 2012 to 60.2% in 2013. Expect more of the same from the Colts in 2014.

2013 Pass/Rush: 59.0%/41.0% - Pass/Rush TDs: 23/15 - Yds/Catch: 11.3 - Yds/Rush: 4.3

Jacksonville Jaguars

HC Gus Bradley enters his 2nd season as the HC of the Jaguars. He was the DC for the Seahawks from 2009 to 2012, and the team's defense became elite under his guidance. OC Jedd Fisch also enters his 2nd season with the team. The offense stayed near the bottom of the league in both yards gained and points scored, but Fisch gets a pass due to his QB situation, the loss of Justin Blackmon and the nagging injuries to Cecil Shorts. Chad Henne is seemingly back under center, so we’re not expecting a big jump in production until the team finds a franchise passer. Free agent signee Toby Gerhart is a dependable three-down RB, and should see a lot of touches as the Jaguars’ workhorse.

2013 Pass/Rush: 61.2%/38.8% - Pass/Rush TDs: 16/7 - Yds/Catch: 10.7 - Yds/Rush: 3.4

Kansas City Chiefs

Andy Reid enters his 2nd season running the Chiefs. The Chiefs finished 6th in points and 21st in yards in 2013 after finishing 32nd and 24th respectively the previous season. Doug Pederson is staying on as offensive coordinator, but this is Reid’s offense. Expect more of the same in 2014.

2013 Pass/Rush: 55.3%/44.7% - Pass/Rush TDs: 24/17 - Yds/Catch: 10.7 - Yds/Rush: 4.6

Miami Dolphins

OC: Bill Lazor replaces Mike Sherman
Joe Philbin enters his 3rd season as the head coach for the Dolphins. Bill Lazor replaces Mike Sherman as OC after another season of subpar production from the offense. Lazor spent the 2013 season working for Chip Kelly (and with Nick Foles) as the Eagles’ QB coach and spent time as the offensive coordinator in the college ranks at Buffalo (2001-2002) and Virginia (2010-2012), where he passed the ball 52.3% of the time over five seasons. The Dolphins are hoping that Lazor can replicate Kelly’s run-first success in Miami. The Dolphins had the 4th-highest pass percentage in 2013, but the Eagles were very close to a 50/50 split in 2013. The Knowshon Moreno signing indicates that Lazor wants to run the ball first. Look for Mike Wallace to move around more since the Eagles had success with DeSean Jackson all over the field. Ryan Tannehill may not throw as much but his efficiency should improve. This unit should be better in 2014.

2013 Pass/Rush: 63.1%/36.9% - Pass/Rush TDs: 24/8 - Yds/Catch: 11.1 - Yds/Rush: 4.1

Minnesota Vikings

HC: Mike Zimmer replaces Leslie Frazier
OC: Norv Turner replaces Bill Musgrave

HC Mike Zimmer and OC Norv Turner replace Leslie Frazier and Bill Musgrave, respectively. Zimmer is a strong defensive mind who has served as DC for the Bengals for the last six seasons. Cincinnati has finished in the top 10 in both points and yards allowed in four of the last five seasons, so the Vikings defense should improve. Turner was let go by the Browns after one season as their OC. Cleveland didn’t score very well, but the Browns improved from 31st in yards gained to 18th in Turner’s only season with the team. In 23 seasons as a head coach or coordinator, his offenses have an average ranking of 13.7 in yards and 12.2 in points. Given how well Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron played under Turner (despite a serious instability at QB), both Cordarrelle Patterson and Kyle Rudolph should get a boost with Turner’s arrival. In his career as OC and HC, Turner has featured RBs like Emmitt Smith (averaged 386 touches from 1992-93), Tony Allen (averaged 374 touches from 1995-96), Stephen Davis (averaged 339 touches from 1999-2000), LaDainian Tomlinson (averaged 340 touches in 2001 and 2007-09), Ricky Williams (averaged 436 touches from 2002-03), Lamont Jordan (342 touches in 2005) and Frank Gore (373 touches in 2006). So Adrian Peterson will be touching the ball early and often in 2014.

2013 Pass/Rush: 56.3%/43.7% - Pass/Rush TDs: 18/23 - Yds/Catch: 11.2 - Yds/Rush: 4.9

New England Patriots

HC Bill Belichick is in his 15th season as the Patriots' head coach. OC Josh McDaniels enters his 3rd season as the team's OC. The Patriots were 1st in both points and yards in 2012. In 2013, they fell to 3rd and 7th respectively despite the loss of Wes Welker to free agency and Rob Gronkowski to injury. Gronkowski’s recovery from a torn ACL late in the season will be key to the Patriots’ offensive potential in 2014.

2013 Pass/Rush: 57.1%/42.9% - Pass/Rush TDs: 25/19 - Yds/Catch: 11.4 - Yds/Rush: 4.4

New Orleans Saints

HC Sean Payton returns for his second post-suspension season. Pete Carmichael stays on as OC, though it was Payton who called the plays in 2013, resulting in a 10th place finish in points and 4th in yards. The loss of Darren Sproles and Lance Moore may sting, but Khiry Robinson and Kenny Stills should pick up most of the slack. As long as Drew Brees is under center, the Saints should have a top 10 offense.

2013 Pass/Rush: 62.5%/37.5% - Pass/Rush TDs: 39/10 - Yds/Catch: 11.6 - Yds/Rush: 3.8

New York Giants

OC: Ben McAdoo replaces Kevin Gilbride
HC Tom Coughlin enters his 11th season with the Giants. After the team’s worst offensive performance in a decade, OC Kevin Gilbride retired, and the Giants hired Ben McAdoo to fill his shoes. McAdoo was most recently the QB coach for the Packers. He worked for Mike McCarthy for the last eight seasons, so we’d expect a fairly balanced West Coast offense in the same mold. Given how low the bar was set last year, and how much talent still remains, the unit should be improved in 2014.

2013 Pass/Rush: 59.9%/40.1% - Pass/Rush TDs: 18/11 - Yds/Catch: 11.9 - Yds/Rush: 3.5

New York Jets

HC Rex Ryan is in his 6th year as head coach, surviving a 6-10 season in 2012 and an 8-8 campaign in 2013. Marty Mornhinweg enters his 2nd season as the OC, and the entire coaching staff stays on the hot seat after the team didn’t make much progress offensively or defensively last year. The addition of Michael Vick and Eric Decker should help an ailing passing attack, though the Jets reportedly want sophomore passer Geno Smith to stick as the starter.

2013 Pass/Rush: 49.5%/50.5% - Pass/Rush TDs: 13/10 - Yds/Catch: 12.3 - Yds/Rush: 4.4

Oakland Raiders

HC Dennis Allen is in his 3rd year as the Raiders' lead man and has a primarily defensive background. Greg Olson enters his 2nd season as the OC after his offense once again finished in the bottom half in both points scored (24th) and yards gained (23rd). Olson has seven years of experience as an OC for the Lions (2004-05), Rams (2006-07) and Buccaneers (2008-11) and his offenses have been mediocre at best. The Raiders still don’t have their franchise QB, but they traded for the 32 year-old Matt Schaub who can serve as a stopgap until they find someone better. The let Rashad Jennings walk in free agency, but signed Maurice Jones-Drew and re-signed Darren McFadden, who will compete for lead back duties. James Jones bolsters a suspect receiving corps that has Rod Streater and Denarius Moore in starting roles. We’re not optimistic that the Raiders will be much better on the offensive side of the ball in 2014.

2013 Pass/Rush: 54.3%/45.7% - Pass/Rush TDs: 17/16 - Yds/Catch: 12.2 - Yds/Rush: 4.6

Philadelphia Eagles

Chip Kelly enters his 2nd season as head coach after getting the Eagles back in the top 5 in both yards and points. It’s unusual for a college coach to have immediate success in the NFL, but it looks like Kelly’s system is here to stay. Pat Shurmur stays on as OC, though the team lost QB coach Bill Lazor to the Dolphins. The Eagles cut DeSean Jackson but added Darren Sproles, while Jeremy Maclin will return from an ACL tear. The loss of Jackson will sting, but this should be a good offensive unit again this season.

2013 Pass/Rush: 50.4%/49.6% - Pass/Rush TDs: 32/19 - Yds/Catch: 14.2 - Yds/Rush: 5.1

Pittsburgh Steelers

HC Mike Tomlin is in his 8th season running the Steelers and has enjoyed great success. OC Todd Haley enters his 3rd season as the team's OC. Haley’s offense hasn’t made much progress in two season, but they did improve to 16th in points scored after finishing 21st in that category in Bruce Arians’ final year in the job. Haley has a good track record, however. He ran the Cardinals' offense in 2007 and 2008, and those teams finished 7th and 3rd in scoring, respectively. When he was the HC for the Chiefs, they improved from #23 in scoring in 2009 to #14 in in 2010. The loss of Emmanuel Sanders (and Jerricho Cotchery) may sting, but the Steelers signed Lance Moore and Darrius Heyward-Bey, and also brought in LeGarrette Blount to spell LeVeon Bell at running back.

2013 Pass/Rush: 59.8%/40.2% - Pass/Rush TDs: 28/9 - Yds/Catch: 11.4 - Yds/Rush: 3.5

San Diego Chargers

OC: Frank Reich replaces Ken Whisenhunt
Mike McCoy enters his 2nd season as the Chargers' head coach. He was previously the offensive coordinator for the Broncos from 2009 to 2012. The Chargers had a top 5 offense (yardage-wise) in 2013, but lost OC Ken Whisenhunt to the Titans, so Frank Reich takes over as coordinator. Reich had a long career as a QB in the NFL, and served as the Chargers’ QB coach in 2013, helping Philip Rivers get back to top 10 status in the process. He has never served as an OC in the NFL, but his experience as a player and his six years of professional coaching experience certainly doesn’t hurt. Since McCoy has an offensive background, we wouldn’t expect the team to depart too much from its tendencies in 2013.

2013 Pass/Rush: 53.0%/47.0% - Pass/Rush TDs: 32/9 - Yds/Catch: 11.8 - Yds/Rush: 4.0

Seattle Seahawks

HC Pete Carroll enters his 5th season with the Seahawks after leaving USC with a decade of head coaching experience. OC Darrell Bevell is now in his 4th season after coming over from the Vikings. The team lost Golden Tate to free agency, but if Percy Harvin is fully healthy, Tate’s departure shouldn’t hurt too much. The Seahawks will continue to be a defensive-minded team with a strong running game.

2013 Pass/Rush: 45.3%/54.7% - Pass/Rush TDs: 27/14 - Yds/Catch: 13.1 - Yds/Rush: 4.3

San Francisco 49ers

HC Jim Harbaugh is in his 4th season running the 49ers after guiding his team to two NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl in his first three seasons. Greg Roman returns as OC, so there is strong continuity to the team’s offensive approach. The 49ers may throw a bit more if Michael Crabtree stays fully healthy.

2013 Pass/Rush: 45.2%/54.8% - Pass/Rush TDs: 21/18 - Yds/Catch: 13.2 - Yds/Rush: 4.4

St. Louis Rams

HC Jeff Fisher enters his 3rd season with the Rams after spending 16 years as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. OC Brian Shottenheimer is also in his 3rd season running the offense. In 2012, the Rams improved to 25th in points (from 32nd in 2011) and to 23rd in yards (from 31st), but a midseason injury to QB Sam Bradford stunted any potential improvement last season. The Rams found a workhorse RB in Zac Stacy, so they’ll likely run a balanced offense in 2014.

2013 Pass/Rush: 54.3%/45.7% - Pass/Rush TDs: 22/10 - Yds/Catch: 11.2 - Yds/Rush: 4.1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

HC: Lovie Smith replaces Greg Schiano
OC: Jeff Tedford replaces Mike Sullivan

Lovie Smith takes over for Greg Schiano, who was fired after two seasons as head coach. Smith has a strong defensive mind, so it will be up to new OC Jeff Tedford to run the offense. It’s his first NFL job — he was previously the head coach at California from 2002 to 2012. Even though he has a reputation for being a groomer of quarterbacks, he ran a run-heavy scheme at Cal, throwing the ball just 45.5% of the time in the last three seasons there. The team signed Josh McCown to “compete” at QB, but it appears that it’s his job to lose. Look for an offense centered around the running game, specifically Doug Martin.

2013 Pass/Rush: 55.0%/45.0% - Pass/Rush TDs: 22/6 - Yds/Catch: 10.9 - Yds/Rush: 3.8

Tennessee Titans

HC: Ken Whisenhunt replaces Mike Munchak
OC: Jason Michael replaces Dowell Loggains

New HC Ken Whisenhunt takes over for Mike Munchak after three seasons running the Titans. Whisenhunt was the OC in San Diego in 2013, leading the Chargers to a 5th place finish in yards gained and 12th in points scored. In 10 seasons as a HC or OC, his offenses have finished in the top half of the league in yards gained and points scored seven times. Whisenhunt hired Chargers TE coach Jason Michael to be his offensive coordinator, which bodes well for Delanie Walker’s role in the offense. Also, Whisenhunt’s usage of Eddie Royal (8 TDs in 2013) with bubble screens in the red zone is good news for Kendall Wright, who only has six TDs in 31 career games.

2013 Pass/Rush: 53.7%/46.3% - Pass/Rush TDs: 22/16 - Yds/Catch: 11.3 - Yds/Rush: 4.1

Washington Redskins

HC: Jay Gruden replaces Mike Shanahan
OC: Sean McVay replaces Kyle Shanahan

After three seasons as the OC of the Bengals, Jay Gruden takes over as the HC in Washington. The Bengals were 10th in yards and 6th in points in 2013. In an unusual move, he promoted the Redskins TE coach, Sean McVay, to offensive coordinator, though this will likely be Gruden’s offense. He has a reputation for being pass-happy, but the Bengals threw it (55.0%) less than the league average (56.6%). Assuming they can stay competitive, look for the Redskins to have a balanced offense featuring Alfred Morris in the running game and Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson and Jordan Reed in the passing game. The Redskins finished in the top 10 in yards gained in each of the last two seasons, even though they fell from 4th to 23rd in points scored. Gruden coaxed good fantasy numbers out of Andy Dalton, so Robert Griffin III should have a bounce back season, assuming he’s fully healthy.

2013 Pass/Rush: 57.4%/42.6% - Pass/Rush TDs: 20/14 - Yds/Catch: 11.4 - Yds/Rush: 4.7

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