Two more new coaches in the NFC Central last year. How did they fare, and which AFC coaches may be following them this season?
Rod Marinelli - Detroit Lions
2005 Fantasy Impact:
WR Roy Williams, DB Kenoy Kennedy, DB Dre Bly
2006 Fantasy Impact:
QB Jon Kitna, Williams, WR Mike Furrey, LB Ernie Sims
What Happened?
- Jon Kitna and Mike Martz's passing offense introduced the fantasy world to Mike Furrey but the running game fell apart and the team dropped from 5-11 to 3-13. Ernie Sims was a legitimate fantasy stud, but the rest of the defense couldn't stop anybody. Not many teams average 1400 passing yards per win.
Who could be this year's Rod Marinelli?
- Lane Kiffin in Oakland. With the combination of Lamont Jordan and Dominic "12 Games" Rhodes, the Raiders have the basis of a solid one-dimensional offense. But while their defense has a few fantasy stars, they're going to lose a lot of games. However, Kiffin should do a good job of starting the long rebuilding process just like Marinelli has done.
Mike McCarthy - Green Bay Packers
2005 Fantasy Impact:
WR Donald Driver, LB Nick Barnett, DL Aaron Kampman, DL Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila
2006 Fantasy Impact:
RB Ahman Green, Driver, LB AJ Hawk, Barnett, Kampman
What Happened?
- Brett Favre got (even) older, Ahman Green came back healthy and the introduction of AJ Hawk gave the Packers defense some bite. The weak NFC Central helped their cause as they improved from 4-12 to 8-8.
Who could be this year's Mike McCarthy?
- Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh. The quarterback is ok, but not awe-inspiring. The running game dominates and the aggressive defense carries the load. Sounds a lot like the Steelers. A four game improvement to 12-4 is optimistic, but not impossible.