New Set of NFL Head Coaches Looking to Make Their Mark

By: Mo Noorali
Football Review Daily

Every year there is always a huge focus on which players have switched teams, and how each team has changed their personnel during the off-season. People are always looking to see which guy will make the biggest impact on his new team. When these conversations come up though, the names of the people that end up making the biggest impact are rarely discussed. As you can tell by the title, I am referring to the Head Coach. This year we have four teams that have a different Head Coach from the one they had last year. Unlike most years when we look at this list, all of the new Head Coaches this year are exactly that, new, in that all of them are first time Head Coaches in the NFL. It is refreshing to see some fresh faces getting a chance to prove what they are made of, instead of the same old faces being recycled and re-used throughout the league. Since most people are not familiar with these guys yet, here is a closer look at them, and what should be expected of them this year, and for years to come:

John Harbaugh – Baltimore Ravens

Harbaugh is coming over from the Philadelphia Eagles, where he served as the Special Teams coordinator for seven years and as the Defensive Backs coach last year. Expect him to bring over to Baltimore the same philosophy as his mentor, Jim Johnson, and turn the Ravens into a blitz-happy defense. He has already made a great hire for his offensive coordinator in Cam Cameron, and most people would agree that even though Cameron did not work out as a Head Coach, his knowledge of the offensive side is something that will definitely help a Ravens offense that has been struggling for the better part of a decade now.

Expect Harbaugh to be similar to his younger brother, Jim, as far as his coaching style is concerned. He will speak his mind, and wear his emotions on his sleeve. Harbaugh is exactly what the Ravens needed, a young energetic coach that will put some life back into a Ravens team that looked very lethargic last year. Sure we all remember how passionately they played against the Patriots, but the other 15 games, their effort was not at the level that it needed to be at.

Under Harbaugh the Ravens should win around 9 to 10 games, and possibly challenge for a playoff spot in the AFC via the wild card. If the Ravens are patient, Harbaugh could continue to be their head man for many years to come, as he has the knowledge and passion for the game that is needed in every coach.

Tony Sparano – Miami Dolphins

Sparano is probably most famous for being featured in Kenny Mayne’s Mayne Event late last year. In Dallas, he gained a reputation for being a very good coach. He got his chance under Bill Parcells, who gave him offensive play-calling duties in 2006 after Sean Payton left to coach the Saints. His official position with the Cowboys for the last five years was listed as the Offensive Line Coach, and he did a great job turning them into a formidable bunch to protect Tony Romo and open up holes in the running game. He comes to Miami via Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland, who also came over from the Dallas Cowboys. It has been speculated the Parcells “owed him one” after Parcells held Sparano back from joining Sean Payton with the Saints as Payton’s offensive coordinator. Instead, Sparano stayed with Parcells, and has since been labeled a “Parcells Guy.”

Sparano should immediately improve a Dolphins offense that struggled mightily last year. It’s fitting that a former offensive linemen brought in an offensive linemen as the first overall pick in the draft. Jake Long’s development will be accelerated because he has a Head Coach that emphasizes the offensive line, and realizes its importance. While Dan Henning will most likely be doing the play calling for the Dolphins, expect Sparano to have a lot of input throughout the week in the team’s strategy week in and week out. Expect the Dolphins to improve this year from the dismal year they had last year. They will probably be able to win 5-6 games and start on the right path to rebuilding.

Unlike Harbaugh though, Sparano does not fit the mold of an ideal NFL Head Coach. He is a guy that will stand on the sidelines with his glasses on, and not be much of a yeller and screamer. It seems as though those types of Head Coaches are far from the trend now-a-days. Though we still do have guys like Andy Reid in Philadelphia and Mike Holmgren in Seattle, they are the exception, not the rule. Sparano will probably be given a chance for two or three years, but unless the Dolphins show a vast improvement, I expect to be writing about their new coach in 2011.

Mike Smith – Atlanta Falcons

Of the four new coaches hired this year, Mike Smith probably has the best track record. Though many people had not heard his name mentioned on a national level until he was hired by the Falcons, most everyone is familiar with his work. He was the Linebackers coach of arguably one of the best linebacking groups in NFL history, with the Ravens from 1999-2002. The guys that played under him from most of that stretch were Ray Lewis, Adalius Thomas, Jamie Sharper, and Peter Boulware. Due to his successes as the Linebackers coach in Baltimore, he was hired as the Jaguars Defensive Coordinator in 2003. Since then, the Jaguars have become known as one of toughest and hardest hitting defenses in the league.

Smith is going to bring that same smash mouth attitude to the Atlanta Falcons. His hiring will help guys like Keith Brooking and John Abraham elevate their game to an even higher level. Expect both of those guys to have career years this year, as well as for 2007 first-round pick Jamaal Anderson to show a lot of improvement in his game. Similar to Harbaugh, Smith has also gone out and got himself a very capable offensive coordinator to take care of the offense in Mike Mularkey. This will let Smith focus on rebuilding the defense, and gaining from the team what Bobby Petrino never did: respect.

Under Mike Smith, the Falcons will improve, but their record might not show it. They will not win more than 5 games just because the talent is not there. This year, he will build the foundation to succeed: revamp his defense, and slowly bring around his young QB Matt Ryan. If Arthur Blank is patient, he may have found his coach of the future. Blank should learn from the other teams in his division and try to stick to one coach over a long period of time and establish some stability in the organization. His demeanor is similar to that of John Fox, and like Fox has done with the Panthers, Mike Smith will make the Falcons a respectable franchise once again.

Jim Zorn – Washington Redskins

Zorn has built up his reputation with the work he has done with Matt Hasselbeck throughout Hasselbeck’s career in Seattle. He served as the Seattle Seahawks Quarterbacks coach from 2001-2007. Zorn also played in the NFL on and off for 11 years. Most people know that this hiring was made mostly to help with the development of Jason Campbell. The team showed in the draft that they are fully committed to giving Campbell every opportunity to succeed. Zorn’s coaching career, however long it lasts will be measured by Campbell’s success, and they are now forever linked together in their careers.

Zorn is going to bring his experience of being around a consistent offense with him to the Redskins, who have shown flashes of brilliance over the last couple of years, but never seem to find consistency. Unlike Sparano and Smith (and Harbaugh to a lesser degree), Zorn will be expected to win right away in the toughest division in football. His job is simple, turn Campbell into one of the top QBs in the game, and don’t mess anything else up. They want the defense to keep playing the way they did towards the end of the season, seen in the hiring of Greg Blache from within the organization.

There is no doubt that Zorn will help out Jason Campbell, but the fact that he has never even been an offensive coordinator has to concern Redskins fans. He was brought in initially to be the Offensive Coordinator, which is a natural move from being a Quarterbacks Coach, but will the jump to Head Coach be too much to handle? Looking at the situation, it’s seems like the answer to that question will be yes. The expectations along with the pressure that will be put on him by Daniel Snyder is going to prove to be too much for Jim Zorn. He will leave the offense better than he found it, but the next coach will reap the benefits, expect Jim Zorn to put up 2-3 years of 9-7, and be shown the door soon thereafter.

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Which new coach will enjoy the greatest success in 2008? Let Football Review Daily know in this article's comment section.

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