Six coaches are headed into the NFL season in their first year on the job. Four of those coaches are rookies, while Pete Carroll of the Las Vegas Raiders and Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots are long-established NFL coaches who are in their first year with their current team.
Pete Carroll, Mike Vrabel Make Their Return
Both Carroll and Vrabel are the closest thing the NFL has to old-school coaches. They set the tone for their assistant coaches and players and want things done their way. Of the two, Vrabel is the most intense and demanding. He is physically imposing and can be intimidating.
Carroll, despite being 73 years old and having been a coach at the college or pro level since 1972, is going to listen to questions and complaints before taking action and making tough decisions.
Many teams did not consider Carroll for their head coaching position because of his age. He is in great shape for someone that has been in the coaching profession for more than 50 years.
However, the Raiders appear to lack talent at the skill positions on offense and Carroll is hoping that veteran retread quarterback Geno Smith can give his new team a lift.
Meanwhile, Vrabel goes back to the team he played for in eight years of his 17-year NFL playing career. He was a linebacker on three of New England’s Super Bowl champions and he was a Pro Bowl player.
Can Vrabel, Josh McDaniels Help The New England Patriots?
While there is no mistaking that Vrabel has been anointed by owner Bob Kraft and in charge of bringing the team back to respectability, there are two major issues.
The first is the lack of quality players on the roster that have turned the Patriots into a last-place AFC East team. The other is the presence of Josh McDaniels as the offensive coordinator.
McDaniels was one of the Patriots’ architects during the Super Bowl era, ranking a distant third behind Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. There’s little doubt that he has aspired to the New England head coaching position throughout his career.
New York Jets Hired Aaron Glenn
Aaron Glenn of the New York Jets is a head coach for the first time in his career. He is coming off a successful run with the Detroit Lions, building a hard-hitting and opportunistic defense that came up with big plays on a consistent basis.
Glenn had a 14-year career as a defensive back that saw him play for Belichick and Sean Payton. He should be able to turn the Jets defense into one of the best in the league. However, will he be able to turn the Jets offense into a unit that functions effectively?
Chicago Bears Hired Ben Johnson
Ben Johnson brings the most buzz of any of the first-year head coaches. He was the primary designer of the Lions high-scoring offense. That unit was the best in the league last season and he is clearly one of the most creative play callers in the league.
It’s one thing to demonstrate that skill with the multi-talented Lions, but it’s quite another to do the same thing with the struggling Bears.
Johnson is optimistic and dynamic but turning Caleb Williams and the Chicago offense into a highly functioning unit will be a much more difficult assignment.
Liam Coen Is Now With The Jacksonville Jaguars
Liam Coen comes to the Jacksonville Jaguars on a roll after doing excellent work with Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If QB Trevor Lawrence can stay healthy, the Jaguars could be a major surprise in 2025.
New Orleans Saints Brought In Kellen Moore
Kellen Moore takes over the New Orleans Saints and is coming off a championship season as offensive coordinator with the Eagles. While that’s impressive, his previous stints as OC for the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers were ordinary.
Brian Schottenheimer Is Leading The Dallas Cowboys
Brian Schottenheimer was the surprise hire by the Cowboys after they fired Mike McCarthy. The son of the legendary Marty Schottenheimer has a 24-year history as an NFL assistant.
However, the perception is that he will be second in charge behind owner Jerry Jones – and always will be.
The only way to turn that around will be for the Cowboys to win games in the season and then in the postseason. That’s something that no Dallas coach since Jimmy Johnson has been able to do consistently.