Draft Guide: NFL Coaching Systems Breakdown

ARIZONA CARDINALS

Head Coach – Bruce Arians (3rd Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Harold Goodwin (3rd Year)

Defensive Coordinator – James Bettcher (1st Year)

Offensive System – Air Coryell

Offense Breakdown: Arians runs the offense and has a pass-heavy playbook that results in good numbers for his quarterbacks. Legendary offensive coordinator Tom Moore is the assistant coach and basically the passing game coordinator. Harold Goodwin is more of an offensive line coach then true offensive coordinator. The Cardinals believe in a power run game setup to complement their wide-open passing attack. The Bruce Arians/Tom Moore way involves the quarterback having complete control of where he wants to deliver the football within the route tree. There will be major fluctuations in production amongst wide receivers when you have a quarterback who changes his mind more often than directions that the wind blows. The good news for fantasy owners is that Arians has preferred to utilize one running back as the main ball carrier. However, with the addition of David Johnson, I have a feeling that we will see more of a committee approach with Johnson and Andre Ellington in 2015.

Players That Fit The System: Logan Thomas, David Johnson, John Brown

Defensive System: 3-4

Defense Breakdown: The Cardinals suffered some losses on defense this offseason, most notably their coordinator Todd Bowles who is now the head coach for the Jets. Taking over is 37-year-old James Bettcher who doesn’t have a lot of experience but has proven to be a pass rush strategist and wizard in getting the most out of his linebackers.

Players That Fit The System: Kevin Minter, Tyrann Mathieu

ATLANTA FALCONS

Head Coach – Dan Quinn (1st Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Harold Goodwin (3rd Year)

Defensive Coordinator – James Bettcher (1st Year)

Offensive System: Air Coryell

Offense Breakdown: Dan Quinn will have little to do with the offensive side of the football, which is why he brought in a young yet veteran offensive coordinator in Kyle Shanahan. Shanahan’s system is centered on what is one of if not the best zone blocking running scheme in the NFL.

His father, Mike Shanahan, and legendary offensive line guru Alex Gibbs perfected the zone blocking system that Shanahan uses back in the mid-90’s. It is a more aggressive style than is used in other places mostly because the linemen are taught to swipe low on would be tacklers in order to create the running lane. As you can see by the volume report, Kyle Shanahan’s offense has done quite well in running the football despite a severe lack of talent to work with. This is a tremendous fit for whichever running back wins the job out of camp thanks to this rushing attack and the talent the Falcons already have in place at quarterback and wide receiver.

Players That Fit The System: Matt Ryan, Tevin Coleman, Julio Jones, Jacob Tamme

Defensive System: 4-3 With LEO Pass Rush

Defense Breakdown: Former Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn takes over the head job for the Falcons and brings with him his former mentor Richard Smith. They are going to do everything they can to replicate the Seahawks defense of the past couple seasons which will take some time. In my opinion, this group had a real good draft and will sort through their roster to find which cornerbacks can get physical and which edge rushers can play standing up.

Players That Fit The System – Kroy Bierman, Vic Beasley, Jalen Collins

BALTIMORE RAVENS

Head Coach – John Harbaugh (8th Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Marc Trestman (1st Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Dean Pees (4th Year)

Offensive System: West Coast Offense

Offense Breakdown: John Harbaugh is a fine assessor of talent but does not have a set system of his own on either side of the football. But Harbaugh has benefitted from an outstanding group of coordinators over the years including six who have served as head coaches in Rex Ryan, Chuck Pagano, Cam Cameron, Gary Kubiak, Hue Jackson and Jim Caldwell.

The Ravens hired former Bears head coach Marc Trestman to guide their offense after the departure of Gary Kubiak to the Broncos. But before you start thinking about a wide-open passing attack or a lot of shotgun formations, slow your roll. Harbaugh made it clear that he wants the Ravens offense to stay the same from Kubiak’s style in 2014. They are going to keep the zone blocking or stretch zone running system which is good news for Justin Forsett and the Ravens undersized offensive linemen. It isn’t clear exactly how Trestman will use his RBs though, as has proven to be a rotational guy in the past.

Players That Fit The System: Joe Flacco, Justin Forsett, Breshad Perriman

Defensive System: 3-4

Defense Breakdown: Dean Pees is a turnover guru who insists on his defenses taking the ball away and scoring once they do. They preach aggressiveness and accountability in Baltimore but this style worked much better when there were stars such as Ray Lewis and Ed Reed to lead it. The Ravens struggled in stopping the passing game last year and will have to both cover and rush the passer better in 2015. The good thing for fantasy owners is the Ravens are a team that can have a big week with their DST because they create turnovers and have players who can take it back to the house.

Players That Fit The System – Terrell Suggs, Jimmy Smith, Carl Davis

BUFFALO BILLS

Head Coach – Rex Ryan (1st Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Greg Roman (1st Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Dennis Thurman (1st Year)

Offensive System: West Coast Offense

Offense Breakdown: I will give Rex Ryan a lot of credit for squeezing as much out of his Jets teams as was possible over the past few years. He also made a tremendous hire at offensive coordinator in Greg Roman. Roman has developed his own offensive style which basically takes the best parts of the power/counter/trap running game along with a spread offense passing game and combines them into a zone read option. This system creates headaches for defensive coordinators and personnel alike. It is extremely difficult for opposing defenses to solve what the goal of each play really is and to have the proper personnel on the field for it.

This style would seem to favor E.J. Manuel over newly acquired Matt Cassel, especially if the Bills want to run any variation of the read option that Roman ran in San Francisco. The running game is going to get a giant kick in the rear though as the combination of Greg Roman and LeSean McCoy should be able to post some real good numbers on the ground.

Players That Fit The System: LeSean McCoy, Fred Jackson, Charles Clay

Defensive System: 3-4

Defense Breakdown: This will be all Rex Ryan’s department as he’ll quickly install his patented 3-4 defensive style with phenomenal blitz packages and disguises. He inherits a pretty good group in Buffalo that has done a great job at rushing the passer and limiting the quarterback/wide receiver production of opponents all the while.

Players That Fit The System – Leodis McKelvin, Marcell Dareus, Mario Williams

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Head Coach – Ron Rivera (5th Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Mike Shula (3rd Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Sean McDermott (5th Year)

Offensive System: Erhardt-Perkins Offense

Offense Breakdown: Mike Shula is one of the worst offensive coordinators in the entire NFL. He is so formulaic and simple minded it is retarding the growth of Cam Newton. When you have a weapon like Newton, you must build a system around him to allow his natural skills to fit the goal of the offense. Cam Newton should be playing in a style of offense that provides him numerous read options and shorter quick pass plays. Instead they run a very simplified offense that is easy to learn and operate.

The focus of the Carolina offense is a ball control philosophy that waits for the defense to put them in position to win. This crushes Cam Newton’s fantasy value and is yet another example of why you must pay attention to the system in fantasy football. Running such a system doesn’t challenge Newton, nor does it intimidate opposing defensive coordinators or players the way it should when you are playing a team with as talented a quarterback as Newton.

Players That Fit The System: Greg Olsen, Jonathan Stewart

Defensive System: 4-3

Defense Breakdown: Ron Rivera and Sean McDermott have built one of the best young defenses in the NFL. On top of the skill, they scheme as well as anybody and maximize the use of their linebackers like few other teams. Linebackers in the Panthers system need to be able to both rush the passer and also drop back into coverage to disrupt passing zones. This is great for IDP league formats in which linebackers will rack up points on tackles, sacks and turnovers.

Players That Fit The System – Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis, Shaq Thompson

CHICAGO BEARS

Head Coach – John Fox (1st Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Adam Gase (1st Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Vic Fangio (1st Year)

Offensive System: Erhardt-Perkins Offense

Offense Breakdown: New Chicago Bears head coach John Fox doesn’t play a huge role in the offensive side of the football. He is the kind of coach that believes in his coordinators to install and upkeep the scheme. His one tendency, however, is to be able to run the ball effectively at any point in the game.

New offensive coordinator Adam Gase is real hard to gauge at this point of his career because, although he worked with Peyton Manning in Denver the past three years, everybody knows that Manning is indeed his own offensive coordinator. The trait that Gase possesses that appealed to both Fox and Bears brass is that he can adapt his offense to suit the quarterback’s skills. That is going to be huge for Jay Cutler and the Bears passing game specifically. Gase and Cutler are familiar and comfortable with one another which is a big component for Cutler’s well-being in fantasy and reality.

The important thing to note here is that running back Matt Forte isn’t going to catch nearly as many passes in 2015 as he has the past two years under Marc Trestman. There will be a significant drop in PPR productivity, so plan accordingly.

Players That Fit The System: Jay Cutler, Alshon Jeffery, Kevin White

Defensive System: 3-4 (4-0-4 Front)

Defense Breakdown: It’s going to be difficult for offenses to pick up what the Bears defense is going to be putting down early on in the season. This scheme is as complicated as any in football and that should help a severely depleted talent pool in Chicago. John Fox is a traditional 4-3 defensive setup guy but he has migrated into some 3-4 sets in recent years with the Broncos. He went out and hired a 3-4 guru in Vic Fangio who himself likes to use hybrid setups that fool the quarterback, especially in his coverages. The defensive line is not up to where Fangio or Fox would like, so this is a squad that will still be run on quite a bit. But it won’t be nearly as easy for opposing running backs as it has been the past couple of years.

Players That Fit The System – Pernell McPhee, Eddie Goldman

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CINCINNATTI BENGALS

Head Coach – Marvin Lewis (13th Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Hue Jackson (2nd Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Paul Guenther (2nd Year)

Offensive System: West Coast Offense

Offense Breakdown: One of the most underrated offensive minds in football continues to be Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. Jackson is an innovative coach in that he will style the running game to the strengths of his runners and accept nothing less than perfection from them. He is also not afraid to revoke snaps and touches to his players if they are not buying in. It is no surprise that we saw a big increase in the Bengals running game last year upon Jackson taking over for Jay Gruden. Jeremy Hill proved to be his weapon of choice, but keep an eye on Giovani Bernard in drafts as well. Jackson loves to utilize pass-catching running backs out of the backfield and Gio was limited by injuries early in 2014.

The less pressure the Bengals place on Andy Dalton, the better. They are breaking away from their pass heavy days and that will result in a bit of a fantasy hit for Dalton, A.J. Green, Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu. Unlike some west coast systems, Hue Jackson does want his quarterback to push the ball down field at least a couple of times per game, if for nothing else than to stretch the defense out. So expect to see more big plays from this style than traditional west coast based systems.

Players That Fit The System: Jeremy Hill, Giovani Bernard, A.J. Green

Defensive System: 4-3

Defense Breakdown: Paul Guenther had a rough go of it in his first season as defensive coordinator. As we suspected, there were come major oversights in coverage packages especially when the Bengals lined up against three and four WR sets. The team missed the preparation former coordinator Mike Zimmer brought to the table. The skill level of this squad is still high and thus are still in the running for an every week DST play as they won’t surrender many points.

Players That Fit The System – Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap

CLEVELAND BROWNS

Head Coach – Mike Pettine (2nd Year)

Offensive Coordinator – John DeFilippo (1st Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Jim O’Neil (2nd Year)

Offensive System: West Coast Offense

Offense Breakdown: The Browns continue to bewilder the rest of the world with their selections for their coaching staff. Mike Pettine was a mess last year as he couldn’t make any quick adjustments nor could he decide on personnel arrangements on either side of the ball.

Pettine clashed with former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan which led to Shanahan’s departure in the offseason. Replacing him is unproven 37-year old John DeFilippo whose biggest accomplishment to date is that Derek Carr didn’t faint and crap his pants in his rookie season last year. DeFilippo has never installed a playbook nor called a single play at any level of football. The idea in hiring DeFilippo was to somehow salvage the teams relationship with Johnny Manziel and somehow get Johnny Football on the right track. All I can say is “good luck with all of that.”

On the positive side, DeFilippo will keep the zone blocking running scheme that worked well under Shanahan last year, although he also wants to mix it up a bit, which cannot be good. The running backs will also likely catch more passes out of the backfield this season which will help carve out some permanent roles for a group that had none in 2014.

Players That Fit The System: Duke Johnson, Isaiah Crowell, Terrance West

Defensive System: 3-4

Defense Breakdown: Jim O’Neil likes an aggressive defensive approach. The Browns mix and match their pressure and keep opposing offenses off balance in doing so. The Browns added first round pick Danny Shelton and third rounder Xavier Cooper to the defensive line which should help them get more pressure on the quarterback. This will be a very undervalued DST heading into drafts and will also feature some breakout IDP players as well.

Players That Fit The System – Danny Shelton, Joe Haden, Tramon Williams

DALLAS COWBOYS

Head Coach – Jason Garrett (5th Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Scott Linehan (2nd Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Rod Marinelli (2nd Year)

Offensive System: Air Coryell

Offense Breakdown: It’s pretty cool when, all of a sudden, you have the best offensive line in football and then your offense suddenly takes flight as well. That is what happened in Dallas last year, but it took Scott Linehan’s realization that running the football was good for business in order for it all to fall into place. What Linehan does is recognize what the strengths are of his team and implements plays, tempo and play calling that maximize that productivity.

This is a classic example of how the offensive system and offensive line work to create success on the field and in fantasy football. The Cowboys are going to run the football and will do so effectively no matter which player is carrying the football. I understand that none of us like Darren McFadden for what he was on the Raiders, but that is why these coaching components are so important to fantasy success. When a player changes teams in football, it means that everything that you thought you knew about him is gone. This offense is a must get as there will be plenty of scoring opportunities to go around.

Players That Fit The System: Darren McFadden, Tony Romo, Dez Bryant

Defensive System: 4-3

Defense Breakdown: Rod Marinelli is a defensive line specialist. He is real good at developing the technique needed to get through and around blockers in route to the quarterback. Marinelli’s squad was able to rush the passer much better in 2014 which ultimately helps those underperforming corners in the Cowboys secondary. His system features more rotations amongst the defensive line as well which helps keep the main guys fresh to finish out games when they are needed the most.

Players That Fit The System – DeMarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory, Orlando Scandrick

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DENVER BRONCOS

Head Coach – Gary Kubiak (1st Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Rick Dennison (1st Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Wade Phillips (1st Year)

Offensive System: West Coast Offense

Offense Breakdown: Gary Kubiak and Rick Dennison have worked together for many years dating back to their days with the Broncos in the late 1990s. Kubiak will likely call the plays while Dennison is in charge of reinstalling the patented cut-block system along the offensive line. This system has generated an incredible amount of fantasy production dating back to Terrell Davis in the mid-1990s. C.J. Anderson should unquestionably be a first round pick if he can adapt to this style of running.

They will not mess with Peyton Manning or the passing game much at all. As we all know, Peyton Manning has his own offensive system and Kubiak has vowed not to mess what that whatsoever. The key to the Broncos offense now though is that they have a fall back plan if and when Manning gets injured or is indeed diminishing in his skills. I fully expect this offense to be among the league leaders in every offensive category in 2015.

Players That Fit The System: Peyton Manning, C.J. Anderson

Defensive System: 3-4

Defense Breakdown: Wade Phillips brings his tried and true 3-4 scheme back to the Mile High city. Although Jack Del Rio also ran a 3-4 base defense, he favored more of a two-gap style for the defensive linemen relying on the linebackers to stay back in coverage. Phillips system differs slightly in that he runs a one-gap style which will have the linebackers such as DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller rushing the line of scrimmage much more often. The Broncos defense under Phillips will aim to put a lot more pressure on the quarterback. Although this will put more pressure on the defensive backfield, this scheme also has forced more turnovers than the previous regime.

Players That Fit The System: DeMarcus Ware, Von Miller, Aqib Talib

DETROIT LIONS

Head Coach – Jim Caldwell (2nd Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Joe Lombardi (2nd Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Teryl Austin (2nd Year)

Offensive System: Air Coryell

Offense Breakdown: Jim Caldwell is not an Xs and Os type of coach that brings any great scheme or new ideas to the table. He is a strong, steady leader who identifies with his players and becomes a mentor to them on and off of the field. If you are one of those people who give heaping amount of credit to former Indianapolis offensive coaches, then just stop reading here because you don’t understand football. Sorry but that is just the hard truth. Some may point to Caldwell’s run as the Ravens offensive coordinator during their Super Bowl run in 2012. Again, this guy got incredibly lucky to be promoted when he was and to witness everything from defensive backs falling down to the power going out at the Superdome. As a head football coach, Jim Caldwell is a placeholder. He had success in his first year in Detroit last season, but from a fantasy perspective he is a zero.

Joe Lombardi is another overrated coach in that everybody thought he was some sort of genius because he happens to be Vince Lombardi’s grandson. The fact that Lombardi gets any credit for Drew Brees (and Sean Payton’s) success in New Orleans is downright ridiculous. The Lions offense is absolutely loaded with talent yet took a significant step back in 2014. The Lions slowed down their tempo considerably last year under Lombardi running just 1,045 total plays compared to an average of 1,131 the previous two seasons. You still want to own the likes of Calvin Johnson, Joique Bell and Golden Tate, but the days of arcade type fantasy numbers in Detroit are over.

Players That Fit The System: Joique Bell, Calvin Johnson

Defensive System: 4-3

Defense Breakdown: Teryl Austin is a well-respected defensive mind that specializes on defensive back development. This is a very important aspect to Austin’s ability considering this division eatures some of the best passing games in the NFL. It is going to be real difficult to replace Ndamukong Suh but the addition of Haloti Ngata and an improved defensive secondary is a very good start.

Players That Fit The System – Haloti Ngata, Rashean Mathis, Alex Carter

GREEN BAY PACKERS

Head Coach – Mike McCarthy (9th Year)

Associate Head Coach/Offense – Tom Clements (4th Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Edgar Bennett (1st Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Dom Capers (7th Year)

Offensive System: West Coast

Offense Breakdown: So the deal is that Mike McCarthy was bummed out that more of his assistant coaches weren’t getting looked at for many head coaching vacancies, so he decided to change things up. He promoted Tom Clements to Associate Head Coach/Offense and has given him play calling duties on game days as well. This is a significant move for the Packers as McCarthy has always called the game for the Packers offense. I’m sure this will intrigue some NFL organizations as to Clements ability, but it also kind of freaks me out from a fantasy perspective.

When you have a successful formula as the Packers do on offense, it doesn’t make sense to shake it up with a job that is of such importance as play calling. I would not doubt if at some point early on in the season McCarthy resumes this role again. Even with Clements calling the shots, this is as good a west coast offense as there is in the NFL right now. Aaron Rodgers knows exactly how to use the underneath routes to set up big plays down the field. The Packers have run the ball much more in the last couple years because of their big RB Eddie Lacy and his ability to move the chains and grind down the clock.

Players That Fit The System: Aaron Rodgers, Eddie Lacy, Jordy Nelson

Defensive System: 3-4

Defense Breakdown: Dom Capers is one of the best defensive minds in the league and handles everything from personnel decisions to play calling on the defensive side. Capers likes to put pressure on the quarterback and his defense is always in constant attack mode. This leads to plenty of sacks and turnovers which make the Packers a pretty consistent fantasy defense. The aggressiveness of Dom Capers’ blitz heavy scheme does leave them vulnerable to the big play at times. The Packers have curiously loaded up on defensive backs in the draft the past two years which I am sure is a response to giving up too many big plays.

Players That Fit The System – Clay Matthews, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Damarious Randall

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HOUSTON TEXANS

Head Coach – Bill O’Brien (2nd Year)

Offensive Coordinator – George Godsey (1st Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Romeo Crennel (2nd Year)

Offensive System: Spread

Offense Breakdown: Bill O’Brien decided that one year being both the head coach and offensive coordinator was enough and promoted quarterbacks coach George Godsey to the offensive coordinator spot. Godsey won’t call plays but he will help O’Brien with his personnel groupings that are so vital to this system.

The Texans run a domesticated spread offense in that they will line up in all different sets so as to disguise the play from the defense. For instance, the Texans will line up with two tight ends on almost half of their plays only to have one move into the backfield and the other split out wide. This is the style that O’Brien and Josh McDaniels established in New England, only the Patriots have it down to a science whereas the Texans seemed almost confused by their own plays last season.

Brian Hoyer is familiar with this setup and will open camp as the QB1 for the Houston offense. This offense could be a top-10 unit in 2015 if Hoyer can run this system 70 percent as effectively as his mentor, Tom Brady, does and if the Texans can squeeze one more big season out of Arian Foster

Players That Fit The System: Brian Hoyer, DeAndre Hopkins, Jaelen Strong

Defensive System: 3-4

Defense Breakdown: Romeo Crennel was a great choice to run the Texans defense last year. Everybody knows that J.J. Watt had one of the greatest seasons in history last year, but few understand that Crennel’s scheme was what allowed him to get to the ball so darn often. Anybody who has watched what Crennel and his mentor Bill Belichick have done on defense over the past ten years knows that the 3-4 is just a base model for their defense. The fact is that they run an awful lot of 4-3 to match up with the ever increasing passing formations across the NFL these days. This could be the single best defense in the NFL in 2015 if they can get anything out of Jadeveon Clowney this season.

Players That Fit The System – J.J. Watt, Vince Wilfork, Benardrick McKinney

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Head Coach – Chuck Pagano (4th Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Pep Hamilton (3rd Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Greg Manusky (4th Year)

Offensive System: West Coast

Offense Breakdown: We are a year away from Pep Hamilton being fired and a real offensive coordinator being brought in to take Andrew Luck to the next level. There is no doubting that Luck is the future best player in the NFL and he has been able to put up tremendous numbers over the past few seasons. But the lack of protection, running game and creativity will limit this offense tremendously from what it could be.

In my opinion, the guy who will likely replace Hamilton is already on the Colts coaching staff - Rob Chudzinski. Chudzinski has more pull here than people realize and there are already elements of his style in the playbook. Chudzinski is a master at involving the TE and as long as his footprint is here in Indy, Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener are strong fantasy players.

They went out and brought in Frank Gore who fits the system quite well despite being 73 years old (in RB years). The need to add a RB stems from Hamilton’s desire to implement the power running game that has eluded the Colts over the past few seasons. The Colts were very successful last year and did so by throwing the ball more than any other team. Expect this recipe to repeat with a little more garbage time running plays thrown in as well.

Players That Fit The System: Andrew Luck, Frank Gore, Andre Johnson

Defensive System: 3-4

Defense Breakdown: Chuck Pagano and Greg Manusky are very strong defensive minds who share a belief in bringing constant pressure via blitz packages. The linebackers in this defense will rack up sacks as well as high volume tackle numbers.

Players That Fit The System – Robert Mathis, D’Qwell Jackson, Henry Anderson

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Head Coach – Gus Bradley (3rd Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Greg Olson (1st Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Bob Babich (3rd Year)

Offensive System: Vanilla/West Coast

Offense Breakdown: There are not enough words or pages in this magazine to express how disappointed I am in the Jaguars hiring of Greg Olson as their new offensive coordinator. First of all, head coach Gus Bradley is completely absolved from the offensive side of the football preferring to let his coordinator lead the way. Obviously Jedd Fisch was not the answer but to have an opportunity to bring in a young, innovative coach to develop Blake Bortles only to settle for the Clint Howard of coordinators is disastrous.

The good news in Jacksonville is that in addition to Greg Olson, the team brought in former Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone and offensive coordinator Nate Hackett to help out the offensive side of the football. Hopefully this crew will understand and implement a strong complement of read-option plays like Bill Lazor did for Ryan Tannehill in Miami last season. But I have my doubts about that.

Players That Fit The System: Allen Robinson, Marcedes Lewis, T.J. Yeldon

Defensive System: 4-3

Defense Breakdown: Defensive coordinator Bob Babich is also a complete goof. I covered him while he was in Chicago and I am not convinced the man has mentally made it out of the Stone Age. Bradley has controlled most of the defensive play calls, which is good. But the fact that Babich has this much power in Jacksonville is quite concerning for a team trying to develop young players. Bradley needs a strong showing in 2015 in order to keep his job and that will need to come from the defensive side of the football.

Players That Fit The System – Paul Posluszny, Jonathan Cyprien, Telvin Smith

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Head Coach – Andy Reid (3rd Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Doug Pederson (3rd Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Bob Sutton (3rd Year)

Offensive System: West Coast

Offense Breakdown: Andy Reid’s offense has ranked in the top half of the NFL in all but 4 of his 16 seasons as a head coach in the NFL. Reid runs a modern version of a balanced west coast system. His system is built around a dynamic all-purpose RB and a quarterback that limits mistakes and moves the chains. With those two elements in place and an offensive line that creates room, the Chiefs offense will move the ball. Jamaal Charles is the focus of this offense and as long as he stays healthy, he’ll be a top-5 running back in fantasy football. Reid will continue to call the plays in 2015 as Doug Pederson will continue to serve as more of a passing game coordinator.

The interesting part of the Chiefs coaching staff is that they have taken to the analytical side of the game more than any other organization in the NFL. They have an advanced statistical analysis department led by former Vikings head coach Brad Childress and stat guru Mike Frazier. Andy Reid has always been interested in the analytical side of the sport and he’s taking it to the next level here in Kansas City. We fantasy owners need to understand that this is going to be the trend over the next decade in professional football. Advanced metrics pertaining to personnel, play calling and player trends will play a big role in the next wave of coaches in the league.

Players That Fit The System: Jamaal Charles, Alex Smith, Jeremy Maclin

Defensive System: 3-4

Defense Breakdown: The defense is led by former Army head coach Bob Sutton who was a longtime assistant for the Jets. This group played inspired football for a good stretch of last season ranking second in the league in points against and seventh in yards against. What is amazing is that the Chiefs are able to generate pressure on the quarterback regularly by only rushing four. They use their LBs to get into passing lanes and break up the quarterback’s rhythm.

Players That Fit The System – Justin Houston, Tamba Hali, Dontari Poe

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MIAMI DOLPHINS

Head Coach – Joe Philbin (4th Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Bill Lazor (2nd Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Kevin Coyle (4th Year)

Offensive System: Spread/Up Tempo

Offense Breakdown: My buddies down in Miami who cover the Dolphins have nicknamed head coach Joe Philbin “Mr. Personality” for the past couple of years. This guy makes vanilla ice cream seem like LSD. Despite his personality defects, Philbin has actually done a decent job in building an offense around his young quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Three years ago, Philbin wanted the Dolphins to be a west coast system in the style of Mike McCarthy and Andy Reid. Today the Dolphins feature one of, if not, the most innovative offensive schemes in the NFL.

I give that credit to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor who came to Miami last season. Lazor has taken the better elements of several different styles and fused them together down in South Beach. First and foremost, Lazor has adopted Chip Kelly’s style of rushing to the line over and over in order to whip through plays and keep the defense tired. Therefore the Dolphins will run a higher volume of offensive plays than most other team in the NFL. He uses a short passing game to set up big play opportunities down the field which is a staple of the new generation of west coast offense. Finally, the Dolphins began using the read-option quite frequently last season and this turned Ryan Tannehill into a game changing beast and fantasy football producer. I expect Tannehill to rush for 500+ yards in 2015 which could put him in the conversation of top six fantasy quarterbacks.

Players That Fit The System: Ryan Tannehill, Jarvis Landry, Greg Jennings, LaMichael James

Defensive System: 4-3

Defense Breakdown: Defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle is a whiz at teaching defensive backs how to jump routes and intercept the ball. He trains his secondary on what routes the offense wants to run and is well versed on the other side of the ball. The entire defense will be improved with the addition of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to plug up the middle of the field. This is exactly what the Dolphins need in order to challenge and one day knock off the Patriots from the throne of the AFC East.

Players That Fit The System – Brent Grimes, Ndamukong Suh, Louis Delmas

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Head Coach – Mike Zimmer (2nd Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Norv Turner (2nd Year)

Defensive Coordinator – George Edwards (2nd Year)

Offensive System: Air Coryell

Offense Breakdown: There are few systems in the NFL that are as tried and true as Norv Turner’s take on Air Coryell. What works for Turner time after time is that he knows that he needs a few key elements for this mid-to-deep passing game. First and foremost, it needs a strong offensive line that can get space off the line of scrimmage for the running back to run through. The Vikings finished 17th in run blocking in 2014. The return of Adrian Peterson will help this in a major way. Turner has gotten amazing fantasy production out of such random running backs as LaMont Jordan, Stephen Davis, Terry Allen and Jackie Battle. He should be able to get Peterson back on track very quickly.

This system also needs a couple of big wide receivers who can get down field and make plays on contested pass attempts. Yeah the Vikings got Mike Wallace this offseason, but he is not the type of wide receiver needed there. Charles Johnson and Cordarrelle Patterson fit the need but both will need to make a couple giant steps forward this season.

Players That Fit The System: Adrian Peterson, Charles Johnson, Kyle Rudolph

Defensive System: 4-3

Defense Breakdown: Defensive coordinator George Edwards has been successful in developing linebackers and that is his background. Zimmer will continue to handle the defensive setup and play calling this year. He will use variations of both a 4-3 and 3-4 system depending on the situation. Without Bill Parcells or Marvin Lewis overriding him, we may finally see the full extent of what a Mike Zimmer defense is capable of.

Players That Fit The System – Everson Griffen, Trae Waynes, Eric Kendricks

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Head Coach – Bill Belichick (16th Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Josh McDaniels (4th Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Matt Patricia (4th Year)

Offensive System: Spread

Offense Breakdown: When they are not blatantly cheating, the Patriots are among the most innovative offensive systems in the NFL. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will create personnel mismatches on offense much like Belichick has made a career out of on defense. The greatness here is that the Patriots can and will line up in anything from a five wide spread formation to a two tight end jumbo package.

Bill Belichick won’t allow his system to get stale. He is continuously changing schemes in order to adjust to personnel and to how the opposition is matching up. The one major difference these days is that Belichick realizes that they need to run the ball more in order to save Tom Brady from getting hit and most importantly, to give his defense time to adjust on the sideline. This is still a spread offense but one that will adjust play to play depending on the tempo and tone of the game.

Players That Fit The System: Tom Brady, Julian Edelman, LeGarrette Blount

Defensive System: 4-3 Hybrid

Defense Breakdown: To say that the Patriots defense fits into any one particular scheme is not realistic. This is a scheme that will jump in and out of sets and coverages in order to lure the offense into making mistakes. They are very good at making quarterbacks believe they have figured something out only to be jumped as if they knew it was coming. Bill Belichick is one of the all-time great defensive strategists. He gets more out of less than any other coach in the NFL. Over the past few seasons, the Patriots have lost quite a number of players to free agency causing them to have to reload year after year which really tests the greatness of coaches. The secondary appears to be a mess in terms of personnel, but this staff has earned the right for you to trust the players they plug into their system.

Players That Fit The System – Justin Green, Jordan Richards, Trey Flowers

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NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Head Coach – Sean Payton (10th Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Pete Carmichael (7th Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Rob Ryan (3rd Year)

Offensive System: Air Coryell

Offense Breakdown: Sean Payton is one of the brightest offensive minds in the NFL and he continues to be on the forefront of the latest innovations in formations and play calling in the NFL. This system is a timing based system in which Drew Brees basically picks an open spot on the field to throw to and the receiver’s job is to get there without breaking stride. This system can look impeccable when run correctly or lead to a ton of turnovers if the quarterback and receivers are not on the same page. Hence, the wide receiver production from the burners will rise and fall dramatically from week to week.

Payton still calls all of the plays and Carmichael does more of the advanced scouting and preparation for Drew Brees. Unlike most coordinator sidekicks, Carmichael is actually a very astute planner and manager of talent. He did well in calling the plays for the Saints during Sean Payton’s one year suspension back in 2012. The Saints finished second in the NFL in yards per game that year and third in points per game as well. This is a very talented group that can and will develop stars and fantasy producers from players you would normally think of as average NFL talents.

Players That Fit The System: Drew Brees, C.J. Spiller, Brandin Cooks

Defensive System: 3-4

Defense Breakdown: I really don’t know if Sean Payton likes Rob Ryan, if Rob Ryan likes Sean Payton or whether either of them want him to be the defensive coordinator. But here he remains after a miserable season for the Saints defense both stopping the run and pass. Ryan is a good coordinator but he seems almost angry with how prolific the Saints offense is at times and this could be souring his attitude and the entire defense’s performance as a whole. Although they addressed their need at linebacker in the draft, I would count on the Saints defense to once again be a bottom half team in 2015.

Players That Fit The System – Stephone Anthony, Brandon Browner

NEW YORK GIANTS

Head Coach – Tom Coughlin (11th Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Ben McAdoo (2nd Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Steve Spagnuolo (1st Year)

Offensive System: West Coast/Up Tempo

Offense Breakdown: Tom Coughlin is one of the better all-around head coaches in the NFL. I give the Giants a lot of credit for not making any rash and terrible decisions to get rid of Coughlin while the Giants rebuilt. In this space a year ago, I questioned whether Ben McAdoo’s system of west coast/up tempo mixed with a power run game would blend well with current Giants personnel. As bad as it started out, by the end of the season the Giants were one of the most effective offenses in the NFL. What McAdoo’s offense did last year was push Eli Manning out of his comfort zone and force him at times to make great plays.

As much progress as they made last season, there is still a lot of room for more, especially from a fantasy perspective. The team would like to have Rashad Jennings healthy as he was tearing it up before going down with an ankle injury. Between a healthy Rashad Jennings and newly acquired Shane Vereen, expect more dump offs and screen passes to the running backs in New York this year.

Players That Fit The System: Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen, Odell Beckham Jr.

Defensive System: 4-3

Defense Breakdown: Perry Fewell was once the toast of the town in New York, leading a defense that captured Super Bowl XLVI. But after several years of futility, he is out the door in favor of another former favorite, Steve Spagnuolo. Spagnuolo will keep the 4-3 setup but will bring a lot more blitz packages back to the Giants. Spagnuolo’s defensive philosophy is to distract the passer while the rush is coming, going as far as to literally bait a quarterback into a potential big play down the field just so that his pass rushers have an extra second to make a play. From a fantasy perspective in an IDP league, Spagnuolo likes to use his defensive backs as pass rushers at times which adds to their value quite a bit.

Players That Fit The System – Jason Pierre-Paul, Landon Collins

NEW YORK JETS

Head Coach – Todd Bowles (1st Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Chan Gailey (1st Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Kacy Rodgers (1st Year)

Offensive System: Spread

Offense Breakdown: Todd Bowles was hired to replace the irreverent Rex Ryan this offseason, which is no small task. Bowles is best known as a developer of defensive backs and anti-passing game strategist. I don’t believe that Bowles will have much of an impact on the offensive side of the ball which is why he went out and hired a known offensive guru in Chan Gailey.

Chan Gailey has been on the cutting edge of NFL offense since the late 1990s. He runs a very unique style of offense that in most ways is a spread offense. But, unlike most spread systems he utilizes a very basic route running tree that makes it relatively simple for both quarterback and wide receivers. The “Pistol” as it has become known around the league, utilizes a lot of shotgun which Gailey believes gives his quarterbacks an extra couple of seconds to make the proper reads. This system also calls for a decent amount of running plays to begin from the shotgun formation. He has been able to squeeze a lot of production out of players like Tyler Thigpen and Ryan Fitzpatrick, so it is hard to argue against this scheme.

Gailey will run a zone-blocking scheme here in New York, something he has done effectively in his last few stops. His offense will rarely line up in the same manner in which the ball is snapped. There is a lot motion among the offensive line in order to gain knowledge of what the defense is doing. This style requires athletes on the line because there are a lot of pulling of the guards and moving pockets. Believe it or not, this type of running game actually suits Bilal Powell the best of all Jets running backs. Keep your eye on him during Jets training camp.

Players That Fit The System: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bilal Powell, Devin Smith

Defensive System: 3-4

Defense Breakdown: Kacy Rodgers was hired to run the defense even though Bowles will be very much involved in the day to day of this side of the football. How it’ll work is that Rodgers will do what he does best and that is work with the defensive line while Bowles will employ his aggressive coverage style on the secondary. The cupboard is absolutely stacked on the defensive side of the ball for the Jets, especially with the offseason acquisitions of Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie and first round pick Leonard Williams. This is going to be a very effective DST in 2015.

Players That Fit The System – Darrelle Revis, Muhammad Wilkerson, Leonard Williams

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OAKLAND RAIDERS

Head Coach – Jack Del Rio (1st Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Bill Musgrave (1st Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Ken Norton Jr. (1st Year)

Offensive System: West Coast

Offense Breakdown: Since Jon Gruden left Oakland after 2001, the Raiders have run out a who’s who of absolute nightmares as head coaches. There was one Hue Jackson season sprinkled in amongst the nonsense, but otherwise this is a hall of fame of dumpster fire coaches. I actually like the Jack Del Rio hire for the Raiders. He is exactly the type of coach they need to get back that attitude and swagger which the silver and black have been known for historically other than the past decade and a half. Del Rio is a strong defensive minded coach that will also motivate his players on the offensive side of the ball. He knows what it takes to develop football players, not athletes as some coaches do.

The offense will be firmly in the hands of veteran coach Bill Musgrave who rejoins Jack Del Rio after the two spent two years together in Jacksonville back in 2003-2004. Musgrave is an old fashioned west coast guy, but he did spend last season coaching quarterbacks under Chip Kelly in Philadelphia. I am curious to see whether or not he pushes the tempo up after this experience. Musgrave gets a lot of credit in NFL circles for developing Matt Ryan during his first three years in the league and also squeezing the most out of veteran guys like Byron Leftwich, Steve Beuerlein, Jeff George and Mark Brunell. The Raiders have a young quarterback in Derek Carr and a talented group of wide receivers as well. But what I am most interested in here is how Musgrave decides to use Latavius Murray. For all of his perceived prowess with quarterbacks over the years, a quick look at his history shows a strong willingness to run the football. Indeed Musgrave’s systems have produced some outstanding individual performances from running backs including Adrian Peterson’s 2,097 season of 2012 and the two best years of Fred Taylor’s career. Murray should be considered a legitimate breakout candidate for 2015.

Players That Fit The System: Derek Carr, Latavius Murray, Amari Cooper

Defensive System: 4-3

Defense Breakdown: Jack Del Rio still believes in the 4-3 base defense though he, like many of the better defensive minds in football, moves his personnel in and out of different setups through the game. Ken Norton, Jr could be one of the best defensive coordinators in football in a couple of years. He is going to be pivotal in developing this young linebacker corps in Khalil Mack, Neiron Ball and Ben Heeney. The days of stacking your DFS lineups against the Oakland Raiders are limited if not over altogether.

Players That Fit The System – Khalil Mack, Charles Woodson, Mario Edwards

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Head Coach – Chip Kelly (3rd Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Pat Shurmur (3rd Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Bill Davis (3rd Year)

Offensive System: Spread/Up Tempo

Offense Breakdown: Chip Kelly is a much better coach than general manager. His personnel decisions over this offseason are bewildering at best. But his offensive system is one of, if not, the very best in the NFL and for fantasy football. The fundamental base of this scheme includes running an abundance of plays one right after the other in order to stop the defense from substitutions and eventually wears them out. Therefore, conditioning is one of the major attributes required here and a main reason certain why players like LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson are no longer in Philly.

Another key component of Kelly’s read-option offensive system is finding where the defensive weakness is and exploiting it. The ball is always in the hands of a player who has a mathematical advantage against the defense. This system is all about leverage and knowing how to not just take what the defense gives you but go for the throat every time. The Eagles will use a variety of players to accomplish this feat, so there is a lot of fantasy impact in Philadelphia these days.

Players That Fit The System: Mark Sanchez, Ryan Mathews, DeMarco Murray

Defensive System: 3-4

Defense Breakdown: The defensive side of the ball has got a lot of work to do if the Eagles are ever going to be serious contenders in the NFC. The secondary is a nightmare and it is only magnified because of the success of the offense. Teams are often having to throw the football against this secondary in order to build or maintain a lead. This puts a lot of pressure on a vastly untalented group. Bill Davis has learned under some of the best defensive minds in the history of football including Bill Cowher, Dom Capers and Dick LeBeau. Thus, the Eagles do make a point of creating turnovers and have been successful in doing so the past couple seasons. But if they cannot create more pressure on the quarterback and stop a very potent passing attack across the NFC East, this team will not deliver on the lofty expectations so many have for them.

Players That Fit The System – Connor Barwin, Jordan Hicks, Eric Rowe

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PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Head Coach – Mike Tomlin (8th Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Todd Haley (3rd Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Keith Butler (1st Year)

Offensive System: Erhardt-Perkins

Offense Breakdown: If there are a handful of coaches across the NFL that have the respect of their players as much as Mike Tomlin, I would like to see it. The Steelers have had a fair amount of trouble with players on and off of the field yet each situation is nipped in the bud and gone before it becomes a distraction to the team. While Tomlin is a great leader, he doesn’t offer much in terms of scheme on either side of the ball.

Todd Haley is one of, if not, the hardest coaches to get along with in the NFL. He often rubs his players and fellow coaches the wrong way which leads to some sort of mutiny everywhere he has been. Maybe Tomlin is able to keep him in check, but it is my thought that it’s just a matter of time before Steelers players begin jumping ship on him. Nevertheless, his scheme is actually quite good for fantasy players. Haley likes to throw the football and his offense does it a lot. As a result Ben Roethlisberger is constantly underrated in fantasy football. Le’Veon Bell had a terrific 2014 campaign but it should be noted that this offense isn’t built around Bell or the run game. It is very possible that the Steelers fall back into the lower third of the league in rush attempts which obviously would hurt the production of a running back who is already slated to miss the beginning of the season due to a suspension. Bell’s production will rely an awful lot on catching the ball out of the backfield this season.

Players That Fit The System: Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant

Defensive System: 3-4

Defense Breakdown: Tomlin was a Tampa-2 guy while in Tampa Bay and Minnesota but has been blessed with the presence of Dick LeBeau and his vaunted 3-4 scheme during his entire reign in Pittsburgh. LeBeau parted ways with the Steelers this offseason but it doesn’t look like Tomlin will change things very much. He promoted longtime linebacker coach Keith Butler to the coordinator positon which should keep this scheme very similar. Some thought LeBeau was too set in his ways as far as disguising coverages, but considering the lack of secondary talent on this club, it is hard to blame a hall of fame coach. Either way, Butler has a tough job to do in rebuilding this secondary, especially considering the division has gotten stronger in the passing game department this offseason.

Players That Fit The System – Ryan Shazier, Bud Dupree, James Harrison

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

Head Coach – Mike McCoy (3rd Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Frank Reich (2nd Year)

Defensive Coordinator – John Pagano (4th Year)

Offensive System: Erhardt-Perkins

Offense Breakdown: Mike McCoy is in over his head as an NFL head coach. This is not to say he isn’t giving it his all over the past two seasons. Still, in 2013, then offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt was able to calm Philip Rivers mechanics and attack defenses with the running game. Last season this unit took a significant step backwards and then there was talk of trading Rivers this offseason. The trouble here is that McCoy is a passive coach with no sense of personnel or scheme. He leaves a lot up to his coordinators which is alright on defense but is taking on water on the offensive side of the ball.

Frank Reich was thrust into the offensive coordinator role last year and had a very tough time of it. What Reich did basically was take the Ken Whisenhunt playbook, which is a much more complicated version of a traditional Erhardt-Perkins type of passing game. Reich wasn’t always sure of where to pivot from unfavorable matchups during the game and that frustrated Rivers and company very much. I am sure Reich will grow into a decent enough coordinator, but this could get ugly real fast if there isn’t a noticeable jump in efficiency early on.

Players That Fit The System: Philip Rivers, Antonio Gates, Melvin Gordon

Defensive System: 3-4

Defense Breakdown: The one constant in San Diego is longtime Charger assistant John Pagano who will continue to run the defense. John is the brother of Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano and a very wise defensive strategist himself. Much like his brother, John Pagano’s defensive scheme is all about stopping the run first and attacking the receivers second. The Chargers are often among the leaders in defensive scoring which is a key to Pagano’s philosophy. This obviously makes for a real good fantasy defensive unit. I love the addition of Mike Nolan to the staff this year as the Chargers linebackers coach. Nolan and Pagano give McCoy two veteran minds to bounce ideas and decisions off of.

Players That Fit The System – Eric Weddle, Brandon Flowers, Manti Te’o

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SAN FRANCISCO 49ers

Head Coach – Jim Tomsula (1st Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Geep Chryst (1st Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Eric Mangini (1st Year)

Offensive System: West Coast/Read-Option

Offense Breakdown: It strongly feels like the 49ers organization as a whole just decided to kick Jim Harbaugh off of a moving train and continue on like nothing had happened. Harbaugh was a maniac, that is for sure. However, I don’t see what this coaching staff is going to bring to the table that Harbaugh, Greg Roman and Vic Fangio didn’t. New head coach Jim Tomsula is definitely a player’s coach, but the scheme here, especially on the offensive side of the football, is lacking big time.

New offensive coordinator Geep Chryst is expected to keep a base west coast offense in San Francisco. His history suggests that the 49ers will throw the ball a lot more than they have over the past few years with Greg Roman calling the plays. The front office has requested Colin Kaepernick run the football more going forward but it is unclear how exactly they plan on doing that. The read-option seems like a natural fit for Kaepernick and I am sure that there will be elements of it in the 49ers playbook this season. But Chryst has an awful history of developing quarterbacks. His quarterback tree reads like a who’s who of miserable failures including Jake Plummer, Jimmy Clausen and Ryan Leaf. Colin Kaepernick strongly endorsed the promotion of Chryst, but most people believe this combination has been a significant part of the problem and not anything resembling a solution.

Players That Fit The System: Colin Kaepernick, Reggie Bush, Vernon Davis

Defensive System: 3-4

Defense Breakdown: Eric Mangini is one of the most disliked coaches in the NFL. Just about everybody who has ever played for him or coached beside him tells stories of crazed psychoanalysis, constant backstabbing and a downright sluggish locker room atmosphere. Mangini has spent the last two seasons coaching tight ends in San Francisco and hasn’t been on the defensive side of the ball since he left New England in 2005. Mangini will keep the 49ers 3-4 base defense intact and try to continue on the success they have had over the past few years. That is going to be a very difficult task without Patrick Willis, Chris Borland and Justin Smith.

Players That Fit The System – Darnell Dockett, Arik Armstead

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Head Coach – Pete Carroll (6th Year)

Offensive Coordinator – Darrell Bevell (5th Year)

Defensive Coordinator – Kris Richard (1st Year)

Offensive System: West Coast

Offense Breakdown: This is by far the most player friendly and overall likeable coaching staff in the NFL. Pete Carroll is both a keen identifier of talent and head cheerleader. System wise, the Seahawks do nothing special on either side of the ball. The obvious mistake so many will do this year is over value the Seahawks players based on their back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. As good of a pal Pete Carroll and crew are, there isn’t anything innovative about how they play football. The Seahawks offense is as simple as it gets in the NFL. They don’t throw the football unless absolutely necessary, making Russell Wilson and the receiving crew barely usable in fantasy. Just take a look at the volume reports (above) and see that the Seahawks rank last or next to last in passing attempts each of the last three seasons. The fact that Russell Wilson has been a useful fantasy quarterback is a miracle on the level of Jonah Hill being a movie star.

Darrell Bevell (AKA Brett Favre’s best friend) has added more running plays to his west coast arsenal because of workhorse running back Marshawn Lynch. The focus of the offense is high percentage plays, which is why players like Percy Harvin don’t fit and others like Golden Tate don’t reach their full fantasy potential. The expectation is that Jimmy Graham will now catapult this passing game forward which is simply not a possibility. This offense is what it is and the success they have achieved here in Seattle means that isn’t going to change anytime soon. Graham will be a weapon, especially in or around the goal line, but his receptions and yardage totals will plunge in this offense. The coaches will get the most out of their players but they also won’t outcoach many other teams either.