Good read about first-time DC's

[Bengalholic]

From Cincinnati.com --

Here's an important question that was worth researching: Does recent history show a difference in effectiveness, or lack thereof, of a defensive coordinator in his first time at the NFL wheel?

When analyzing all the current defensive coordinators and looking back at how they performed in their first season as an NFL DC – all the way from Wade Phillips in 1981 with New Orleans to Matt Eberflus in 2018 with the Colts – the results were so inconclusive they were startling.

The average NFL rank in total yards allowed for everyone: 16.3. The average rank in points allowed: 16.1.

A sampling of coordinators shows even in the first year they fall right into line with everyone else. There’s a chance for good and a chance for bad.

There are multiple examples Bengals fans would love to see Anarumo follow.

Dan Quinn was a longtime college and NFL defensive assistant, then in his first defensive coordinator job in 2013 he led the Seattle Seahawks to the top spot in yards allowed and points allowed earning a blowout victory in the Super Bowl against Peyton Manning and the Broncos.

At age 47, Steve Spagnuolo, a longtime defensive backs coach, took over the New York Giants for his first DC gig. They finished seventh overall and his defense dethroned the undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Anarumo’s former boss in New York, James Bettcher, took his first DC job in 2015 and led the Arizona Cardinals to a top-five ranking.

In 2011, Chuck Pagano was promoted to defensive coordinator of the Ravens. They finished third in yards and points allowed and were a New England heartbreak in New England away from the Super Bowl. The next year he was named head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.

Last year, Eberflus guided the Colts to one of the most impressive defensive turnarounds in recent memory after decades spent as a defensive position coach.

On the flip side of this success, a slew of coaches struggled in their first go-round. Even some with Bengals ties like Leslie Frazier, Vance Joseph and Paul Guenther weren’t near the top of the rankings in their first foray into the coordinator world. The list is long as well.

The averages suggest a 50-50 flip and cross your fingers.

[McC]

Well, that's comforting. No it isn't. Yes it is. No it isn't.

[*pally*]

I'll be happy if we hit the NFL averages in year 1. That would still be a major improvement.

[Bengalholic]

(02-22-2019, 09:20 PM)pally Wrote: I'll be happy if we hit the NFL averages in year 1.  That would still be a major improvement.

Absolutely. If Lou and the D can make that jump in year one, I would definitely be pretty damn happy.

[SunsetBengal]

Interesting and noteworthy. I was mentioning earlier today that you really don't know what you have in a coach, until he coaches a season. Some of the best coaches out there, likely got written off as failures, because they were put in a situation with bad talent and poor communications from above, while some of the biggest dolts ended up looking like geniuses because they were blessed with a situation where they had great talent to work with and a HC that had a fantastic system in place.

[Bengalstripes9]

(02-22-2019, 09:27 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Interesting and noteworthy. I was mentioning earlier today that you really don't know what you have in a coach, until he coaches a season. Some of the best coaches out there, likely got written off as failures, because they were put in a situation with bad talent and poor communications from above, while some of the biggest dolts ended up looking like geniuses because they were blessed with a situation where they had great talent to work with and a HC that had a fantastic system in place.

Good point. By the sounds of it he’s going to be in a good coaching environment/good situation. Give him a couple more pieces to work with and he has a good chance. Definitely will be better than last year at the very least.

[Sled21]

(02-22-2019, 09:25 PM)Bengalholic Wrote:  Lou and the D 

Great Band name.....

[HarleyDog]

One thing for sure is these guys are going to go through all this together. I hope they blow the roof off the NFL by year 2.

[THE PISTONS]

(02-22-2019, 09:17 PM)McC Wrote: Well, that's comforting.  No it isn't.  Yes it is.  No it isn't.

It's kind of what you'd expect though. A bunch of teams hire 1st time DC's...so you'd expect it to average out.

Why? Bad defenses fire their coordinator. Good defenses lose them to HC jobs.

The thing is...he was interim for the Dolphins so he isn't a 1st time DC. 

[McC]

(02-23-2019, 11:17 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: It's kind of what you'd expect though. A bunch of teams hire 1st time DC's...so you'd expect it to average out.

Why? Bad defenses fire their coordinator. Good defenses lose them to HC jobs.

The thing is...he was interim for the Dolphins so he isn't a 1st time DC. 

Interim would probably be different, wouldn't it?  He'd probably just be coaching the fired guy's defense and not really implementing his own.

[THE PISTONS]

(02-23-2019, 11:22 AM)McC Wrote: Interim would probably be different, wouldn't it?  He'd probably just be coaching the fired guy's defense and not really implementing his own.

I'm guessing it doesn't count like in baseball if you get called up for 20 games...you can still be a rookie next year.

I tell you what would be a nice stat, that probably doesn't exist: The rank before for a teams defense then the next year AFTER they changed DC's.

Now other factors could contribute like personnel changes, etc. It would be interesting to see just how much of a difference coordinators make.

I think some of the bounce teams get by firing guys during the year is the fact that the new coordinator's calls aren't on tape and are unpredictable to the opposition.