We’re drawing nearer to the top of a summer time collection evaluating completely different elements of the groups inside the NFC South. After every of the place group rooms: quarterbacks, operating backs, vast receivers, tight ends, offensive traces, defensive traces, linebackers, cornerbacks safeties, and specialists we now take a look at the teaching staffs within the division to attempt to get a really feel for which group can get essentially the most out of their rosters by way of scheme, tradition, self-discipline and motivation.
Admittedly, this can be essentially the most subjective rankings of the complete collection as there’s a lot that goes into a training workers’s talents, with a lot of it completed away from the prying eyes of media and followers alike. And within the curiosity of transparency, my focus might be on the coordinators of the three main phases of the sport (or the pinnacle coach if he has an outsized affect in a selected a type of three phases)
With these disclaimers out of the way in which, let’s take a look at the NFC South teaching rankings.
Carolina Panthers
Panthers head coach Frank Reich – Photograph by: USA In the present day
Regardless of being unceremoniously dismissed from the Colts mid-season final 12 months, Frank Reich simply has essentially the most completed head teaching monitor file within the division. He’s the one head coach with a profession successful file (40-33-1). Reich can also be an completed offensive thoughts as a part of the workforce that ran the 2017 Tremendous Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. That workforce ranked seventh in yards and third in factors scored. Following that 12 months Reich took over the Colts the place his groups ranked fifth, sixteenth, ninth and ninth in factors scored from 2018-2021 earlier than the wheels fell off in 2022.
Reich was capable of accomplish all of this in Indianapolis regardless of having a brand new quarterback annually together with such superstars as Jacoby Brissett, the ghost of Phillip Rivers and the ghost of the ghost of Carson Wentz. Reich has proven to be a grasp of adapting his offense to the expertise he has as he transitioned away from a fast unfold recreation to a extra RPO-heavy workforce when he moved from having Rivers to Wentz.
Reich is closely concerned within the offense and has dealt with play-calling as the pinnacle coach beforehand. He has employed Thomas Brown to be his offensive coordinator and Brown will deal with installs for the workforce. He comes from the McVay teaching tree, having spent three years there teaching operating backs and tight ends whereas ascending to the place of assistant head coach.
Ejiro Evero enters his second 12 months as a defensive coordinator and his first with the Panthers. He led the 2022 Denver Broncos protection to a strong exhibiting of seventh place in EPA/play.
Greatest EPA/Play amongst #NFL defensive groups in 2022 and lowest missed deal with charge. #ForeverNE pic.twitter.com/9A8oeG0C67
— SportSource Analytics (@SportSourceA) Could 24, 2023
Evero and his unit basically saved Denver in nearly each recreation in 2022 regardless of a lackluster offense. This grew to become a little bit of a operating joke all through the Twittersphere final season. The mix of Reich and Evero is a formidable one inside the NFC South.
Rounding out the Panthers coordinators is Chris Tabor. Reich retained Tabor after he had a profitable 2022 season. Tabor helped kicker Eddy Pineiro to his greatest season since coming into the league and Tabor’s fingerprints had constructive results on nearly each aspect of the particular groups’ recreation resulting in the workforce being ranked tied for sixth by Professional Soccer Focus.
Atlanta Falcons
Falcons head coach Arthur Smith – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
The Falcons have struggled up to now below head coach Arthur Smith. However at 14-20 he nonetheless has a greater head teaching file than each different counterpart within the division, save Reich. And Smith has his bona fides as an offensive coach. In his two years as coordinator in Tennessee his offenses ranked twelfth and second in yards and tenth and fourth in factors. In his second 12 months as head coach in Atlanta he was capable of transfer their offense to fifteenth in factors and third in speeding yards. Dave Ragone is Smith’s offensive coordinator, aiding him with implementing Smith’s model of the vast zone offense.
On protection, Smith has recruited Ryan Neilsen who was the Saints defensive coordinator in 2022. Neilsen led a robust unit that completed tenth in yards allowed and fifth in factors allowed final 12 months. Plus, there’s this nugget.
The Saints protection within the 2nd half of final season:
-2nd in DVOA-1st in yds/play-1st in opp passer rating-4th in EPA/play pic.twitter.com/YPyYYADWOT
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) June 15, 2023
With lots of the additions the Falcons have made to their roster on the defensive aspect of the ball, Neilsen is poised to be a breakout coordinator in 2023. Rounding out the Falcons coordinators is Marquise Williams. Williams has led the most effective particular groups’ models in soccer and helped kicker Younghoo Koo earn a Professional Bowl.
New Orleans Saints
Saints head coach Dennis Allen – Photograph by: USA In the present day
The final two spots within the NFC South teaching rankings have been a detailed battle. Finally, I’ve the Saints edging the Bucs out for third by the slimmest of margins. Head coach Dennis Allen is an uninspiring possibility in my view. I’ve criticized his decision-making up to now equally to that of Bowles. Allen’s 7-10 file in 2022 represents a high-water mark for his profession, as he went 8-28 throughout his 2-plus 12 months stint as the pinnacle coach with the (then) Oakland Raiders.
Nonetheless, Allen is a defensive savant. The rankings I cited for Neilsen final 12 months as defensive coordinator for the Saints have loads to do with Allen’s affect. Since 2019 the Saints protection has ranked eleventh or higher in yards allowed and Prime 13 in factors allowed. That features Prime 10 finishes in each classes every of the final three years.
Working the offensive aspect of the ball is offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael. Carmichael has been the offensive coordinator for the Saints since 2009 however actually had his largest alternative to place his stamp on the offense final 12 months following the retirement of former head coach Sean Payton. With no Drew Brees and no Payton, Carmichael orchestrated an offense that completed nineteenth in yards and twenty second in factors. It’s truthful to marvel if he’s extra of an average-to-solid coordinator given these outcomes.
Darren Rizzi is likely one of the greatest particular groups coordinators within the NFL. His models have persistently ranked within the top-10 of PFF’s grading system 12 months over 12 months. Since Rizzi took over the place in 2019 the Saints have ranked fifth, eighth, 1st and tied for sixth by their grading programs.
Rizzi’s presence is admittedly what gave the Saints the sting over the Bucs for the third spot within the NFC South teaching rankings.
Tampa Bay Bucs
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
The Bucs teaching workers has query marks. And people query marks trigger them to rank final within the NFC South. Head coach Todd Bowles has a greater head teaching file than his counterpart in New Orleans. However he nonetheless has just one successful season as the pinnacle man and a .405 profession successful share.
And like Allen, Bowles has some critical defensive chops. The Bucs have had sturdy defenses in every of his 4 seasons in Tampa Bay, with the 2020 unit proving to be one of many league’s greatest. The considerations surrounding Bowles are whether or not he can enable a coordinator to optimize the offense or whether or not his defensive strategy to the sport will hinder the opposite aspect of the ball. And there are critical questions whether or not Bowles can embrace in-game analytical decision-making to boost his workforce’s alternatives to win.
Offensive coordinator Dave Canales has gotten off to a scorching begin with the Bucs followers and media. His work with Russell Wilson and Geno Smith led each to being among the many greatest quarterbacks within the NFL at completely different factors within the final 10 years. However let’s take a step again and acknowledge that he’s a first-time coordinator who has by no means referred to as performs at a big degree of soccer. There isn’t a assure he might be profitable, though his solutions to questions concerning offensive philosophy are definitely promising.
Kieth Armstrong continues to work because the Bucs particular groups coordinator, and lots of proceed to marvel why. The Bucs have had traditionally unhealthy particular groups models below his management. Per PFF, the Bucs have completed twenty ninth, twenty seventh, thirtieth and twenty ninth within the NFL over his 4 years with the workforce.
The NFC South options three head coaches who could also be on the new seat this 12 months in Smith, Allen and Bowles. All three path Reich by a substantial margin in NFC South head teaching resumes. However all 4 function a strategist with a artistic thoughts on one aspect of the ball. And that ought to result in some enjoyable battles within the NFC South division this 12 months.
