Offensive Coordinator Changes (Part 2)
6/9/09
It might strike people as odd as to why any fantasy sports website
would spend any time detailing the exploits, backgrounds and impact
of assistant coaches. After all, they aren't the ones who face the
camera each week and take an endless number of questions from the
media. They also never step foot on the field actually trying to
execute the plays, right?
To me, turnover in the assistant coaching ranks certainly isn't
the most important thing in determining fantasy player value,
but for it to receive as little attention as it does in a sport
as detailed (and wildly popular) as professional football is mind-boggling
to me. In fact, I'll go back to school to illustrate their importance.
In this model, the players are the students, the head coach is
the superintendent and the assistant coaches are the teachers.
The head coach sets forth the direction of the curriculum and
how it will be implemented. The players generally go along with
the direction and implementation of the program, but sometimes
they will rebel. Just like teachers, assistants are the people
who spend the most one-on-one time with their pupils and, quite
frankly, can be the main reason as to whether or not a player
falls in line or not. In essence, how well they "teach"
the coursework and relate to the students often can determine
whether or not their students will succeed.
Sure, the example is a bit limited because school coursework
isn't centered on what the student does best like football, but
rather what the state requires. But I do believe given that limitation,
we are all too quick to praise or criticize the players and coaches
themselves for failing to live up to expectations when the people
that are teaching NFL Football 101 are generally assistants. The
truth is that for every offense or defense that looks like it
has no clue, there is a Mike Mularkey in Atlanta smart enough
to feature Michael Turner in order not to give Matt Ryan too much
too quickly or a Dan Henning in Miami open enough to innovation
that he allows a new QB coach (David Lee) to come from the college
game and implement the "Wildcat". I can remember being
critical of both Mularkey and Henning in years past for not being
able to mold their schemes in order to suit their team's personnel,
but in 2008, they did.
Last week, we covered five of the
12 teams that made changes at offensive coordinator. Even though
I am going in alphabetical order, it just so happens that many
of the more important transitions - for fantasy owners - are taking
place with this week's six teams. New Orleans also will be sporting
a new OC - Pete Carmichael Jr - after three years of stellar work
as Drew Brees' QB coach. However, I can't imagine HC Sean Payton
will be giving up his play-calling duties anytime soon, thereby
relegating Carmichael to just another set of eyes and ears for
Payton for the foreseeable future. However, I can't imagine HC
Sean Payton will be giving up his play-calling duties anytime
soon, thereby relegating Carmichael to just another set of eyes
and ears for Payton for the foreseeable future.
So, without further delay, let's get it started.
Indianapolis - Clyde Christensen
When Peyton Manning says something negative about his team or
organization, it’s newsworthy. When he suggests there “isn’t
a whole lot of coaching going on” during camp, it may be
time to start worrying about an offense that has been one of fantasy
owners' best friends since he arrived on the scene in 1998. Sure,
turnover in the coaching ranks is par for the course in the NFL,
but Indy has been seemingly immune to this notion since Manning
joined the Colts over 10 years ago. How odd is it then that the
change took place in part due to the league (and the Colts themselves)
for failing to ensure that assistant coaches like OC Tom Moore
and OL coach Howard Mudd would be taken care of into the future
once they retired?
While much of the credit for his 176 consecutive games-played
streak goes to the Manning himself for being such a quick decision-maker,
Mudd's lines have been stellar year after year and deserve high
praise for not allowing the Colts' quarterback to be sacked even
30 times in any one season. (Manning was sacked 29 times in 2001;
in no other season has he been sacked more than 23 times.) While
both coaches will be returning in a consulting role, Christensen
and new OL coach Pete Metzalaars likely will not the same gameday
access to the veteran duo they have enjoyed since joining Indy
as position coaches when adjustments need to be made on the sidelines
during a game. The latest word is that both Mudd and Moore's roles
will not change all that much, but if that is the case, the Colts
then have to be careful not to stunt the growth of Christensen
and Metzalaars because they will be needed sooner than later.
I have a feeling we haven't heard the last of this...
In case inquiring fantasy minds want some reason as to why they
should worry, allow me to briefly remind (or inform) everyone
just how decorated Moore's resume is. Moore coached Lynn Swann
and John Stallworth during the Pittsburgh Steelers' dynasty in
the late 1970s, and wide receiver Cris Carter in Minnesota. In
1994, Moore left the Vikings for the Detroit Lions, where he watched
over the incomparable Barry Sanders and the first set of teammates
to ever catch 100 passes in a season - Herman Moore and Brett
Perriman. Perhaps Moore has been the Phil Jackson of offensive
football coaches, seeing a situation where there were multiple
star-quality players and knowing he could be the final piece in
turning an underperforming offense into a top-notch unit. But
even if that isn't the case, Tom Moore is the only offensive coordinator
Manning has ever known. So while it is true that Manning does
call his own plays at the line nowadays, he always did so with
Moore's help. As Moore often said, his role was to give Manning
"an idea" and it was the QB's job to take it from there.
And don't think for a second that Manning is the only one breaking
down defenses in the film room during the week.
Christensen came up from Tampa Bay with former HC Tony Dungy
to serve under Moore in 2002. Unfortunately for him and the Colts,
he has only one season of calling plays on his resume. Now the
majority of folks out there in fantasy-land will suggest that
when it comes to the elite quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Manning,
it doesn't matter who the play caller is. While it is true that
players make the team and run the plays, it is typically the coaches
that put them in the best position to succeed game after game.
New England is really the only team in recent memory that hasn’t
experienced a fair amount of dropoff after losing a coordinator,
but I believe that is more of a function of Bill Belichick’s insistence
on not counting too much on any one player, hiring good (and moldable)
assistant coaches and making sure those coaches accentuate the
positives their players bring to the table. (As sad as it sounds,
this does not happen near as often as it should in the NFL.)
Now in regards to how this change figures to affect the Colts
offense in 2009, I will defer ever so slightly to team president
Bill Polian, a man whose eye for talent may be second to none
in the league. In all my years watching NFL football - and in
particular, the draft - I have yet to see another personnel man
do their job better than he does. With that said, Indianapolis
will be undergoing a transition unlike any one has seen since
he has run the team. For a team that hasn't seen change at the
top (HC, OC, DC, special team coordinator) since Dungy arrived
in '02, it will have to replace every one of those positions this
season, three of which will be assigned to coaches that have never
held their new posts at the pro level (HC Jim Caldwell, ST Ray
Rychleski and Christensen). With that kind of mass change all
around, it is hard to forecast another banner season for Manning
and company in 2009. With that said, the Colts have enough of
their core back that I don't foresee the bottom completely dropping
out of this explosive offense either.
Verdict: On one hand, the Colts
have all the weapons a play caller would need to make a name for
himself right away. On the other hand, inexperienced coordinators
tend to error on the conservative side. Also consider the fact
that Manning will not be working with Marvin
Harrison for the first time in his career and that two of
his four primary targets will have a combined two seasons of experience
between them (Anthony
Gonzalez, Austin
Collie). Lastly, I would be remiss in not at least entertaining
the notion that the reason RB Donald
Brown was taken in a first round in April was because Caldwell
(and maybe even Polian) wanted to put a little bit more of the
offensive responsibility on the running game. From where I stand
here in early June, I still believe Manning is a top-five fantasy
QB, but at least for this year, I'm not expecting anything more
than the 4,000 yards and 28 total touchdowns he put up last season,
with a better than 50% chance he doesn’t hit both of those benchmarks
for the first time since 2005. Reggie Wayne and Dallas
Clark’s fantasy stock should remain solid and Gonzalez should
ascend into mid-#2 WR status. But if I’m looking somewhere on
this team for a player who will benefit for all this turmoil,
I will go with Brown. Joseph
Addai is the more talented player, but his penchant for injury
and untimely fatigue during games have me believing early on that
Brown will be the Colts’ fantasy RB to own this season.
New England - Bill O’Brien?
As only the Patriots can, there is some doubt about who will
be calling the plays for what could be the league’s best
offense. As of this writing, they have yet to name an OC and probably
will decline to do so, just as they did the year following Charlie
Weis’ departure to Notre Dame. The OC title eventually fell
onto Josh McDaniels, who managed to do just fine with the responsibility.
Although years of experience would suggest that longtime OL coach
and assistant HC Dante Scarnecchia get the job, his plate is plenty
full as it is. Therefore, O’Brien, who worked closely with
McDaniels each of the past two seasons, should be the natural
choice to guide this offense in the right direction. After working
with the WRs in 2008, he will oversee the QBs this time around,
making him a natural pick as the play caller as well. It would
be a rapid rise for O’Brien if it happens as he joined the
club after serving as the offensive coordinator at Duke University
in 2005-06.
O’Brien will be jumping right into an offensive philosophy
that he helped create and install in 2007, the same year the Pats
brought WRs Randy Moss and Wes Welker aboard. There is little
doubt that the team is chomping at the bit to get going again
with a healthy Tom Brady again. While Moss’ assertion in
late May this offense would match or exceed the 2007 record-setting
version is nice, a slow start should be expected from Brady regardless
of how glowing the reports are about his knee - if Brady immediately
overcomes the trust issues every player has following a devastating
knee injury, he would be the first. Additionally, the first-half
schedule of 2009 doesn’t line up quite as nicely for Brady
to surpass his 50-TD standard of two seasons ago. (Only the Chargers
could really challenge the Pats’ offense two seasons ago.)
This season, the Jets, Ravens and Titans all should be able to
stand up defensively to New England’s offense through the
first two months of the season.
But it far from gloom and doom for fantasy owners here. Brady
will eventually trust his knee - probably no later than the midpoint
of the season - and his owners can expect extremely healthy numbers
from him once again giving his familiarity with the system and
the fact that his key cogs - Moss and Welker - will be entering
their third year in the system.
Verdict: So long as Brady, Moss and Welker are around, the Pats
will be tempted to make another run at their record-breaking offensive
output from 2007, no matter who is wearing the headset on the
sidelines. Brady should be considered right up there with Drew
Brees as fantasy’s top QB entering 2009, but as stated earlier,
he probably won't hit the 30-TD mark after eight games like he
did in his last full season. However, Moss should return as the
undisputed #1 fantasy WR again and Welker should continue being
a PPR dynamo. As for the running game, I see little reason why
New England would go away from their three-and-four-headed monster
at RB. Sammy Morris will likely be the most valuable fantasy RB
as long as he stays healthy but Fred Taylor and Kevin Faulk will
also get enough work to be included on fantasy benches. However,
without Mike Shanahan and his revolving door of RBs in Denver,
New England may replace the Broncos as the new king of fantasy
headaches when it comes to picking a fantasy RB off their team.
Oakland - Tom Cable?
Tom Cable's offense will once again be
focused on the run.
Doing their best Patriots' impression, the Raiders have also
elected not to name an official offensive coordinator. Unlike
their East Coast counterpart, they don’t have Randy Moss anymore,
are run-heavy and have little reason for preseason optimism in
the passing game (outside of Zach
Miller). While he has plenty of passing game coaching experience
along with him on the sidelines (QB coach Paul Hackett, passing
game coordinator Ted Tollner), this offense will go only as far
as the running game will allow it. Along with Hackett and Tollner,
Oakland also has two more new assistants, one each at WR and TE.
With a roster that is already void of proven playmakers at WR,
it is going to be that much more difficult for QB JaMarcus
Russell to take any kind of leap toward respectability right
away.
The one thing that Oakland can hang its hat on heading into the
season is its running game, which recorded a top-10 finish in
2008. But as it goes with the Raiders, not even that is all that
great of a revelation for fantasy owners. The one thing that Oakland
does seem to have in common with New England is the fact that
any one of three RBs could have a banner fantasy day in any single
game. (For example, Darren McFadden’s 164-yard, one-TD stunner
in Week 2, Justin Fargas’ 82-yard, one-TD showing vs. the
Chiefs and Michael Bush’s 177-yard, two-TD explosion in
Week 17 against the Bucs.)
Verdict: Starting with the
running game, keep an eye on reports coming out of Oakland this
summer. The Raiders can’t simply dismiss the type of runner that
Bush is and with the addition of Lorenzo
Neal in the offseason, the former Louisville standout doesn’t
figure to go back to fullback. Of course, McFadden returns and
it would be shocking if Al Davis isn’t making it known that he
needs to be on the field more than he was last year. Also, let’s
not forget the team’s leading rusher last year, Fargas, who isn’t
the type of rusher to just let the young kids pass him by. I’d
be surprised if this arrangement doesn’t turn into Earth, Wind
& Fire west with Bush and McFadden getting most of the touches
over the first three quarters and down by the goal line while
Fargas comes in during the final quarter, using his physical style
to punish a tired defense although that means he would also see
the fewest carries of the bunch, ala Ahmad Bradshaw. This is one
situation that will likely go right up to the wire for fantasy
owners who draft in late August or early September, but if one
player such as McFadden were to see the majority of first-team
reps, he could be highly undervalued this summer.
While Oakland may boast three usable options in the running game,
I’m not sure it possesses more than one draftable talent
in the passing game. Considering the mess that surrounded him
last season, Miller’s 56-catch, 778-yard campaign in 2008
stands as one of the season’s more impressive individual
feats. He is certainly a startable player in typical 12-team leagues
that require a starting TE. Outside of that, there is much left
to be desired. No one outside of Al Davis can realistically say
Russell is being given much of a chance to succeed, made that
much worse by the fact accuracy never was his calling card anyway.
At WR, Johnnie Lee Higgins’ 22 catches led his position
in 2008. The team is said to be thrilled with Chaz Schilens and
shocked many with the first-round selection of Darius Heyward-Bey,
so maybe one of those two can double Higgins’ total from
last season. Long story short, I highly doubt I’m drafting
any player - besides Miller - associated with the Raiders who
is dependent on Russell getting him the ball in 2009.
St. Louis - Pat Shurmur
Unlike his uncle, the late great defensive coordinator Fritz
Shurmur, Pat hopes to make his impact on the offensive side of
the ball. (Fritz served as an assistant for the Rams from 1982-90
while Pat spent each of the past seven seasons working as the
QB coach for Donovan McNabb in Philly.) It will be interesting
to see how much Eagles HC Andy Reid - he of the pass-first philosophy
- rubbed off on him over that time because new St. Louis coach
Steve Spagnuolo has already proclaimed RB Steven
Jackson the centerpiece of the offense. Whether that means
Jackson takes on a Brian Westbrook-like stat line or sees something
bordering on the ridiculous 436 touches he managed in his second
full year as a starter in 2006 remains to be seen.
Here’s what we do know: Shurmur and Spags will certainly
eliminate most of the time-consuming routes that the Rams had
become synonymous for over the Mike Martz years (and Linehan to
a smaller degree) such as the deep-in route, emphasizing shorter,
quicker passes and keeping QB Marc Bulger upright. After years
of getting beat up with below-average line play and five-second
pass patterns, it will be interesting to see if Bulger can reclaim
the level of play that allowed him to be a two-time Pro Bowler.
Making his job even more difficult will be the absence of WR Torry
Holt, who was let go in the offseason in part to make way for
the new wave of Rams wideouts including fifth-round pick Brooks
Foster, trade acquisition Laurent Robinson, second-year WR Keenan
Burton and last year’s pleasant surprise, rookie Donnie
Avery. Foster and Robinson fall into a similar category as players
that have been unable to put up numbers worthy of their talent
so far in the college and pro game, respectively. Foster may be
able to blame his weak college stats on the plethora of receiving
talent the Tar Heels ended up with in Chapel Hill. Since being
hyped up by former Falcons HC Bobby Petrino, Robinson hasn’t
been able to stay healthy.
Verdict: After believing in Bulger just a bit longer than I should
have, I find it hard to like his 2009 chances at fantasy success
in a new offense with a team that is clearly in transition. Add
to that the fact that Holt is no longer around and it makes it
hard for any fantasy owner to get too overly excited about any
Ram except Jackson. As long as TE Randy McMichael stays upright
(certainly not a guarantee), he might be a decent fantasy option.
However, with teams now gearing up to stop Avery, I would be quite
surprised if his numbers took much of a jump over last season.
He has the talent to overcome it, but it may not happen until
2010. Therefore, I can’t foresee Avery being much more than
a matchup-type play until then as well, while I can’t imagine
why Robinson or Foster would see the light of day on fantasy rosters
this season. Burton could be a wildcard, but there is enough youth
on the field and enough turnover in the coaching ranks to expect
rough waters for this group of receivers this season.
San Francisco - Jimmy Raye
Since former OC Mike Martz’s philosophies clashed in just
about every way possible with the power-running, ball-control
offense Mike Singletary seeks from his team, it did not take long
for the new HC to remove him from his staff after last season
ended. It did, however, take quite a while for Singletary to find
his replacement. After a brief flirtation with Dan Reeves, the
49ers settled on another conservative play caller in Raye. This
will be the sixth different team he has served as a coordinator
for and the seventh time that Raye has assumed that role for a
team.
Although Raye has led his offenses to several top-10 finishes
in passing offense over the years, don’t expect that to
be the case again, at least not in 2009. First and foremost, QB
Shaun Hill isn’t the type of QB who would expect to flourish
in an offense where he was counted on to attempt 30-35 times a
game. And while Frank Gore won’t be the best RB he has worked
with in his 32-year NFL career (Eric Dickerson probably holds
that title), he is right up there with the best all-around talents
Raye has coached since he tutored Marcus Allen with the Chiefs
back in the mid-90s. As an OC, Raye figures to be what he always
has been - a close-to-the-vest play caller who is focused on pounding
the ball and getting big plays out of the passing game via run
after catch as opposed to using deep speed. With WR Josh Morgan
hoping to improve on a rollercoaster 2008 and the Niners’
first-round selection of Michael Crabtree, Raye should have a
pair of receivers who can manufacture those big plays. But the
biggest beneficiary of Raye's presence could be TE Vernon Davis,
who is seen mostly as a bust thus far into his career (as teams
don’t draft tight ends at #6 overall just to serve as one
of the better blockers at his position while sporting questionable
hands and concentration). However, Raye may be Davis’ best
hope yet for taking him from a player seen as an underachiever
to one who emerges as one of the top five players at his position.
Verdict: Long story short,
Gore will be the centerpiece of this offense. After that, Davis
may represent the most valuable fantasy property on the team for
the upcoming season. Raye, who has been a TE-friendly coach going
as far back as his time with the Rams in the 80s (Mike Barber,
Jim Price), will be working with the most talented player he has
enjoyed at that position since he mentored a young basketball
player from Cal named Tony Gonzalez during his first four seasons
in KC. Otherwise, I have to believe San Francisco wants to get
Morgan and Crabtree entrenched in the starting lineup as soon
as possible while hoping longtime vet Isaac
Bruce is willing to accept most of his snaps in three-wide
packages. I don't think any of the above receivers, though, will
be more than bye-week fillers for fantasy purposes this season.
I also expect Hill to assume the reigns early in camp from his
competition in camp, Alex
Smith, and be a serviceable fantasy backup in 2009, just as
he has been in the past couple seasons when he has been allowed
to start.
Seattle - Greg Knapp
Unlike all the other situations we have covered in this two-part
series, the Seahawks give us the unusual daily double of a HC-OC
combination that has already worked together (Jim Mora and Knapp
were in the same roles they currently hold from 2004-06 in Atlanta).
What’s more, they also just “happen” to have a fairly prominent
RB from their days with the Falcons, T.J.
Duckett, currently on their roster. While that isn’t necessarily
where the coincidences end, there isn’t a great deal from the
trio’s history with Atlanta that we can gather because the centerpiece
of the offenses (Michael Vick with the Falcons; Matt
Hasselbeck with the ‘Hawks) couldn’t be any more different.
What is clear from Knapp’s background is that his offenses
have historically been quite proficient on the ground, so that
is where we will start. In his eight years as offensive coordinator,
Knapp’s rushing attacks have placed in the NFL top-10 every
time, including five top-five finishes - highlighted by three
consecutive top-place finishes in Atlanta, which can be looked
at with a critical eye because Vick rushed for no less than 597
yards in Knapp‘s three seasons as the OC. Nevertheless,
five non-Vick years have netted top-10 finishes, so fantasy owners
really need to pay attention to Julius Jones - and yes, maybe
even Duckett to a lesser extent - this season. It is interesting
to note that Duckett received over 100 carries and scored eight
TDs in each the two seasons he worked with Knapp while Warrick
Dunn rushed at least 265 times both seasons, making for at least
a 70/30 split. With no new competition in camp and Mo Morris in
Detroit, a similar workload share could (and probably should)
be expected this season. Another Knapp protégé,
FB Justin Griffith, was the only back added to the squad in the
offseason, meaning Jones should be in line for as much work as
he can handle. That notion may or may not be a good thing, however,
depending on whether you are a JJ supporter and suggest he can
handle the load but his coaches keep forcing him to share or believe
he is just an injury-prone runner (although he has missed just
one game over his last three campaigns).
Considering he just finished a two-year stint with Oakland, Knapp
must be thrilled by the idea of working with the best talent he’s
had in the passing game since Jeff Garcia and Terrell Owens were
chewing each other out in San Fran just after the turn of the
century. With Hasselbeck, prized free agent WR T.J.
Houshmandzadeh, injured returning WRs Deion
Branch and Nate
Burleson along with TE John
Carlson, the skill position talent is bountiful. While every
aforementioned player is acclimated to the West Coast offense,
most of them are coming off surgery and, along with LT Walter
Jones, are far from guaranteed to return to their pre-injury form.
Verdict: As the last paragraph hinted, the jury is out on the
M.A.S.H. unit the passing game turned into during the 2008 season.
Carlson, Houshmandzadeh and rookie WR Deon Butler are the only
likely contributors from the passing game this season that aren’t
using this offseason to recover from an injury. If the reports
on all the walking wounded are good during training camp, it would
be no surprise to me if Hasselbeck returned to being a top-10
option at QB (so long as his back cooperates), Houshmandzadeh
continued his PPR domination and Carlson took the next step and
emerged as an every-week, no-brainer play in 10-or-12-team leagues.
I’m a bit more skittish on all the other wideouts, as their
injuries are not the type that players seamlessly return from
after one offseason. As for Julius Jones, I can easily see him
ascending into mid-#2 fantasy RB status so long as Walter Jones
can squeeze another productive year out of surgically repaired
knee and the rest of his zone-blocking line remains healthy. Because
of all the injury question marks, Seattle is probably the team
that fantasy owners need to pay attention to the most during the
preseason. An entirely healthy roster could easily net 4-5 weekly
fantasy plays whereas a Walter Jones or Hasselbeck injury hiccup
could turn this team into a fantasy wasteland.
Tampa Bay - Jeff Jagodzinski
Most football fans recall that Jagodzinski famously upset the
brass at Boston College by pursuing the head coaching job of the
New York Jets this offseason without the permission of the Golden
Eagles’ athletic director Gene DeFillippo. He was promptly
fired for his actions despite a 20-8 record and consecutive ACC
Championship Game appearances. But that one blemish aside, perhaps
no OC is a better fit for the personnel he will be working with
this season than “Jags”. All their other flaws aside,
most of the prominent QBs, WRs and TEs on this roster will welcome
an attack that is sure to feature a strong-armed QB throwing to
receivers who can make plays downfield - a definite change of
pace from recent Buc teams.
Jagodzinski has experienced a great deal of success in his recent
college and pro stops. In 2007, he installed a deep passing game
at BC that catered nicely to eventual 2008 No. 3 overall pick
Matt Ryan. Prior to his stint with the Eagles, he served as the
offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers in 2006, leading
an offense that featured QB Brett Favre, 1,000-yard rusher RB
Ahman Green and 1,000-yard receiver WR Donald Driver. And before
that, he was on Greg Knapp and Jim Mora’s staff in Atlanta as
the TE coach in 2004 before moving to the OL coach when he likely
picked up the majority of his zone-blocking running scheme principles
from the master, Alex Gibbs, who served a consultant with the
team that season.
Jags joins a Tampa Bay squad that hasn’t finished in the
top half of the league in points scored since Tony Dungy’s
final season with the team in 2001. Perhaps even more amazing
is that in the team’s 32 years of existence, Tampa Bay has
yet to finish higher than 10th in total offense. Assuming he doesn’t
chase any other head coaching jobs in the near future, Jagodzinski
should be able to end both of those stretches, although with the
youth movement going on in Tampa, changing those streaks around
in 2009 is probably asking too much.
While the Bucs used their first-round pick on the player they
hope is their QB for the foreseeable future, Jagodzinski has to
hope that he can afford to keep Josh Freeman on the sideline -
for a short while anyway - with their offseason signing of QB
Byron Leftwich. While Freeman, Leftwich or fellow QB competitor
Luke McCown do not profile anywhere close to kind of QBs Favre
or Ryan do, the new OC has to like the athleticism he will have
a chance to mold in the Kansas State product.
But no matter who wins the QB competition this summer for the
Bucs, he should have a higher caliber of weapon to throw to than
any other QB in recent Tampa Bay history. Health has always been
a concern for offseason trade acquisition TE Kellen Winslow, but
if he is right physically, he will likely return to his 80-catch
ways of 2006 and 2007. WR Antonio Bryant also returns - this time
with a franchise tag - after last season’s improbable 83-catch,
1,248-yard campaign. Assuming at age 28 he is no longer dogged
by youthful indiscretions, he should capably man one side of the
formation. Free agent signee Derrick Ward is also a very able
pass catcher out of the backfield, but questions emerge after
that. Will current starter Michael Clayton ever return to his
rookie form or will he just remain an above average run blocker?
Does Maurice Stovall ever fulfill his potential? Or does 2009
seventh-round pick (and OTA sensation) Sammie Stroughter go from
April afterthought to the club’s third-best option in the
passing game?
Part of the Bucs' aforementioned youth movement included the
dismissal of the popular Warrick Dunn and adding a RB in Ward
who is six years younger and 40 pounds heavier but plays much
the same type of game. It is a bit ironic though that Ward left
a crowded backfield for his chance to be the workhorse only to
possibly have to fight for playing time again with two other backs
- Earnest Graham and Cadillac Williams - although Ward’s
contract likely signals he will be the lead dog (HC Raheem Morris’
term, not mine) in this backfield.
Verdict: No matter which way the QB battle ends up, I don’t
foresee Freeman, Leftwich or McCown making their way onto fantasy
rosters as more than possible bye-week options. Ward should carry
the most value among Tampa Bay runners and should have a pretty
fair o-line to run behind, although they will be adapting to the
zone-blocking scheme Jagodzinski will be installing. Ward should
be starter-worthy in fantasy leagues, especially PPR, as a low-end
No. 2 RB, assuming he gets the lion's share of the carries. Graham
could be worth a roster spot as well as a reserve if in fact he
shows himself as the most capable short-yardage (and thus, goal-line
back) runner on the team. Winslow is the most likely player from
the passing game to hold his current value as a talented TE is
always a good fallback option for a QB learning a new offense.
As things stand now, I expect Bryant to take the biggest hit although
he shouldn’t fall below the 60-catch, 900-yard mark, making
him still very usable as a WR3 in three-WR, 12-team leagues.
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