NFL Coaching Changes & Fantasy Impact, Just Sayin’ - Fantasy Football Podcast

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast Summary Episode: NFL Coaching Changes & Fantasy Impact, Just Sayin’
Release Date: March 12, 2020

---

Introduction

In this episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast, hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright delve deep into the recent NFL coaching changes and their potential impacts on fantasy football. Skipping over the usual advertisements and banter, the trio provides astute analysis on how new coaching strategies and personnel shifts could influence player performances and fantasy league outcomes.

---

1. Overview of NFL Coaching Changes

The episode kicks off with a broad overview of the tumultuous coaching carousel from the previous NFL season. Mike Wright highlights the significant number of head coaches and offensive coordinators that shifted teams, emphasizing the unpredictable nature of these changes on team performance and, consequently, on fantasy football dynamics.

Notable Quote:

• Mike Wright [11:57]: “This is a fun time of year because we know that the impact of coaching changes, offensive system changes, offensive coordinator shakeups, can have a very big impact on fantasy.”

---

2. Carolina Panthers: Matt Rhule's Hiring and Christian McCaffrey's Future

Matt Rhule replacing Ron Rivera as the Carolina Panthers’ head coach is a focal point of discussion. The hosts analyze Rhule's offensive philosophy, particularly his association with Joe Brady, and how this might affect star running back Christian McCaffrey's workload and fantasy value.

Key Points:

• Christian McCaffrey's Role: Despite the coaching change, McCaffrey's usage remains a primary concern. The hosts debate whether Rhule will maintain McCaffrey's high-touch role or adjust his usage, potentially impacting McCaffrey's fantasy production.

Notable Quotes:

• Andy Holloway [15:51]: “Where do you look now, you know, towards projecting McCaffrey?”
• Jason Moore [17:37]: “I can't fathom coaches coming into Carolina and saying, well, we should make Christian McCaffrey a part-time running back.”

---

3. Cleveland Browns: Joe Judge and Alex Van Pelt's New Roles

The hiring of Joe Judge as the Cleveland Browns' head coach and Alex Van Pelt as the offensive coordinator marks a significant shift for the franchise. The trio examines how Judge’s background as a special teams and wide receiver coach under Bill Belichick might influence the Browns' offensive strategies.

Key Points:

• Offensive Strategy: Concerns revolve around whether Van Pelt will prioritize the running game or continue to develop Baker Mayfield's passing prowess.
• Fantasy Implications: With players like Saquon Barkley and Odell Beckham Jr., the potential for high fantasy scores is significant, contingent on the new coaching dynamics.

Notable Quotes:

• Mike Wright [25:28]: “I think bouncing back does not mean necessarily top five performances from Odell on the regular on a Regular basis.”
• Jason Moore [26:23]: “If one of the pass catchers for Cleveland is still going to contain value, I would lean on it being Odell Beckham Jr.”

---

4. Dallas Cowboys: Mike McCarthy Takes the Helm

Mike McCarthy’s return to the Cowboys as head coach is analyzed for its potential to revitalize the team’s offense. The discussion focuses on the stability provided by keeping offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and its implications for players like Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott.

Key Points:

• Offensive Consistency: The continuity in offensive coaching is expected to maintain or improve the Cowboys’ offensive output, benefiting fantasy performers.
• Player Utilization: Emphasis on how McCarthy’s play-calling might enhance the effectiveness of star players.

Notable Quotes:

• Andy Holloway [30:29]: “If you keep the same offensive coordinator, the same group together, that means the same system for the most part.”

---

5. Washington Redskins: Ron Rivera’s Appointment and Offensive Adjustments

Ron Rivera’s appointment as the Washington Redskins’ head coach brings a seasoned leader to the team. The trio discusses how Rivera's leadership style might stabilize the organization and his impact on quarterback play, particularly focusing on Dwayne Haskins.

Key Points:

• Offensive Strategy: With Scott Turner as the new offensive coordinator, expectations on improving offensive efficiency are high.
• Fantasy Impact: Effective quarterback play under Rivera could boost the fantasy prospects of Washington’s receivers.

Notable Quotes:

• Jason Moore [39:29]: “One of them was a great year. They were Super Bowl champions.”
• Andy Holloway [42:15]: “He was taken over a team that was, what, 2 and 14 a couple years earlier and made three years in a row of winning the division.”

---

6. Chicago Bears: Bill LaFleur’s Offensive Coordination

The Bears' decision to hire Bill LaFleur as the new offensive coordinator raises questions about the future of their offense under his leadership. The hosts evaluate LaFleur’s track record and his ability to adapt the Bears’ offensive scheme to optimize player performances.

Key Points:

• Play-Calling Efficacy: Doubts are expressed about LaFleur's ability to significantly improve the Bears' offense, given his previous lack of standout offensive metrics.
• Quarterback Stability: Concerns about whether Khalil Mack’s presence will be maximized with the new offensive strategies.

Notable Quotes:

• Mike Wright [43:41]: “Bill LaFleur is, he’s not the causation for that. He’s not the one who will really change things.”

---

7. Additional Coaching Changes and Their Fantasy Implications

The episode also touches on coaching changes for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, and Minnesota Vikings. Each shift is scrutinized for its potential impact on offensive strategies and key fantasy players.

Key Points:

• Jacksonville Jaguars: Jay Gruden replacing John DeFilippo could influence quarterback competition between Teddy Bridgewater and Gardner Minshew.
• Los Angeles Chargers: Shane Steichen’s takeover might stabilize the passing offense, benefitting players like Keenan Allen.
• Minnesota Vikings: Gary Kubiak’s hiring promises a strong running game led by Dalvin Cook, a top fantasy asset.

Notable Quotes:

• Andy Holloway [48:18]: “Dalvin Cook's locked in as a top five guy to me in my rankings for next year.”

---

8. Insights on Coaching Changes' Impact on Fantasy Football

Throughout the episode, the hosts emphasize the direct correlation between coaching strategies and fantasy football outcomes. They argue that understanding coaching philosophies and personnel changes is crucial for fantasy managers aiming to maximize their team’s performance.

Key Points:

• System Fit: The effectiveness of a player often depends on how well they fit into the new coach’s system.
• Player Utilization: Changes in coaching can lead to shifts in how key players are utilized, affecting their fantasy value.
• Opportunity for Growth: New coaching can create opportunities for emerging players to shine, providing valuable additions to fantasy rosters.

Notable Quotes:

• Mike Wright [12:19]: “Our objective is to break down what these coaches are bringing to the table. Possible players that will benefit from those changes.”

---

Conclusion

The Fantasy Footballers provide a comprehensive analysis of the NFL’s coaching changes and their ripple effects on the fantasy football landscape. By dissecting the potential adjustments in offensive strategies and player roles, the hosts equip fantasy managers with the insights needed to navigate the upcoming season successfully.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Jason Moore [03:18]: “That lady found it super funny.”
• Mike Wright [02:31]: “Another team wants Tom Brady each and every day.”
• Andy Holloway [04:07]: “You can do simple majority if more of half the league wants to switch to FAB or switch to PPR or get rid of kickers.”
• Jason Moore [10:36]: “It was one. It’s interesting to me because Houston has been kind of a hot topic.”
• Mike Wright [12:19]: “Our objective is to break down what these coaches are bringing to the table.”
• Jason Moore [17:37]: “I can't fathom coaches coming into Carolina and saying, well, we should make Christian McCaffrey a part-time running back.”
• Andy Holloway [26:23]: “Joe Judge is going our head coach.”
• Mike Wright [43:41]: “Bill LaFleur is, he’s not the causation for that. He’s not the one who will really change things.”
• Andy Holloway [48:18]: “Dalvin Cook's locked in as a top five guy to me in my rankings for next year.”

---

Final Thoughts

This episode serves as an essential guide for fantasy football enthusiasts, offering detailed insights into how NFL coaching changes can influence player performances and fantasy team strategies. By staying informed about these developments, managers can make more informed decisions during drafts and throughout the fantasy season.

---

Note: This summary excludes advertisements, intros, and outros, focusing solely on the content-rich discussions relevant to fantasy football.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

Keo. That's right. That's preorder pricing still available for the Ultimate Draft Kit. This fantasy football season is going to be the best fantasy football season and you're going to attack your league mates, metaphorically speaking, through the Ultimate Draft Kit. Check it out@ultimate draft kit.com you won't be disappointed. Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers podcast with your host, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.

[Jason Moore]

That was the sound of a man falling off of a cliff from a mile away.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. I thought I heard it at first, that it was gone quickly. But in addition to that, not only did we get the treat of Andy trying to come in strong and just falling off a cliff, but Mike, your laugh was brought to a different level at that point. I don't know if you know what you did.

[Mike Wright]

It was so good.

[Jason Moore]

It was very funny.

[Andy Holloway]

But that lady found it super funny.

[Mike Wright]

Thursday, March 12 I got a message from Jason right before the show started. Said it's going to be a wild one. I know it will be. We have.

[Andy Holloway]

We're in a mood today.

[Mike Wright]

We are. I don't know what it is. We're well fed.

[Andy Holloway]

That's true.

[Mike Wright]

Well enough. Mike tried to steal most of Jason's lunch for about 20 minutes.

[Jason Moore]

Tried.

[Mike Wright]

Did you get it successful? Oh, you got that.

[Jason Moore]

I eventually guilted him into giving me half the sandwich.

[Mike Wright]

Really?

[Andy Holloway]

And that's not something easy to do with.

[Jason Moore]

No, it's not. It was an achievement, was unlocked.

[Mike Wright]

Did you have another salmon somewhere?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, it's in my backpack.

[Mike Wright]

We have actually a very important, very exciting show today. Coaching changes. We're going to walk through the different head coaching, offensive coordinator changes around the NFL. Some pretty interesting data to look at. Looking back at last year, all the changes that were made and it's going to be fun. It's going to be a good time. We got some news to get into. Quick question today. You can find us on Twitter @ the ffballers. We appreciate all the subscribes, the reviews, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Spotify, wherever you're listening. It's going to be a fun off season. We got free agency coming soon. Another team wants Tom Brady each and every day.

[Andy Holloway]

I believe it is the Buccaneers today.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, they're going to, they're going to try to get them.

[Andy Holloway]

Everyone wants to build a franchise around a 43 year old quarterback. Yeah, it's how you, you want a strong foundation for the future.

[Jason Moore]

What could possibly go wrong?

[Mike Wright]

I believe that they did a quick poll in San Francisco, in San Francis was at the top of the Rumor mill. And they pulled, you know, the local radio shows pulled. Who do you want for this upcoming year? You want Jimmy Garoppolo? You want Tom Brady? What do you think those poll results came in at?

[Andy Holloway]

60, 40 Garoppolo.

[Mike Wright]

It was like 85. 15 Garoppolo.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, good.

[Andy Holloway]

Good for you.

[Mike Wright]

Because they want to survive beyond one year.

[Jason Moore]

That's fantastic news. Because I was. I thought you were going to say the city turned on him. They lost the Super Bowl.

[Andy Holloway]

They were in the Super Bowl.

[Jason Moore]

Right. Like, we don't. What a bum. We don't need him.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. I feel like people almost did that on golf last year in the Super Bowl. So it can happen. If you. If when you sign was perfectly fine.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure.

[Mike Wright]

If you went. If when you signed Tom Brady, you also received the championship for the upcoming year, it would be a different story.

[Andy Holloway]

100% worth it.

[Jason Moore]

That's true.

[Mike Wright]

More valuable in that situation. All right, I have a quick question before we get things started. This one comes in from Luke on Twitter. Hey, guys. I was given commissioner duties in my home league. People have wanted certain rule changes for quite some time. I decided to put each rule change up to vote.

[Andy Holloway]

Good job.

[Mike Wright]

Should I do majority wins or do they have to be unanimous or does it depend on the rule?

[Jason Moore]

That's the answer.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, it does.

[Jason Moore]

Well, I don't think I answered the quick question quickly with the quick questions.

[Andy Holloway]

Question. Yes. Of does it depend on the rule? Yes. I would also add to that it depends on the time of year. This is a great time of year. And I would, I would argue that most of all of your commissioner questions that you're going to put to a vote, I just want simple majority. I don't think you need to have it unanimous. If more of half, More than half the league wants to switch to FAB or switch to PPR or get rid of kickers, which they should all want, then that's all you need. If more than half wants it, then that's what you know you should change.

[Mike Wright]

If it's something like adding keepers that has roster implications, that's when I look for a unanimous vote. You don't want to put the league in the position where, okay, you're going to convert to a keeper league with existing rosters, but then, you know, 40% of the league doesn't want to do that because that. That can make a more difficult situation. So the best goal there is to try to find something that works for everybody.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, that's where I say it's. It's not so Much a matter of which rule, but when. So if you're voting for keepers and half, more than half the league wants it, but it's not unanimous. You shouldn't ever put keepers in place based on last year's roster or this year.

[Mike Wright]

It's unanimous. If you want to do it with a unanimous vote, that's fine.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, if everybody's involved. But otherwise you didn't draft knowing that that rule would be there. And so then you just say we're going to be a keeper league after this year.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, this sounds stupid because I'm the commissioner of our main league. Don't we do a 70?

[Andy Holloway]

I don't believe so.

[Mike Wright]

We don't just do straight majority. Not on every rule. We would have lost kickers a long time ago.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, we do a super majority.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, super majority. So for a 12 man league, we said what, eight? It has to be at least eight.

[Andy Holloway]

So based on that, if that's the case, it seems like you should just do simple majority. Because you said we would have lost kickers long ago. True.

[Mike Wright]

Yes. Don't look backwards, look forwards, Jason.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Mike Wright]

All right, let's talk news.

[Andy Holloway]

News and notes from around the league.

[Mike Wright]

By the way, we do have a Keenan Allen signed jersey we're giving away@footclain giveaway.com. make sure you check that out. Free agency next week. You guys excited?

[Jason Moore]

I am. And like, mostly because of the quarterbacks.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Like this is. I, I can't remember a year ever like this. Occasionally from time to time there is a. There is one prize. There is one guy like the Kirk Cousins year, the Peyton Manning year, the Kirk Cousins year was. Who's going to get the one quarterback? I mean, there are massive implications.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. The reason you can't remember it being like this year is because it's literally never happened. Not only do you have the greatest quarterback of all time up for grabs in a, in a. In his young age.

[Jason Moore]

Right.

[Andy Holloway]

43. But you've got Philip Rivers and Jameis Winston and serviceable guys like Teddy Bridgewater and Ryan Tanner. It's absurd.

[Mike Wright]

It's going to be very interesting. Monday, teams are permitted to enter contract negotiations. The league year free agency begins on Wednesday. Both of those situations are going to take place after we have a vote on the new collective bargaining agreement, which should be completed by this weekend.

[Jason Moore]

Correct. And then that will have some implications as well because if they go into the new league year with the new cba, there's different rules about franchising and transition tagging players. So that will, that will Also affect things.

[Mike Wright]

Speaking about the Brady to Tampa Bay situation, I think that unlike a team like maybe Tennessee, who, if you believe in Ryan Tannehill long term, you know, you're sacrificing. It's like the Garoppolo situation. You're sacrificing a lot of the future for one shot with Brady, maybe two with Brady, who had his worst statistical season in a long time last year, albeit walking into Godwin and Evans and Arians in that situation could be great. But for the Buccaneers, it makes more sense to me because I don't believe that James Winston is the future of the franchise. And if you don't believe that and you're actually kicking the tires on Philip Rivers. I'd rather have Tom Brady than Philip Rivers for my one or two year window.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, you're looking for a bridge quarterback. So Brady to the Bucks does make a lot of sense.

[Mike Wright]

Bridge, water.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, well, if you're signing Bridgewater, you're hoping he's the future.

[Mike Wright]

That's true.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, Bruce Arians didn't come for a rebuild. He's, I still believe, the oldest coach in the league. He's got three or four years left he wants.

[Jason Moore]

Is he older than Pete?

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, maybe I'll look it up, Pete. But as one of those two guys, the point is he's not looking for a 10 year. You know, he wants to win. Now, obviously Tom Brady helps him do that. The thing that I just find interesting and like a not a fit is that both Bridgewater, who's rumored there, and Brady, they don't throw the ball downfield as much. And Bruce Arians is a, you know, deep passing, move the ball down the field aggressive mindset. That just doesn't strike me as a fit for Brady or Bridgewater.

[Jason Moore]

Pete Carroll is older just for correct.

[Andy Holloway]

What a loser.

[Mike Wright]

He doesn't act it.

[Jason Moore]

No, no.

[Mike Wright]

All that bubble gum keeps you young.

[Andy Holloway]

I really, genuinely want to be like Pete Carroll when I am his age, if I ever get there.

[Jason Moore]

Wow, that got dark.

[Mike Wright]

A little morbid.

[Andy Holloway]

I eat too many backpack sandwiches.

[Mike Wright]

All right. Ryan Tannehill, Ian Rapaport talking about the Titans focused on resigning him. I think that Jameis is all but gone from Tampa, so that'll be interesting. Who's interested in him? Could it be someone like Chicago? Could it be Indianapolis? Somebody can give him a starting opportunity. Or is he going to walk into a situation like Tannehill did, trying to identify a team with a weak starting situation that he could take over for? That'll be interesting. So any other News you guys want to talk about before we get into the coaching changes? We have a lot to talk about there.

[Andy Holloway]

Ton of coaching change changes happening this year. I've been looking forward to this show. I say let's get after it.

[Jason Moore]

I'd say that the oddest piece of news that I heard recently was it's being reported from the Houston Chronicle that Carlos Hyde declined a contract offer from the Texans.

[Andy Holloway]

I think that's a bad move, Carlos.

[Jason Moore]

Like, it's one. It's interesting to me because Houston has been kind of a hot topic. It's a hot destination that we want to put one of the great rookies, one of the, like Melvin Gordon, goes to Houston because he becomes very fantasy relevant. Carlos Hyde earlier, it was a terrible offer.

[Mike Wright]

That's what that tells me.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, no, I know it was terrible.

[Andy Holloway]

But I mean, Carlos was one.

[Jason Moore]

That's exactly the point. Is Carlos Hyde, will he really get another offer?

[Mike Wright]

Probably.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, has he seen what happens to running backs?

[Mike Wright]

No, he hasn't. He comes from the lineage of the Frank Gore tree where they are eternal.

[Jason Moore]

He was behind Frank Gore.

[Mike Wright]

I know. Let's talk coaches.

[Andy Holloway]

Coaching carousel.

[Mike Wright]

All right. This is a fun time of year because we know that the impact of coaching changes, offensive system changes, offensive coordinator shakeups, can have a very big impact on fantasy. There is, I believe, a tendency to look through rose colored glasses potentially at all of the changes. It's got to be better than the year before. In 2019, last year, we had eight new head coaches. We had 16 new offensive coordinators. Out of those 16 changes, when you look at how these teams finished in terms of total point score, the offensive side of the football, seven of those changes got worse, not better. So I think that's a good reminder that everything is not going to improve just because you make a change.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. And by getting worse, you mean in points scored per game?

[Mike Wright]

I do, yeah. By that method. Offensively, offensively, it was not a great situation for some of these players or for some of these coaches. And so as we look at all the changes that take place heading into 2020, you know, our objective is to break down what these coaches are bringing to the table. Possible players that will benefit from those changes.

[Andy Holloway]

Tendencies.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, tendencies. Players that will suffer under philosophical changes in the offense. And I think there's some interesting ones on that side, but that's kind of what we're looking at. So heading into 2020, who do you want to start with?

[Jason Moore]

Let's just start with the murder.

[Andy Holloway]

Murder. The Carolina Panthers bring in a pair of Young guns. They've got Ja Rule replacing.

[Mike Wright]

No, no, no, it's Matt Rule.

[Jason Moore]

It's Matt. Ja Rule.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, Matt. Oh, I'm sorry, I just call him by his nickname, Ja.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, got it. Yeah, it's a short form of Matt.

[Andy Holloway]

That is right. Ja for Matt. But Ja Rule replacing Ron Rivera as the head coach for the Carolina Panthers. He was heavily sought after. It seemed like he was going to go to the Giants and you know, a lot of people wanted him. The prize went to the Carolina Panthers and then he then in his search went out and find an. Found an offensive coordinator he wanted who is, I mean, you know, Ja Rule is young in and of himself, but his offensive coordinator here is a 30 year old. Oh, Joe Brady, who, I mean, he wasn't a former NFL player. He spent two years in 2017 and 2018 with the Saints. So great offense. Sean Payton and Drew Brees. And then last year was the LSU passing game. Kind of offensive coordinator in charge of totally basically rebranding the offensive LSU and winning the national championship with Joe Burrow. But, you know, so some of it is, well, he had Joe Burrow and he had Drew Brees. We've seen a lot that helps. That's going to help your offense. But at the same time he's a. I'm really excited about him. I think He's a, he's 30 years old. He's an offensive coordinator now in the NFL and comes from success.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. But I think what a lot of fantasy owners want to know first, let's put this at the top of the list. Well, I think there's two big things in Carolina is are you going to get consistent quarterback play out of Cam Newton and did we see regardless of the coaching change. Look, nobody sings the praises of North Turner and the one back dedicated offense than you, Jason, with what that brought to the table for Christian McCaffrey, 403 touches last year. And that's kind of something that you look at and say regardless of the change, that's a peak number for a player. You know, since 2000 there have been 19 different running backs that had 400 plus touch seasons. The year after those running backs averaged 352 touches and lost an average of 86 touches. You could have been fearful about McCaffrey going into this past year where he dominated because of the injury to Cam Newton or the tumult on the team and the fact that they were a franchise that struggled, but he flourished. So where do you look now, you know, towards projecting McCaffrey?

[Jason Moore]

Well, I like the fact that you're, I mean, you're basically bringing in a college offense, that it's having some success. The NFL game is transitioning. Cliff Kingsbury coming into Arizona, he was able to do some, some pretty solid things for his first year as a head coach and a rookie running the offense. So I'm hopeful for what Matt Rule can do. If we're talking about is there concerns about Christian McCaffrey's workload and will he touch the ball as many times as last year? Yeah, you have to have those concerns because it's new people coming in. But I can't fathom coaches coming into Carolina and saying, well, we should, we should make Christian McCaffrey a part time running back.

[Andy Holloway]

Some of that's going to be seen with the personnel moves. Right. What do they do? They go out and sign another back to share the load? Draft the running back, you know, in the middle rounds it looks like they're trying to get more involved or is it going to be kind of status quo. I think Christian McCaffrey is pretty safe just based on his talent, his ability, his history. But it is a, certainly a red flag. It's a change and North Turner was the change that got him to be the absolute every down. I mean, nobody is on the field more than McCaffrey.

[Mike Wright]

Well, and not to perfectly compare David Johnson to Christian McCaffrey, but you had all of the argument for the college system and the things that would benefit David Johnson in Arizona last year and at the end of the day it just wasn't a fit from a philosophy standpoint to the strengths of David Johnson. I am not for one minute saying that that is the outcome for the McCaffrey situation. But I am, I have concerns when you have 400 plus touches and a change at the position.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I think it's going to be difficult to not have McCaffrey as the number one pick in the draft based on what he's done.

[Mike Wright]

Correct.

[Andy Holloway]

But there are now concerns with that change regarding the head coach, Ja Rule. The one thing I will just say about him is so he's coming from Baylor and Temple before that and both of those situations the first year he got there and granted, obviously totally different. He's inheriting a bad college team at that point, but he went 1 and 11 and 2 and 10 in those two first seasons. Then the next season 500, then the next season double digit victories turned both programs around. And I think that's how this franchise is viewing the Panthers is that they're, they're willing to Strip it down a little bit to build it back up the right way. So looking at 2020, I don't expect this to be just a gangbuster season for the Carolina Panthers.

[Jason Moore]

We still need to know who the quarterback is too.

[Andy Holloway]

Right. That's, that's going to make a.

[Mike Wright]

They did resign Kyle Allen to a one year deal. He's under contract. Don't think he's the future. Cam Newton should be the quarterback this year. And I think Cam Newton coming back. Look, Mike pointed out this Pat Thorman tweet earlier in the week, Curtis Samuel. So you moving the discussion to the passing game and the implications there. Curtis Samuel saw the 10th most deep targets among 70 wide receivers last year. 19% of those targets were catchable.

[Andy Holloway]

You know, I had not seen that.

[Mike Wright]

That's not a high number, in case you were. That is a low percentage. That's not a C score. That's not a C grade, a D grade, an F. That's way below. That's 19%.

[Jason Moore]

How is that possible?

[Mike Wright]

And you know, I don't know what to attribute that to outside of, you know, just simply bad quarterback play. But Curtis Samuel was a preseason darling in the eyes of fantasy football owners last year. And I think it's a fair, it's a fair thing to say that he did not deliver on the expectations.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, yeah, 100%. But it's pretty, pretty tough to overcome. I mean, he was doing his job. If he saw the 10th most deep targets, that means that Curtis Samuel is out there putting himself in an position where the quarterback needs to throw him the ball. I mean, it's not his fault that 19% were catchable. So if we're just like doing that brief talk about Curtis Samuel. Yeah. If Cam Newton is back and he's back to health, I'll be in on Curtis Samuel again. I think he's a really, really good player who just suffered because of bad quarterback play. Before we move over to the Cleveland Browns and their changes, want to thank today's sponsor, Omaha Steaks. Did you see what I, how I did that, guys?

[Mike Wright]

Oh, man.

[Jason Moore]

Talking about Cleveland and.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, Omaha.

[Jason Moore]

Moving over to Omaha.

[Mike Wright]

So delicious.

[Jason Moore]

But let's talk about the meat. Omaha steaks.com and you enter the code Footballers in the search Bar for 68% off the Ultimate Grillers package. That's $186 value for only 59. 99. Order now and you will get two Butcher's Cut filet mignons trimmed twice to remove all exterior fat. You got to trim those things twice. Apparently. Two bold and beefy tops sirloins, four premium pork chops, four Omaha Steaks burgers, four gourmet jumbo franks, four potatoes au gratin, four caramel apple tartlets, an Omaha Steak signature seasoning packet. Plus you'll get four more burgers, four more franks for free. Omaha steaks are the most tender, most flavorful, and you can only get steaks of this quality from America's original butcher. Get this limited time grilling season package and the free burgers and franks for just $59.99. That's a savings of 68%. Stay at home and get ready for grilling season. Go to omahasteaks.com type footballers in the search bar and add the ultimate grillers package to your cart today.

[Mike Wright]

You think if Nebraska had a football team, they'd be called the. Called the Stakes. The Nebraska Stakes.

[Jason Moore]

I think it would be the Mighty Meats. Yeah, well, they'd like that more than like being corn.

[Mike Wright]

You knew Omaha was in Nebraska, right, Mike? Yeah, no, I didn't make the.

[Jason Moore]

No, I slowly transitioned over to realizing.

[Andy Holloway]

I was thinking out of turn I was going to ask if you knew where Omaha was.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, okay.

[Mike Wright]

Did you? And you asked yourself that, too?

[Andy Holloway]

Well, I asked Google. Okay. And then I was like, yeah, okay. But I was pretty sure it wasn't.

[Jason Moore]

I just was. The O threw me off.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's fine. Yeah. All O cities come from Ohio. Ohio. All right, let's talk about the Cleveland Browns new head coach, new offensive coordinator this year. Kevin Stefanski coming in replacing Fred Kitchens, brings in Alex Van Pelt.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, Cleveland made a huge mistake and they acknowledged it when they hired to be their head coach. A guy who didn't have a lot of experience in that realm was a one year offensive coordinator. And they said, you know, we're going to correct our mistake and we're going to get rid of them and we're going to go hire a guy who doesn't have a lot of experience as a head coach and was an officer coordinator for a year. It was. It's so dumb to me, and I'm not saying that Stefanski can't succeed, but it's like bad organizations do bad things. That's. That's.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I, I guess I would. I'd have a much softer stance than your so dumb to me stance. This is a hire to win the way they need to win. Kevin Stefanski is the type of offense that represents the type of offense that I believe you need to win. With Baker Mayfield and the roster that you have, which is completely counterintuitive to what they tried to do last year. They tried to lean on Baker and bring in pass catching weapons and the strength of the offense. The only thing that can move the ball between the 20s was Nick Chubb.

[Andy Holloway]

I believe that Kevin Stefanski incorrectly gets credit for having a great running team for the Vikings last year when the credit should really truly be going to their current. And we'll talk about them later. Offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, who they brought in, who has a long history of oh, the Coops, and of course Dalvin Cook. I would say those two, you know, were great. But philosophically you're right. Philosophically he's on board with running the ball more. They've got Nick Chubb. That could very well be helpful to the Browns. It's just, I don't know, man. If you're the, if you're a franchise like the Cleveland Browns, it's been mired in the dirt. I feel like you need a guy who's got some kind of proven track record.

[Jason Moore]

What's so bizarre about Stefanski to me is from 2009 through 2013 he was the assistant quarterback coach for Minnesota. Then he moved up the ladder and then 2017 and 2018 he was the quarterback's coach. Then he became the OC but he's like this. Is he actually this run heavy guy? I mean that's what Zimmer wanted him to do. That's what the head coach thought, the philosophy and that's what the team needs to be. But a coach who has spent most of his time coaching up quarterbacks, will he really bring that exact same grounded pound philosophy down to Cleveland?

[Mike Wright]

I think, I think, I believe he will. But I think the reason they hired him is in part because he has that ability to bring Baker along as a professional quarterback. I think the way you're going to get through these next couple of years is leaning on the best piece of your team in Nick Chubb and building the offense around that weapon and letting Baker be more efficient. Get him into the red zone, put him in that position where he had a lot of success in year one. Ultimately, I don't think this means great things for the Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham's of the world. I think Beckham can bounce back for fantasy owners respective of last year because last year was awful.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

And he was dealing with sports hernia and other, you know, excuses. But. And so I think bouncing back does not mean necessarily top five performances from Odell on the regular on a Regular basis. But do you agree with that? Do you think that Landry is somebody that you're going to see struggle? You think that Baker is somebody that you're not going to be able to stream very often?

[Jason Moore]

I think you'll be able to stream him just like other quarterbacks. He won't be drafted as a top 10. He probably won't even be drafted as a QB1 heading into actual draft season. But I'm with you that if one of them. If one of the pass catchers for Cleveland is still going to contain value, I would lean on it being Odell Beckham Jr. Jarvis Landry needs volume where Odo Beckham can be the. Just the efficiency guy. Haven't seen it for a while, but I don't know. I still just. I still believe in the talent of Beckham, so I lean his way.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. It is interesting that both of these guys, both the new head coach and the offensive coordinator, Alex Van Pelt, were longtime quarterback coaches. That was so. That is. That is at least telling that they want to train Baker up and get him better. But some of the things about Alex Van Pelt you talk about. Well, this long history of being a quarterbacks coach, some of the things, you know, people that have been quarterback coaches, a lot of times, they still believe that the running game is more important. Not. Not always, but in this case, it seems to lean that way.

[Mike Wright]

All right, Dallas. Oh, Brooks, how excited are you? Really excited. How's the judge doing with Mr. Mike McCarthy? Really excited. Oh, man. Jason Garrett. See you later. Yeah, it's not Jason Garrett. Is that. Is that a win? Are you in the win category? Change is good. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Are you sure this isn't Jason Garrett? Like think you just kind of.

[Jason Moore]

Zip.

[Andy Holloway]

Exactly. It's me. Jason Garrett's wearing a Mike McCarthy suit.

[Mike Wright]

Mike McCarthy, with the year off, becomes the head coach in Dallas.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, and now he's. He's analytics now.

[Mike Wright]

That's what he.

[Jason Moore]

He took the year off.

[Mike Wright]

He did.

[Jason Moore]

He was studying. He was working on computers, figuring out how to lie to the owner to get the head coaching position.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he talked about analytics like somebody who didn't necessarily commit himself to it.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, him and Dave Gettleman, real great conversations about analytics.

[Mike Wright]

We do a lot of that stuff.

[Andy Holloway]

There was a lot made this off season when Mike McCarthy was making the rounds, and I have no doubt had a very, very good publicist behind him sending him places and they made the kind of documentary about how he's rebranding and rebuilding himself up. But there was a lot made about the changes, the team that he was assembling, the analytics department that he was putting together. And, you know, all of this came to fruition. So there is reason for excitement. We shouldn't just disparage to say it's completely not true. But the reason the jokes come is because, you know, he also said he went and watched every single game.

[Jason Moore]

That's what I'm talking about.

[Andy Holloway]

Watched all the film. And then when he's being interviewed right next to Jerry Jones after, at the, at the press conference where he was hired as the head coach, and they're saying, what did you see when you were watching every snap? And he flat out goes, oh, I, I didn't watch every snap. I was just telling him that, you know, because I want to look good or something like that, I want to get the job. I mean, it's like, what?

[Jason Moore]

I already got your money.

[Mike Wright]

The decision here that matters to fantasy owners was the decision to keep Kellen.

[Andy Holloway]

Moore, which is a great decision.

[Mike Wright]

And Kellen Moore. Last year, the Cowboys ranked sixth in the NFL in points per game, first in total yards. If Zeke Dak Amari, that crew is back together with Kellen Moore, I don't think we have a lot to fear. If you just replaced the figurehead Jason Garrett with the figurehead Mike McCarthy, and.

[Jason Moore]

Then this is Mike McCarthy's chance. I mean, Aaron Rodgers got to have kind of the first, the first punch thrown in the fight of last year. The packers, they made it into the playoffs. They were a weird team.

[Andy Holloway]

Like where the great record.

[Jason Moore]

Were they good?

[Andy Holloway]

They had a great record.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Win loss wise, they were very good.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

But anyway, so Aaron Rodgers, it's clear that he thinks that the success of the team was in the McCarthy era was more to do with Aaron Rodgers. McCarthy, I'm sure, believes it's on him. So let's see what he can do with Dallas. And he's going in, he's coming into a very, very good situation. If McCarthy comes in here to a team last year that had the second most passing yards, the fifth most passing touchdowns, I mean, he had a top 10 offense in passing and rushing. If he comes in and screws it up, then that will be horrifically bad for his legacy.

[Andy Holloway]

And you know, it's hard to separate because you can't say, you can't give all the credit to Aaron Rodgers and all of the blame to Mike McCarthy. When they were together, when they were together, they're very good.

[Jason Moore]

Right?

[Andy Holloway]

They had good offense, they had good passing numbers.

[Jason Moore]

Towards the end when it all Fell apart.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. So there's. I think there's reason for optimism. But Andy's right. This is one of those situations where, you know, especially if Amari Cooper comes back, I don't expect a ton of change here. Keeping the same offensive coordinator, the same group together, that means the same system for the most part. I. You know, I don't. I don't have any fears here about the Cowboys. I'm excited about the Cowboys offense. I'd love to have Zach. Zach, Zeke and Dak.

[Mike Wright]

If you combine them, though it is. It does create super Zach.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. But I would love to have those guys. Love to have Gallup, Love to have Cooper personally, if he's on the Cowboys. So I'm. I'm very positive towards the Cowboys fantasy output next year.

[Mike Wright]

All right, let's stay in the NFC East. The Giants new head coach, new offensive coordinator, and a new judge to compete with Judge Giamatti. We've got Judge. I mean, Brooks, you got to be feeling uncomfortable right now.

[Andy Holloway]

You're the judge, man, because you were.

[Mike Wright]

You were on your. You know, what does the judge sit on a pedestal? What does he sit on up there?

[Andy Holloway]

Throne of lies.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, what is the official term? A bench.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

I think the bench. May I put. May I approach the bench?

[Mike Wright]

That's fair. That's the thing they say in the lawyer shows. Yeah, that's right. Which is. Those are all documentaries. And you've been alone as Judge Giamatti on your perch, haughty as can be.

[Jason Moore]

Very.

[Mike Wright]

And here comes Joe Judge, head coach of the Giants. And not only that, but you've got Judge Judy in the draft.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Jerry Judy, wide receiver extraordinaire.

[Mike Wright]

So this is. I mean, you got to be feeling threatened, uncomfortable.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, I'm extremely threatened.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

So to get.

[Mike Wright]

Well, that couldn't set it better.

[Andy Holloway]

So to get back to the important stuff, I have confirmed that the judge generally sits behind a raised desk known as the bench.

[Mike Wright]

That's right.

[Jason Moore]

We did it.

[Mike Wright]

That's right.

[Andy Holloway]

But isn't the actual Judge Judy retiring?

[Jason Moore]

That's true.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, so one more judge goes away.

[Jason Moore]

That's because there can only be one.

[Andy Holloway]

That's a pivot.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

She's becoming a wide receiver in the NFL.

[Mike Wright]

That's accurate. Okay. Getting into the Giants, Joe Judge, the new head coach replacing Pat Shermer. He was the wide receiver and special teams coach for the Patriots in 2019. He's got some of that Belichick cologne dripping.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Many have tried with the Belichick cologne, and it's really More like an old man musk, where you're like, it doesn't fit everybody. No.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, because if the younger guy goes out with the old man musk, that's not really the.

[Jason Moore]

Is. Is that cool? I smell like my dad. You know, if you look like cognac and cigars.

[Mike Wright]

That's right.

[Andy Holloway]

If you look at those Two guys, Sean McVeigh and Bill Belichick, one of them you just assume smells real good, and the other you're like, I'm gonna guess he doesn't smell.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, come on.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm. No, I'm just. Look, I'm just saying that. But the reality is.

[Jason Moore]

Wait, wait, look, I'm just.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm just saying that that's the defense.

[Jason Moore]

You get to say whatever you want.

[Andy Holloway]

Said no offense.

[Mike Wright]

And then he said, look, no, no, hold on. Hold your horse.

[Andy Holloway]

Just.

[Mike Wright]

Look, I'm just saying that. Yeah, we know.

[Andy Holloway]

So I didn't know that was a.

[Jason Moore]

Real defense that I could use.

[Andy Holloway]

You can use it in a court of law. Historically, the coaching tree from Bill Belichick has been a fail pile. There are a handful of coaches that have succeeded for a while. I mean, would you consider Romeo Cornell to be a guy who succeeded?

[Mike Wright]

More success than failure. But not always as a head coach. Obviously.

[Andy Holloway]

Obviously. Coordinator Bill O'Brien, I would say he's.

[Jason Moore]

No, he's.

[Andy Holloway]

He's the biggest success.

[Mike Wright]

No, but, yeah, Bill O'Brien's a success. Matt Patricia hasn't been able to do.

[Andy Holloway]

It yet, but there are, like 50 guys who have been hired from his staff.

[Mike Wright]

Vrabel's a huge success.

[Andy Holloway]

He is the biggest success now already. But there are so many people that have come from that system and failed. And it's so funny. I was researching this and I'm looking up reading on why they hired him. And if you remember back to the time that they hired him, it looked like they were going to get Ja Rule. It looked for sure like that was going to happen. And then the Carolina Panthers came and offered this really long contract.

[Jason Moore]

Dave Gettleman's not hip enough.

[Andy Holloway]

He took that. And then, like, immediately they, like, almost before Ja Rule was announced as the head coach for the Carolina Panthers, they're like, joe Judge is ours. Like we. Joe Judge is our head coach.

[Jason Moore]

Right.

[Andy Holloway]

And when I was reading these quotes, here's a quote from the Giants co owner John Mara about hiring him, and he said, well, you know, we have conversations around the office about bright young coaches around the league, and Judge's name came up a few times.

[Jason Moore]

Good enough for me.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Well, here's the thing. So he goes on, he says again, when I saw that he left Alabama, he eventually ended up on the New England staff, I said, wait a second. There has to be something to this guy. If he's from Alabama, that makes sense because you've got Nick Saban.

[Mike Wright]

Saban comes from the Belichick tree.

[Andy Holloway]

Exactly. And Bill Belichick. But I guess it just brings fear to me that, like, wait, is that the.

[Jason Moore]

This is a. This is a hire by association.

[Andy Holloway]

Right. Versus a hire by what he's.

[Jason Moore]

Well, but I mean, if you're associated with those two guys, you're. You are being successful. Saban and Belichick aren't going to have you around if you're.

[Mike Wright]

Isn't Adam gaze through the Saban tree in some capacity.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't remember that. Nice.

[Mike Wright]

Well, it's a long tree to track, to trace down, but nevertheless, Joe Judge, the new head coach, we have no.

[Andy Holloway]

Way to know his tendencies. He, you know, he was a special teams coach for the Patriots and wide receiver coach this last year in 2019 for the Patriots. He doesn't have a history of calling plays or running offenses. Now, there is a.

[Mike Wright]

That's why you brought in Jason Garrett.

[Andy Holloway]

There's a long history of Jason Garrett who was hired. Yeah. And it doesn't that seem.

[Mike Wright]

Garrett's had many, many successful seasons.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

Statistically, as an offense, he has the ability. At least had the ability, kind of like McCarthy, to put up some big seasons as a coordinator. It's just a matter of, you know, he feels like such a retread situation and it's going to feel, I'm assuming, to you Judge, so strange to see him after, what, 12 years in Dallas, to be on the other side longer than that. I'll be happy to see him clapping.

[Andy Holloway]

Over there on that sideline.

[Jason Moore]

Wow.

[Mike Wright]

Hopefully he's not clapping, otherwise maybe you're on the wrong.

[Jason Moore]

No, he'll be clapping no matter what. He claps when they lose.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. He always claps. Interception. Okay. We're clapping. Yeah. So, you know, prospects for these players, I mean, obviously you've got a guy who's been using Zeke in a great way for fantasy, who now has Saquon.

[Jason Moore]

Right.

[Andy Holloway]

So I don't think there's any fears there. The real question is, can he develop Daniel Jones. Daniel Jones into something special? And, you know, we've never. We've never ever talked about giving credit at all to the, you know, emergence of Dak Prescott. Is there something. Does Jason Garrett deserve some credit for taking.

[Mike Wright]

I Think so. I think he does. And he's taken so much flak in the media the past few years, but you know, the majority of the time that he was either the offensive coordinator or the head coach for Dallas, he was a top half team in terms of offensive points per game. I mean, last year they were six. And yeah, you give a lot of the credit to Kellen Moore, but you know, he was a part of that offense and years previously he had had a lot of success.

[Jason Moore]

So it's pretty wild. Tony Romo was undrafted, am I remembering that correctly?

[Andy Holloway]

I thought he was like a six round. But yeah, he's. He's either undrafted or very late on.

[Jason Moore]

But the fact that Jason Garrett had.

[Mike Wright]

He's either drafted or undrafted.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, he's very late or undrafted.

[Mike Wright]

He was, he was an undrafted free agent.

[Jason Moore]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I told you.

[Mike Wright]

I appreciate just saying that.

[Jason Moore]

I just said it. But the success he had with an undrafted quarterback and then. And Dak, who was a fourth round pick, if I'm ever pulling everything from the top of my head here, but that's pretty amazing to have that team and he didn't have a top 10 draft pick at the quarterback position.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, very interesting. And they're a team that I think, you know, it's going to come with the development of Daniel Jones and that offense has the ability to move. We saw it at times last year, this wasn't consistent. I think there should be some optimism there, but we don't know a lot about what Joe Judge is going to do there. We know about Jason Garrett and we get to talk about another NFC east team, the Washington Redskins. Ron Rivera, replacing Jay Gruden, brings in a new offensive coordinator, Scott Turner. How do you feel about this move? I mean, I know that we are Ron Rivera fans in concept or at least Jason and I are pretty big fans of him as the head coach of this team. But how do you feel about.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I mean, we. I guess I'll echo because I believe Mike is. Has a difference of opinion on what we believe in Rivera. I think Rivera is a very good head coach. You know, as far as, you know, a leader, a CEO in that role. Some of these head coaches like Cliff Kingsbury, they come in, they basically run half the team. And Ron Rivera is a guy that is respected by all of his teammates and I think he's a strong, stable force which a team that is not a very well run organization like the Redskins could use. This is what, you know, if I was the Browns, I'm trying to get my team to the middle, you know, like, I'm not. You know, that's kind of where I want to get. And Ron Rivera could get you there. Offensively, you've got Scott Turner coming over.

[Mike Wright]

Who was with him in Carolina in 2019.

[Andy Holloway]

In Carolina. This is really going to, you know, I think, come down to Haskins more than the coaching. Right. And a lot of these. We've looked back, we've talked for years and years and years about the success of some of these coordinators and the failures of some of these coordinators. And if you really look at who their quarterback was, you can find a trend as to whether they were successful or not based on did they have a good one. And, you know, that's. That's up to, you know, Haskins.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, go ahead, Mike.

[Jason Moore]

I just.

[Mike Wright]

Rivera, I mean, he's too vanilla for you.

[Jason Moore]

It is very vanilla. I mean, he's a defensive guy. Like, he was a. He was a DC before he was the head coach. But you have to look at what is the actual success of Ron Rivera. Nine years as a coach in Carolina, three winning seasons. Like, I think we can all agree that three out of nine, if you've only have three winning seasons, that's bad. Now, one of them was a great year. I get it. They were Super Bowl. They were in the Super Bowl. They were very close to becoming the national champions, but.

[Mike Wright]

National champions, really?

[Jason Moore]

Well, what would you call that?

[Mike Wright]

Super bowl champions.

[Jason Moore]

Okay. Well, but of the nation.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. It's just what you call the college winner, so it was fair.

[Jason Moore]

Okay. I was just. What popped into my head is people saying, like, oh, it's the international. Okay. I didn't want to go to that level. I didn't want to crown that large.

[Mike Wright]

You said it.

[Jason Moore]

But three out of nine.

[Andy Holloway]

You're just saying.

[Jason Moore]

Just said it. But three out of nine is not.

[Mike Wright]

No, it's not.

[Jason Moore]

That's not good.

[Mike Wright]

But he could get you back to the middle.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that's what. When you brought up the point of. Can Rivera get you to the middle? Okay. If that's where your eyes are set, that we're trying to get to the middle. Okay. Yeah, you got a guy who can get you there.

[Mike Wright]

Go ahead.

[Andy Holloway]

He took over a team that was, what, 2 and 14 a couple years later? Had three years in a row of winning the division. So, yeah, I mean, he might not be the best in the world, but he was near the best that was out there available.

[Mike Wright]

Let's move on to the Bears. Bears brought in a new offensive coordinator, the Mark Helfrich Experiment is over. But I'm not sure that this is the hire you wanted to make. Bill Laser. I am so sorry. I mean, things can change quickly. The defense can do a lot in the NFL, but the Bears feel like that team that is just heading towards collapse because you're going to be dealing with a quarterback controversy situation if you sign someone like Andy Dalton to sit behind Mitch Trubisky, which is somebody that Bill Laser taking over at offensive coordinator is familiar with. And you know, you run into some trouble at the top of the season with what Matt Nagy has done. This would be another year going backwards after that great debut. I just worry a little bit about this hire and bringing him in and what you're going to get. This is a. An offensive coordinator. When you look at his time as the OC in Miami and Cincinnati, four years, he's never been in the top 10 in any category as an offensive coordinator. We're talking about.

[Andy Holloway]

What about rushing yards?

[Mike Wright]

No, not rushing yards.

[Andy Holloway]

What about passing yards?

[Mike Wright]

No.

[Andy Holloway]

How about just either of those touchdowns? They lucked into some touchdowns.

[Mike Wright]

No. Touchdowns.

[Andy Holloway]

Total scoring?

[Mike Wright]

No.

[Jason Moore]

No.

[Mike Wright]

No points either.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Mike Wright]

No, Nothing in any category, any year. Showing you that you should be optimistic because of Bill Lazer. Let's put it that way. There are things that can happen that can bring the Allen Robinson hype or, you know, whatever David Montgomery hype to fruition this offseason. But I would not put that into Bill Lasers. There's. He's not the causation for that.

[Jason Moore]

Sure, but. But how much will Bill Laser be really changing things? I mean, Matt Nagy. Matt Nagy's the offensive mind. He'll be the one, you know, more in control of that type of stuff.

[Andy Holloway]

But yeah, I can't think.

[Mike Wright]

But that doesn't necessarily make me feel better after last year.

[Jason Moore]

That's fair.

[Mike Wright]

So that's my concern is that we haven't seen this moving forward in Chicago.

[Andy Holloway]

I can't think of the word. There's a word that's like a fake spokesperson. Like, not scapegoat, but like a figurehead.

[Mike Wright]

Or a lame duck.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, that's basically what I feel like Bill Lazer is. It was.

[Jason Moore]

You got that out of fake spokesperson.

[Andy Holloway]

We've known another problem.

[Mike Wright]

That's a long time. There you go.

[Andy Holloway]

But he's just like this.

[Jason Moore]

Ah, Farfinooogan. That's what you meant.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm just saying, you know, he's really not the guy that's running things.

[Jason Moore]

He's.

[Andy Holloway]

I feel like.

[Mike Wright]

But that's what you should have brought someone in to potentially run things.

[Andy Holloway]

But Matt Nagy wants to prove himself still. He. You know, I don't think he.

[Mike Wright]

So from one scapegoat to another, hell frick to laser.

[Andy Holloway]

Exactly right. That's exactly what it is.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

And it's not going to work out well unless they fix the quarterback position. I mean, I don't believe that Matt Nagy is a bad offensive mind. I really don't. Sometimes he definitely gets too cute, but I think if he had a quarterback that could execute some of these really cute things, you'd be like, he's a genius. And he doesn't. He doesn't have that. So, you know, it's one of those, can someone come in behind him, a Bridgewater or a Dalton, and compete and become this year's Ryan Tannehill? And then, okay, if that happens, Bill Lazer was a good hire.

[Mike Wright]

I think you're probably right about that. But he won't get the credit. Nagy will get the credit. He'll get the blame.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

All right. The Broncos new offensive coordinator, Pat Shermer. You guys feel like Pat Shermer got a raw deal in New York opportunity wise, or was it time to move on for both parties?

[Jason Moore]

I think it was a little bit too soon that you're going to. Shermer was there for two years.

[Mike Wright]

2018. 2019.

[Jason Moore]

To go from the very end of Eli Manning's. Eli Manning's career. And then you're. You give him the. The new franchise quarterback and don't really give him a shot.

[Andy Holloway]

It.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I think it would seem a little bit rough.

[Andy Holloway]

I would say it was too early to judge because that was crickets, but I was a big fan of that one. That was. He got replaced by Judge.

[Mike Wright]

It was. Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

Joe Judge. It was too early to judge.

[Mike Wright]

It's March.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, Judge was the fur.

[Mike Wright]

It's a good joke for March.

[Jason Moore]

I've never heard a joke. And then it was funnier, like the second time I heard it until right now. But that just happened. This. That you're so.

[Mike Wright]

I blame it better.

[Jason Moore]

I blame your delivery the first one, because the second time, though, it was much better.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. Okay. Maybe.

[Mike Wright]

Maybe go for. Go for a third.

[Andy Holloway]

It was too early to judge.

[Mike Wright]

No, number two was the best.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Mike Wright]

Number two.

[Andy Holloway]

It was a mountain. Yeah. Okay.

[Mike Wright]

It is interesting when you look at Pat Shermer. He's had a lot of success with young tight ends. You look at young Zach Ertz, Brent Selleck. Is this an opportunity? He was the offensive coordinator, I believe, during Foals Magic season. Is Shermer mean good things for Noah Fant and his potential maturity. You never see these rookies do it in year one, but I think Shermer.

[Andy Holloway]

Is a great hire here. He seemed a little over his head as a head coach for the second time, but he's been a very good, above average offensive coordinator in the past. There's a reason he's gotten multiple head coaching gigs. It's because what he's been able to do with offenses. Now you have a young offense here with a Cortland Sutton and a Drew Locke and a Noah Fant and you got pieces to put together. And now he doesn't have to be the CEO, the guy running everything front to back in a major market. You could say, well, you know, he had these young pieces, these Saquons and Evan Ingrams and those pieces and he didn't get it done with the Giants. But I do believe, you know, we've talked about certain guys that are, that have success as offensive coordinators or defensive coordinators and not so much as head coaches. This is one of those guys that I think is a good hire for the Broncos.

[Mike Wright]

All right. Jacksonville's new offensive coordinator is Jay GRUDEN Replacing John DeFilippo. I like Jay Gruden. Overall, I think he did about as much as he could do with what he was given with the level of control he was allowed to have in Washington.

[Jason Moore]

I can't wait for this discussion about Ron Rivera and like from 2014 to.

[Mike Wright]

2019, just, just copy it.

[Jason Moore]

Copy paste did the best with what.

[Mike Wright]

He had, but that still didn't mean much.

[Jason Moore]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

So, you know, he was handed some difficult situations. The Alex Smith injury, the rise and fall of Robert Griffin, the bumbling of the Kirk Cousins that, you know, I don't think really fell a lot on Jay Gruden. So what do you think of his addition here in Jacksonville? We know there'll be a quarterback battle. Foals Gardner. We saw Gardner have some success. It wasn't consistent necessarily, but there were definitely some flashes. DJ Chark and company.

[Jason Moore]

I like to hire for Jacksonville. I think Gruden is a good offensive mind and he, he can, he can get things out of a quarterback. I mean, frustratingly, he couldn't get anything out of Haskins there in company, but I think he is, I think it's a good hire, especially because it seems like they will be moving forward with, with Gardner. That's my assumption anyways. Do you guys think it'll be Foals or Gardner?

[Andy Holloway]

It'll be. I have every expectation that it'll be Gardner. You know, there's rumors that they've tried to shop them. They're going to have both there. There will be a competition.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I think it'll be a fair competition. I don't think Jay is wanting the younger guy necessarily. Foles outperforms him.

[Andy Holloway]

I agree with that completely. I do think that Foles is such a good backup and that's where he will excel.

[Mike Wright]

Well, he will. He excels technically as a backup that then comes in and leads you to greatness.

[Jason Moore]

That's why you need him as a backup. Exactly.

[Andy Holloway]

For the W's down the road. Yep.

[Mike Wright]

Step one, backup. Step two. I'm sorry, Gardner, but something.

[Jason Moore]

And then step three, Super Bowl.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, this is, you know, I don't see this as a major upgrade or downgrade here. John DeFilippos, you know, been the hot commodity who's throwing the ball too much and then needs to run the ball more than runs too much. And yada yada, Jay Gruden is a.

[Mike Wright]

Little not commodity now, if that's right. Two years, two firings.

[Andy Holloway]

Two firings in two years, but also two hirings in two years. So he's doing it right.

[Jason Moore]

Half full.

[Mike Wright]

Reminds me of Brooks. We fire him twice a day. Hire him back.

[Jason Moore]

Here I am.

[Mike Wright]

Here he is. Keep showing up.

[Andy Holloway]

Brooks, we're going to need to talk.

[Mike Wright]

Stop that paycheck.

[Andy Holloway]

When we're done, someone.

[Mike Wright]

All right. Los Angeles, the Chargers. Shane Steichen took over for Wizen Hunt. After week eight, their passing offense improved in total net yards per game, passing yards per game, passing yards per attempt, rushing, offense improved. We just talked about the Echler signing. Confident with Steichen moving forward.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, this was a really cool. I mean, it's always nice when you can see you go, okay, same team, same personnel, same roster, same quarterback, different coordinator. Halfway through the season, I believe it was at week eight, so half of the season with each one, and he was better than Ken Wisenhunt. So therefore, this seems like an upgrade, but it's not really going to make a difference until we know who the quarterback is for. You can't just say, well, now the Chargers are better this year. They lost their quarterback. If it's Tyrod Taylor, numbers are going to be down. The counting stats for fantasy football are going to be down across the board. But, you know, in general, I think he was an upgrade over Ken Wins and Hunt.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it kind of feels a little bit like, I mean, Freddie Kitchens kind of did this last year. He Was given a head coaching position after it, but he was instrumental in the second half resurgence of the Browns offense. Tykin did that in Los Angeles. But like you said, I mean, is it Tyra Taylor, is it a rookie? Is it someone in that top 10 of the NFL draft coming up? I don't know. Let's talk about the Rams new offensive coordinator bringing them in.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure.

[Mike Wright]

Is Sean McVeigh actually going to give up play calling duties at all?

[Andy Holloway]

He said he's not sure and I take that to mean. Nope. That's. I mean, that's. I don't. I think Sean McVeigh will continue to call the plays. If he gives it up, then great. He's trying to be more of the CEO, less of the offensive coordinator. Obviously he did not have an offensive coordinator. He has been that. So I think it's a good move to bring someone in to help. But I still believe this will be McVeigh's offense. He's not going to just completely turn it over and have it be someone else's offense.

[Mike Wright]

And that's Kevin O'Connell that's taking either the right. The helping role or has an opportunity to maybe call some plays over time. Was it the Browns 49ers, Redskins?

[Andy Holloway]

Ironically, he replaced Sean McVeigh in Washington. In Washington, yeah. So they were never on the same staff though. He just. When McVeigh got hired, he was the replacement.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I think McVeigh keeps. Keeps that role for sure. But we'll see. Has someone to hand it off to if he needs to. And then Miami bringing in Chan Gailey.

[Jason Moore]

This one is interesting.

[Mike Wright]

I love it.

[Jason Moore]

This one is really interesting. Chan Gailey, he vanished for a few years. But what we do have is we have a pretty sizable sample of Chan Gailey running his offense. With Ryan Fitzpatrick, you have two different places that they were together. You had him up in Buffalo. Then you had in New York running things for the jets and especially that jets run. Ryan Fitzpatrick had a Fitz magical year there where Brandon Marshall was a top five guy. Eric Decker was just outside being a wide receiver. 1.

[Andy Holloway]

Do you remember they had. I don't know if you guys know this statistic. Those two guys that year had over 300 targets.

[Jason Moore]

Sounds about right when that was because they were the entire office. I mean they didn't. Fitzpatrick didn't throw it to anybody else. But I'm with Andy. I like this. I have some optimism here. Yes, we all fully expect Miami to grab a rookie in the draft. Maybe they get tua, but at least we should start out the year with some sweet fantasy production. Ryan Fitzpatrick doing it again.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I think that they. You could see some improvement quickly in Miami just from a wins and losses perspective. They got 14 draft picks coming into this year. They obviously performed well at the back end of the year. The devastating defeat of the Patriots that cost them the buy Chan Gailey. Mike Clay tweeted about how heavy he was on four wide receiver sets. The last time we saw him, 2015, 2016, he was running four wide receiver sets 51% of the time, 46% of the time. Three wide receiver sets, 89, 86% of the time. He's an old. But he's an old guy, but he likes to, he likes to wing it. And when you have a quarterback like that, put yourself in that position where you can.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, and it speaks to using the personnel because, yeah, he was crazy for wide receiver set. But if you remember back to those teams with the jets, they, they didn't have a tight end. I mean, it was. Jeff Cumberland was their leading tight end and so he took the pieces that he had. So it's going to be interesting with Kosicki because he is one of the doctor Strange, right? That's right. Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

I missed something.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't understand the reference. Just agreeing, hoping that.

[Mike Wright]

I think it was a Cumberbatch joke. Oh, I'm acting as though I didn't make the joke and I am investigating. I will get back to you when I, When I figure out who actually made it. I will let you know.

[Jason Moore]

Wow.

[Mike Wright]

It was in my ear. Brooks told me to say it.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, Brooks, you're fired. I'll see you tomorrow. Oh, man. From Cumberland.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, it's not good. It's March, though. It's good for March. That's what he's just saying. You don't compare this show in March to this show in August. Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

We are important.

[Jason Moore]

We are in off season.

[Mike Wright]

We're in the off season. We're not even. We're like working out separately. We're not even at the team facility right now.

[Andy Holloway]

I think the biggest takeaway is essentially Changailey has worked with Ryan Fitzpatrick. It's clear that he's going to be the starter because they're bringing him in and he's going to let him fly, he's going to let him go.

[Jason Moore]

He won't clip his wings.

[Andy Holloway]

The first season that he had, you know, with him with the jets, it was 4,000 yards, 31 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and, you know, was. Was great. So this is going to be fun. I'M excited for the Dolphins and they didn't have a running game to speak of then. I think it was like Chris Ivory.

[Jason Moore]

But Ivory and Bilal Powell both had fantasy success under Daily through to Bilal Powell a lot.

[Mike Wright]

All right. In Minnesota, Stefanski, he's out. New head coach of the Browns, Gary Kubiak. Kubs is back. He's been in the National Football League 49 years.

[Andy Holloway]

He's so good. And he should be a head coach of a National Football League team. I believe it. He stepped down years ago, but he's, he, he's phenomenal. And when, you know, when you look at the history of guys that have been in the league for a long time, usually you got some good, some bad, some. But when you look at his history in the running game. Yes, he's just phenomenal. His teams run the ball well. When you add to the fact that you've got Dalvin Cook, you saw what Kubbs coming in this last year did with the Vikings running game. I am, you know, Dalvin Cook's locked in as a top five guy to me in my rankings for next year.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Somebody asked on Twitter would they trade Dalvin cook for the 105? I was like, no, you don't do that. What do you think?

[Jason Moore]

No, I would.

[Mike Wright]

Even in this draft class. Not for the 105. Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

I think I'll take Dalvin Cook. I mean, we just talked about having the known commodity.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't think I would trade Dalvin Cook for the one on one. I mean, Jonathan Taylor looks great. Maybe he goes somewhere great and maybe he is better. But what Dalvin Cook's. What more do you want than a guy who's already done it, proven it. He's got the, you know, the role. He's got Kubes.

[Mike Wright]

DeAndre Swift takes offense to you always presuming Jonathan Taylor's the number one pick.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure. Look, if Swift goes to the Chiefs, that will be changed. He will be my one on one.

[Mike Wright]

What about Thielen and Diggs, the implications for them under Kubiak? Do you. I mean, you see more of what you saw last year where the targets were way down from 2018.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Is Diggs even going to be there?

[Jason Moore]

Oh, I don't know. We had that photo going around the interwebs.

[Mike Wright]

That's such an Antonio Brown thing to do. He.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, but it's good because it's the Arizona.

[Mike Wright]

There's a photo of him working out in a Cardinals shirt because he wants.

[Andy Holloway]

Why would you do that?

[Mike Wright]

He would do that because he Wants to go to the Cardinals. That's what A.B.

[Jason Moore]

Would do.

[Mike Wright]

He's like, oh, I want to come play with Brady, so I'm going to warm up in a Patriots shirt. That's such a AB type of thing to do.

[Andy Holloway]

Mr. Diggs.

[Mike Wright]

And all he does is tweet in.

[Jason Moore]

Hold on, Jason's.

[Mike Wright]

Doc.

[Andy Holloway]

Mr. Diggs, you are welcome here in Arizona with open arms. And look, Coops, I know you want to run the ball. Well, can we interest you in some David Johnson? Oh, no, I'm just saying we're going to have to make some trade.

[Jason Moore]

I just said it.

[Mike Wright]

I just not saying, but I just said it. Philadelphia, no more offensive coordinator. No one's replacing Mike Grow. They determined that nothing was better than Mike Grow. That's not good. They're not going to utilize the offensive coordinator title right then. I mean it's definitely cheaper. Nothing is cheaper than something.

[Jason Moore]

Now does. Does Peterson then just like, does he absorb that salary?

[Mike Wright]

Probably.

[Jason Moore]

Look, man, if I was the head coach, I would have Andy absorbing salaries.

[Mike Wright]

For a long time.

[Jason Moore]

No defensive coordinator. It would just be me.

[Andy Holloway]

I'd be stressed, but I'd be rich.

[Jason Moore]

It would be a one year ride, but I would make $50 million.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. You know, this is, this is one of the interesting situations where ever since the super bowl title and the Doug Peterson could do no wrong, it has been a slippery slide down the hill from there. And I think he's going to have real question if he doesn't get the team performing well this season, especially on offense.

[Mike Wright]

Talking about the playoff team.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

I don't disagree with you.

[Andy Holloway]

Do they have above 500 records and make the playoffs?

[Mike Wright]

I don't. Neither here nor there.

[Andy Holloway]

It was the NFC least, remember I saw the future.

[Mike Wright]

I told you. They get to the playoffs.

[Andy Holloway]

I think it was a Super bowl that you saw.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, they were nine and seven.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, all right. You know, but you know, since really Frank Reich left, it's like who you know, have you looked at Doug Peterson? The same as in this great offensive. Just genius. It hasn't felt that way. So it's interesting to me.

[Mike Wright]

There's been so many injuries I think that people look to.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

And then at least that's what I look to.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, and it's true. I mean last year they lost all their wide receivers. They lost their running backs at times.

[Mike Wright]

Tight ends at times.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, it was, it was not good. But I feel like he could use another guy. I mean he's shown well when he has a good coordinator with him. So it's just surprising to me that.

[Mike Wright]

But he was. He was much. He was like McVeigh. I mean, the figurehead situation where he was calling a lot of the plays in the offense. And you just talked about it with Nagy and, you know, maybe it was just not worth doing the dance of having somebody else to powwow with.

[Andy Holloway]

I guess it's good in the sense that if you can't find the right person, it would be better if you. If I was Doug Peterson and I believe in my skill set, if I can't find the person that I'm confident is exactly who I want to work with and make things better, then maybe he's doing the right thing.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. So are you saying we don't need a producer?

[Jason Moore]

Well, man.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, we're going to have to figure out if he comes in tomorrow.

[Mike Wright]

Welcome back, by the way.

[Andy Holloway]

I'll see you tomorrow. All right. We figured it out.

[Mike Wright]

I'm just joking. I love you. You're the number one judge in my heart, Brooks. All right. We want to thank Pristine Auction today. A Todd Gurley signed jersey Yesterday sold on pristineauction.com for $55.90. Check out their hundreds of daily sports memorabilia auctions.

[Andy Holloway]

And that would be $45 if you use the promo code ballers as a new registration because you get $10 credit towards one of these type of auctions.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, my gosh. Your math is outlandishly good this time of year. Yeah, your March math is awesome. $10 off March.

[Andy Holloway]

March Mathness.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, we were all thinking it.

[Mike Wright]

Shut this down. Pristineauction.com use the code ballers. We'll be back with another show. Whatever. Eat it.

[Jason Moore]

See you next week. Goodbye.

[Andy Holloway]

Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers podcast. Join our fantasy football community on jointhefoot.com and follow us on Twitter the FFballers.