A Roundup of the New-Look NFC East: Head Coaches
Free agency is upon us, which undoubtedly means seeing some of our most beloved leave us.
Darren Sproles has announced his retirement, Jason Peters is on his deathbed, and Malcolm Jenkins demands a better contract if he’s going to continue his career in Philadelphia. But just as we await our farewells, we have some new faces to welcome to the NFC East!
That’s right, with the departures (I’ll say it: firing) of Jason Garrett, Jay Gruden, and Pat Shurmur, we welcome three new head coaches to the division, and they bring impressive resumes.
Five Super Bowl titles and even more appearances between the three of them mean the division is about to get a hell of a lot better, but that means little relative to the 2019 NFC East. Today we’re going to take a look at each new face and consider how they will shape the division.
Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys
McCarthy is a household name among NFL head coaches. During his 13-year tenure in Green Bay, he won a Super Bowl and led the team to 6 division titles (4 straight from ‘11-’14) and 10 playoff appearances. His 2007 season ended at the hands of the soon-to-be division rival New York Giants but earned him enough votes to finish second for Coach of the Year to (same thing here with the first name) Bill Belichik, another coach whose 2007 season ended at the hands of Eli Manning. Go figure.
McCarthy brings a QB-first mentality to the Cowboys, which, honestly, should scare non-Dallas fans. The guy replaced Andy Reid in 1999 for the QB coach gig in Green Bay, overseeing (same) Brett Favre’s fourth-best statistical season, before being hired as an OC in New Orleans. There, he put together (position) Ricky Williams’ 2,245 yards, 14 TD season. McCarthy knows how to develop quarterbacks and utilize elite running backs.
The Cowboys have a prolific running back and a QB ripe for developing.
Listen, I will be the first to say Dak is overrated. But as fans who saw what Reid can do with a Shoprite clerk at the helm of an offense, we should take this hire seriously. The Cowboys have an extremely talented roster that Garrett couldn’t command.
The biggest question for McCarthy is his defensive woes. His team was top ten in scoring 9 of 13 years as head coach, but top ten in defense only twice. The Cowboys showed flashes of elite offensive production this year, but still have work to do on the defensive front. If McCarthy can earn the respect of this roster, shore up the defense, and optimize production the way he has in the past, the Cowboys will be a divisional, conference, and possibly a league-wide threat.
Ron Rivera, Washington Redskins
If McCarthy is the offensive wizard of the new NFC East coaches, Ron Rivera is the Yin to his Yang. Riverboat Ron was a linebacker at UC Berkeley, played at the position for the SB-winning ‘85 Bears, LB coach for the Eagles from ‘99-’03, and a two-time coach of the year (‘13, ‘15). He is credited with the development of Jeremiah Trotter, a name many of us will recognize. He guided the Panthers to 15-1 before losing to Peyton Manning and the Broncos (in Super Bowl 50).
Rivera embodies another fantastic head coaching hire in the division. He is a brilliant defensive mind who has shown results. He has already begun surrounding himself with more of the same — naming Jack Del Rio defensive coordinator was a great choice. Del Rio’s woes as a head coach are one thing, but he was responsible for the Ravens’ SB-winning defense in 2000. The Redskins quietly have a strong roster that has been ravaged by health concerns and lacked the consistency at quarterback to help the offense run.
Once again the contra of McCarthy: he will need to find more offensive minds to get this team going.
He already has generational (albeit older) talent in Adrian Peterson, a young kid in Derrius Guice right behind him, and a developmental QB in Dwayne Haskins. The emergence of Terry McLaurin and the fateful day when Jordan Reed isn’t constantly beleaguered with aches and pains proves this team has what it takes, but needs direction.
Rivera’s firing is no indicator of his ability. The new ownership in Carolina, headed by David Tepper, announced that the firing was more a change of approach than a statement on Rivera’s play-calling ability. And while owners are always politic, that sentiment feels overwhelmingly true. Washington landed a great coach who can turn around an organization that lacks any momentum.
Joe Judge, New York Giants
So then Joe Judge happened. Two proven head coaches and the Giants pull up with a special teams guy. I’m scared @OldTakesExposed will tear me a new one in a year if this goes well, but this is definitely the worst hire of the three. Not a bad hire, but not the best.
Judge is a Philly kid, born and raised. He grew up between Doylestown and King of Prussia, and his dad played at Temple. After being a special teams coordinator at Alabama under Saban, he got his big break as a professional special teams assistant on the Patriots’ SB XLIX team, being promoted to coordinator the year after. After winning SB LI he was expected to follow McDaniels to Indianapolis but instead expanded his role in New England to both ST and Receivers coach. Judge won one more ring in SB LIII.
Judge has already announced he is keeping the Giants’ Thomas McGaughey in at ST Coordinator, signaling little change in direction in the third phase of the game. The Patriots haven’t been a team that runs through its receivers for a while, save for mixing up the pace with Amendola a few years ago, and the constant dependence on white slot receivers.
Frankly, I am at a loss as to what Judge brings to this team. He’s got as much super bowl experience as Bill O’Brien (54-47) and Dan Patricia (9-22-1), and those hires have panned out so-so at best for the Texans and Lions, respectively.
The Belichick coaching tree has been historically dry for those thirsty for wins, and I have every expectation of this hire proving the same.
All in all, the NFC East is about to get a hell of a lot better. Proven coaches on three different teams and a guy with three Super Bowl rings certainly bodes well for the competitiveness of the division.
With the talent in place and new play-callers to dictate production, the Cowboys and Redskins will make fierce challengers for the Eagles’ hold on the division title. I would wholly expect two teams to make it to the playoffs next year. The Giants? Not so much.
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