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The 2018 off season brought together seven new coaches in the NFL. Well, five new and one pair of retreaded tires. They combined to go 0-7 in the first week of the season – a new ignominious record of the NFL.
Both Jon Gruden and Pat Shurmur have returned this fall with more or less fanfare. The 2003 title of Gruden's Super Bowl and his consistent presence on NFL broadcasts have made him a popular candidate for needy teams in professional and academic landscapes. Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis was able to make this assumption a reality for a $ 100 million contract. Gruden was pushed back into the spotlight in his very first match – a comeback to Monday night footballbut this time on the sideline and not in the cabin.
Although Gruden and Shurmur are the most recognizable new coaches, they are mentored by a handful of minds who rely on the best assistants in the game. Matt Patricia has won two Super Bowls as Patriots Defensive Coordinator. Now, he has been responsible for leading Lions to relevance. Steve Wilks' award for bringing the Panthers back to a playoff team was a shot at the Cardinals. Mike Vrabel needed only four years as an NFL assistant to convince the Titans that he was the perfect man for Tennessee.
The first week of the season is in the books, throwing a bleak cloud over the 2018 crop of new coaches. But which of these generals of the sideline has found the brightest lining of silver in their gray skies? And who could be ready to succeed in the second week and beyond?
Jon Gruden, Raiders
Gruden's impact on Oakland was felt long before his team took the field on Monday night. The Raiders have made considerable efforts to distance themselves from last year's 6-10 team – and some talented players have fallen victim to this purge. No absence was more evident than that of Khalil Mack. The NFL's 2016 defensive player of the year has been sent to Chicago (with, sort of, a second-round pick) this season for a pair of first-round Bears, a third rounder and a sixth-round pick . And while Mack was busy destroying the Packers for two quarters, his former teammates followed a similar plan of silence after half-time, allowing 23 half-points in a 33-10 loss to the Rams.
The Raiders seemed better than their cover loss might suggest. Oakland was followed by 10 points in the fourth quarter when a 32-yard Jared Cook takeover thrown Gruden's team into Los Angeles territory, but an interception by Derek Carr in the next game annihilated any hope of return. But the Raiders' weaknesses in two areas, Gruden, played a direct role in the casting of the catcher and in the passing race. The Oakland defensemen had only seven receptions on Monday, and their defense had only one bag on 34 Jared Goff fallouts. Concerns about its management of the list paid off in the first week.
Quality: C-
Matt Nagy, bear
Nagy looked brilliant as his Bears took a 17-0 lead at half-time over the Packers at Lambeau Field. His striker clicked, second-year guard Mitchell Trubisky looked confident and Green Bay was on the line after losing Aaron Rodgers to a serious knee injury.
And then Rodgers came back for the second half and Chicago has collapsed like a hut with graham cracker walls. The dominant defense of the first half of Nagy has no answer for Rodgers. His offensive stammered when Trubisky struggled to throw in the field or open receivers. Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen, one of the most electric lining of the league, have in any case won only 20 assists in a game where the Bears led for nearly 50 minutes.
The good news is that Nagy still has a talented young core with a generational passing pass at Khalil Mack. The bad news is that Trubisky will still need time and a long track to go from the "young intriguing athlete" to the "franchised QB". Nagy's job for the next 16 weeks is to free the space he needs to take off.
Quality: C-
Matt Patricia, Lions
Listening to the crowd at home sings "J-E-T-S, JETS!" At half-time, this is not the most rewarding start for a novice head coach. Patricia is the first coach since Tom Cable with the Raiders in 2008 to lose his debut by 31 points or more.
For a branch carefully carved out of the Belichick tree and replanted in Detroit's mineral-laden soil, Patricia Lions seemed to be waiting for a scrum session. Matthew Stafford launched four interceptions. His replacement, Matt Cassel, has launched one of his. The running game, which has been struggling throughout the season with an improved unit, ready to do its part, has failed to reach the low bar of its predecessors.
The Jets knew which parts the Lions would run as Detroit lined up.
The defense, Patricia's specialty, had to face its most fundamental responsibility, namely to attack. They were not better able to cover people. They lost their best (only) passing passer, Ezekiel Ansah, following an injury. After that, it was easy to navigate in a pocket without worries for rookie QB Sam Darnold.
"We have to train that a lot better than we did," Patricia said after the match. "We have to go out and perform a lot better in the field. It's a team game and it starts with me.
The Lions have a road trip to play the 49ers next week, then they will host the Patriots. Patricia could consider a 0-3 start for her coaching career … welcome to Detroit!
Quality: F
Frank Reich, Colts
The Colts' second pick to lead the second phase of the Andrew Luck era made good use of his quarterback studies on Sunday. Reich threw the surgically repaired shoulder of his franchisee straight into the fire, getting 53 passes while his team spat a 13-point lead in the third quarter in a mediocre Bengals squad. A sudden attack – Marlin Mack, the typical starter, was sidelined, leaving Jordan Wilkins, Nyheim Hines and Christine Michael to fill the gaps – limiting the number of passes to the clock he could call, forcing a heavy pass that but Cincinnati was also able to make a two-digit return.
A key mental error also helped. Reich gave up his position on a second and goal that left Indianapolis' defense with too many men on the pitch. This penalty gave the Bengals new hope after a short-term key match. Two mixes later, Joe Mixon crashed into the end zone to give Cincinnati a lead.
On the plus side, Reich has his mistake.
"I have not seen the substitution, and I will learn from that," Reich said Monday. "I have to keep my eyes on the reader all the time it's happening."
Quality: C +
Pat Shurmur, giants
Shurmur has restored his reputation after an extremely Browns-y stint as a head coach in Cleveland. The offensive guru was sacked by the Browns in 2013, then became the architect of the best performances of Sam Bradford and Case Keenum as coordinator with the Eagles and Vikings. This course took him to New York, where the Giants are counting on him to replenish a team coming from a franchise record of 3-13 last fall.
His debut in New York did not come with a win, but his rebuilding club still managed to scare AFC finalists 2017, Jac. The Giants were followed by five minutes with the ball in the Jacksonville territory at the two-minute warning, before their return turnover was over.
In the beginning, New York pushed the finalists of the 2017 AFC to the limit. The Giants had entered the Jacksonville Jaguars with a five-minute lead with less than two minutes to play before their turnover fell. It's not really a moral win – the Jaguars were without Leonard Fournette for most of the match and Blake Bortles had a very Blake Bortles performance – the 20-15 loss still seems to be a step in the right direction.
The biggest concern is the game of Eli Manning. Shurmur quarterback who was whispering did not participate in his first game with the double Super Bowl champion. Manning was unable to find the end zone and needed 37 passes for 224 yards on Sunday, leaving his stuck attack in neutral – despite one of the toughest defenses in the league.
Quality: C +
Mike Vrabel, Titans
The key to Vrabel's first year in Nashville will be to see the Marcus Mariota who looked like a budding star his first two seasons in the league and not the player who launched more steals than touchdowns in 2017. On Sunday, he saw the latter in a marathon game that will be replayed in full in sports bars throughout hell for the rest of eternity. Mariota was awful (9-16, 0 TD, 2 INT) and was injured, rewarding the fans who played the seven-hour match Sunday with liberal help from Blaine Gabbert's entrenchers.
Vrabel played in the ranks of the NFL coach thanks to his experience as a top player, working mainly in defense and special teams along the way. To succeed with the Titans, he will have to unlock the offensive potential of the franchise. But his beginnings were not very promising when it came to getting stops either. Tennessee allowed Ryan Tannehill to return more than eight yards per pass and returned only once in 29 spins. Frank Gore, 35, burned the club for nearly seven yards per race.
A game massively delayed by storms can explain some of this strangeness. But Vrabel can not afford such a messy performance during the second week if he wants to play the Titans as a South AFC candidate in 2018.
Quality: RE
Steve Wilks, Cardinals
Cardinals are not going to be very good this season. It's clear since the end of last season; there is just too much reconstruction to do here. The key for a rookie head coach is knowing how to navigate a season like this, save a little face and give fans some hope for next year.
Maybe next week.
The Cardinals lost 24-6 at home against Washington. The fans booed. And Wilks understood why.
"You know what? It was well deserved," said Wilks on Monday. "They come here, they support us, they pay their money and they want to see a good product, and we did not put a good product on the ground yesterday. "
Arizona claimed one of the best defenses of the NFL last year, but you would not have known that Sunday when they brought out Adrian Peterson again – 96 rushing yards and a touchdown.
On the other side of the ball, David Johnson is supposed to be the elite for the fans, but Wilks and Co. has not managed to get more than 70 yards in total. Even worse, they gave up the ball completely once Washington took the lead.
What can finally make or break the first season of Wilks is what he does in the quarter. Keeping it to Sam Bradford will not do him any favor. Josh McCown, the rich man, scored 153 passes and an interception. Expect questions from Josh Rosen in 3 … 2 …
Quality: RE
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