The non-NFL playoff teams have started preparing for the 2013 season and for many of them, that means changes to their respective coaching staffs. Those changes could have a lot to do with the fantasy football draft values of the player they'll coach. Stay with this page as teams hire offensive and defensive coordinators for our take on what impact those hires could have in fantasy football. For our take on head coaching hires, check the NFL.com Fantasy blog.
[
Buffalo Bills
Nathaniel Hackett, Offensive Coordinator: Hackett (the son of former Chiefs and Jets OC Paul Hackett) presided over a Syracuse offense that set a number of offensive school records in 2012. He'll bring the same uptempo style to Buffalo, something that has been all the rage in the NFL in recent seasons, helping spur offensive success in Atlanta, Baltimore and New England -- among other places. It would seem to bode well for the multi-talented C.J. Spiller although it doesn't seem to shed any light on Ryan Fitzpatrick's future with the club.
Mike Pettine, Defensive Coordinator: Pettine has worked with some of the NFL's best defenses in his relatively short tenure as an assistant coach. Over the past four seasons, his New York Jets' units never ranked worse than eighth in yards allowed -- without ever having a consistent pass rusher. It was made even more impressive by the fact that the team played most of the 2012 season without Darrelle Revis. In Bufallo, he inherits a group that has a quality pass rusher in Mario Williams, but will need to find a lot more consistency in the secondary to be an adequate defense.
[
Carolina Panthers
Mike Shula, Offensive Coordinator: Shula was given a promotion after spending the past two seasons as the Panthers' quarterbacks coach. The continuity should be a good thing for Cam Newton and an offense that was uneven for much of last season. For fantasy owners, it remains to be seen which of Carolina's two running backs will see the most work -- or with both continue to be usurpred by Newton. And it might be a good idea to find a consistent No. 2 receiver to line up opposite Steve Smith.
[
Chicago Bears
Aaron Kromer, Offensive Coordinator: Kromer won't call the plays in Chicago (that duty will belong to new head coach Marc Trestman), but that doesn't mean Chicago's new OC doesn't know his way around a high-powered offense, having worked with the Saints since 2006. Part of that included working as the team's interim head coach for six games this season -- leadership experience that should serve him well.
Mel Tucker, Defensive Coordinator: Tucker consistently put quality defenses on the field in Cleveland and Jacksonville, with units in both places usually ranking in the top 10. He takes over a defense with an immense amount of talent, though it may be a group that will have to experience life without Brian Urlacher in 2013. Still there's little reason to think Tucker can't keep the Bears among the elite defenses in the NFL.
[
Cleveland Browns
Norv Turner, Offensive Coordinator: No one should be happier about Turner's hire than Trent Richardson. The list of running backs who have found success under Turner is impressive, including names like Emmitt Smith, LaDainian Tomlinson and Stephen Davis. Until the Browns can find a consistent set of receivers to pair with Brandon Weeden, the offense will have to center around the ability to run the football. Turner has been good at making that happen and he has a young, talented running back to carry out his vision.
Ray Horton, Defensive Coordinator: Over the past two seasons with Horton as defensive coordinator, the Cardinals had a defense that was often less than the sum of its parts. In each season, Arizona's defense finished ranked a mediocre 17th. He'll find a lot of similar pieces to work with in Cleveland -- most notably a young shutdown corner in Joe Haden.
[
Dallas Cowboys
Monte Kiffin, Defensive Coordinator: It's a curious hire, to say the least...and not just because Kiffin's defense the past three seasons at the University of Southern California were consistently among the worst in the Pac-12 conference. It's a strange move because Kiffin's famed "Tampa 2" defense doesn't seem to fit the Cowboys' personnel. Dallas has spent the past couple of offseasons beefing up its secondary with players more suited for man coverage. Now they'll likely be asked to play a lot of zone. Additionally, it takes two of the team's best defensive assets -- linebackers DeMarcus Ware and Sean Lee -- and ask them to play in spots they're unaccustomed to. This isn't to say the Cowboys can't find success, but it might take a year or two for the team to adjust.
[
Denver Broncos
Adam Gase, Offensive Coordinator: Gase just finished a season as Denver's quarterbacks coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator. Yet he'll have the task of calling plays for a QB two years his senior. Of course, Peyton Manning has been known to run his own offense, so it will be interesting to see how much the offense is made in Manning's image in 2013.
[
Indianapolis Colts
Pep Hamilton, Offensive Coordinator: This seems like a dream come true for everyone around the Colts. Hamilton spent the past two seasons as Stanford's offensive coordinator and worked with Andrew Luck during the QBs senior season. After Luck's great roookie year, getting back to a familiar system can only help him get better.
[
Kansas City Chiefs
Doug Pederson, Offensive Coordinator: Pederson comes in as an unknown quantity. He spent the past two seasons as the quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, working with Michael Vick -- who was equal parts brilliant and frustrating (though there was more frustration than brilliance in 2012). Pederson will now preside over an offense that has Jamaal Charles...and not much else. It would be a major surprise to see either Brady Quinn or Matt Cassel as the team's starter next season. But there's nothing to suggest Kansas City takes a big step forward offensively.
Bob Sutton, Defensive Coordinator: Sutton has spent more than a decade overseeing portions of the Jets defense, though his track record is less than stellar. In three seasons as defensive coordinator, the Jets cracked the top 15 in team defense just once. The Chiefs defense in 2012 was among the league's worst, especially when it came to takeaways. Kansas City finished tied with the fewest interceptions (7) and sixth-fewest fumble recoveries (6). Sutton has his work cut out for him.
[
New York Jets
Marty Mornhinweg, Offensive Coordinator: Mornhinweg takes over an offense that was among the NFL's most impotent in 2012. He comes over after coordinating an offense in Philadelphia that had consistently ranked in the top 10. However much of that credit went to Andy Reid, who was the team's primary playcaller. This hire will likely only increase the speculation that Michael Vick will land in New York next season.
[
San Diego Chargers
Ken Whisenhunt, Offensive Coordinator: Whisenhunt heads to San Diego and returns to his roots as an offensive coordinator. During his tenure as the Steelers' OC, Whisenhunt's offenses were never without a featured rusher, whether Jerome Bettis or Willie Parker. He'll work with Ryan Mathews in San Diego -- a guy who has the ability to be a featured back even if he has yet to show it. Add that to head coach Mike McCoy's proficiency in working with quarterbacks and the Chargers offense has plenty of upside for 2013.
