With two franchises pending their official hires after the Super Bowl, the new head coaches of the 2019 season have been finalized:
Miami Dolphins: Brian Flores, 37, former Linebackers Coach, Safeties Coach, Defensive Assistant, Special Teams Assistant and Pro Scout for the New England Patriots.
Cincinnati Bengals: Zac Taylor, 35, former Quarterbacks Coach and Assistant Wide Receivers Coach for the Los Angeles Rams, Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach for the Cincinnati Bengals, Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach for the Miami Dolphins.
Green Bay Packers: Matt LaFleur, 39, former Offensive Coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, Offensive Coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, Quarterbacks Coach for the Atlanta Falcons, Quarterbacks Coach for the Washington Redskins, Offensive Quality Control Coach for the Houston Texans.
Arizona Cardinals: Kliff Kingsbury, 39, former Head Coach of Texas Tech, former NFL Quarterback.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bruce Arians, 66, former Head Coach of the Cardinals, Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach for the Indianapolis Colts, Offensive Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Offensive Coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, Tight Ends Coach for the New Orleans Saints, Running Backs Coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Denver Broncos: Vic Fangio, 60, former Defensive Coordinator for the Chicago Bears, Defensive Coordinator for the San Fransisco 49ers, Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach for the Baltimore Ravens, Defensive Coordinator for the Houston Texans, Defensive Coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts, Defensive Coordinator for the Carolina Panthers, Linebackers coach for the New Orleans Saints.
Cleveland Browns: Freddie Kitchens, 44, former Offensive Coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, Running Back, Quarterback and Tight Ends Coach for the Arizona Cardinals, Tight Ends Coach for the Dallas Cowboys.
New York Jets: Adam Gase, 40, former Head Coach for the Miami Dolphins, Offensive Coordinator for the Chicago Bears, Offensive Coordinator, Quarterbacks and Wide Receivers Coach for the Denver Broncos, Offensive Assistant for the San Fransisco 49ers, Quarterbacks Coach and Offensive Assistant for the Detroit Lions.
Trends
You’ve probably heard a lot about the youth of this season’s coaching carousel, and the hype around finding the new Sean McVay.
The average age of the hired coaches for 2019 is 45, just short of the 2018 average age of 49, with Sean McVay as the youngest at 32 and the oldest with Pete Carroll at 67.
Post-Super Bowl, criticism has arisen against the frenzy of young coaches. While the Cardinals, Bengals and Packers followed in Los Angeles’ path, the Broncos and Buccaneers took an entirely different route.
Bruce Arians has thirty years of experience coaching in the NFL, while Vic Fangio has 33. Their resumes are rich in NFL experience and after watching Bill Belichick (who has been in the league for 44 years beginning as an assistant to the former Baltimore Colts in 1975) finesse his young rival, Tampa Bay and Denver may feel better about going the more traditional hiring route.
Flores and Fangio are also the only hires with defensive-focused experience. A league that is growing it’s passing game and continuing to emphasize the quarterback position certainly shapes the way they hire, but dominant defense certainly pronounced its importance in Super Bowl 53.
It’s hard to say who will succeed in 2019. So many factors are out of a head coach’s control that are unseen on the surface. Inheriting a roster that has been developed for years can be incredibly difficult.
The head coach position also requires a breadth of charism and ability to work with the press. Something Adam Gase, who has already served as a head coach, was brutally reminded of in January.
Not every coach who is more historically comfortable as a coordinator or positional coach enjoys the demands of their new role, but in 2019, expect the unexpected.
