New at the helm

Sporting News, The, Feb 12, 2001

TSN senior writer Dan Pompei's take on the league's seven new coaches:

* Buffalo: The oddsmakers would have made GREGG WILLIAMS a 100-to-1 shot for this job, but Bills G.M. Tom Donahoe could not have found a better candidate. Williams oversaw the No. 1 defense in the NFL. Under Jeff Fisher in Tennessee, Williams learned from one of the league's best head coaches and was part of one of the league's best-run organizations. He has a diverse background, having played quarterback in college and having coached special teams before becoming a defensive coach. Williams is a superb communicator and teacher and should be an outstanding head coach.

* Cleveland: BUTCH DAVIS, who arrived from the University of Miami, is as qualified as any coach who was available, but he really held the Browns up. Davis signed a deal believed to be worth close to $3.5 million a year, and he was given control over personnel. That's a lot to give a man who has yet to win his first NFL game. The personnel part makes little sense. Davis won't be able to turn water into wine any more than Chris Palmer, yet the terms under which Davis was hired imply that's what will be expected.

* Detroit: MARTY MORNHINWEG was an excellent hire by Lions CEO and president Matt Millen. Mornhinweg excels at the rarest and most precious commodity among coaches--getting the most out of quarterbacks. Significantly, he is the only one of the new hires to have an offensive coaching background. Under Mornhinweg's guidance, Brett Favre and Steve Young had career years, and Jeff Garcia went from the Canadian Football League to the Pro Bowl. It would be a surprise if Charlie Batch didn't elevate his game next season. Mornhinweg has excellent leadership abilities, people skills and toughness. Like Andy Reid, Steve Mariucci and Mike Sherman, Mornhinweg learned his lessons well from Mike Holmgren.

* Houston: DOM CAPERS couldn't be a better fit for the Texans because he already coached an expansion team and is more aware of the potential pitfalls than any other candidate. As head coach of the Panthers, Capers directed his team to sudden success, then watched that success disintegrate. If he has learned from his mistakes, he should serve the Texans well.

* Kansas City: Which DICK VERMEIL are the Chiefs getting? The one who went 9-23 in his first two years with the Rams and nearly got fired? The one who did a masterful job in 1999 of leading the Rams and orchestrating the team's Super Bowl 34 championship? Or, the one who wanted to kick back and spend more time with his family in 2000? This is a little bit of an odd fit because the Chiefs are in a semi-rebuilding mode, and Vermeil, at 64, will want to win quickly.

* New York Jets: This was the riskiest move of all the new hires because HERMAN EDWARDS never has been a head coach or coordinator. But if Edwards turns out to be like his mentor, Buccaneers head coach Tony Dungy, this move could end up being the most inspired of all the hims. In the nation's biggest market, Edwards will be faced with lots of new frontiers in dealing with game management, practice structure, player personnel issues, the media, the public, organization and delegation.

* Washington: The Redskins hired a rare commodity in MARTY SCHOTTENHEIMER, a proven winner at the NFL level. But Schottenheimer probably will be compromised by owner Dan Snyder at some point. It would be difficult for any head coach to succeed in the environment Snyder has created, and it will be difficult for Schottenheimer. Look for the Redskins to try to win now with more quick fixes. If they fail, the outcome will be predictable.