Cameron Irwin: Frank Reich – Indianapolis Colts
Frank Reich was not the first choice for the Indianapolis Colts to replace former head coach Chuck Pagano. Like most of his career as a quarterback, Reich was the backup plan.
Now, he finds himself back in Indy where his NFL coaching career began under Hall-of-Famer Tony Dungy, first as a coaching assistant and then as a quarterbacks and wide receivers coach under Jim Caldwell. His first big promotion came in 2014 when he became the offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers. Last season, he won Super Bowl LII as the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Reich is a master architect when it comes to offenses. He led Nick Foles, a backup quarterback, to a Super Bowl championship. Reich helped develop Eagles franchise quarterback Carson Wentz into the player he is today. In 2014, under Reich, Philip Rivers threw for 4,792 yards, more than he ever had in his career.
Last year, the Colts only scored over 21 points in 11 of the 16 games they played. In six of the 11 games, the Colts lost by seven points or less. All of that was with backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett at the helm. The Colts’ offense will be the first item on Rech’s agenda.
Andrew Luck is finally returning from a shoulder injury that has sidelined him for nearly 15 months, and is now expected to start week one. Reich should be more than excited to lead this young star through his first full season since 2016.
Young running back Marlon Mack flashed his speed last year, racking up nearly 350 yards as a rookie backup to Frank Gore. On the outside, receivers T.Y. Hilton, as well as newcomer Ryan Grant, blaze corners with their speed and are ready to have a healthy star behind center to throw to them. In addition, tight ends Jack Doyle and Eric Ebron are pass-block specialists.
Coach Reich should have a lot to be excited about in Indianapolis. With his offensive prowess and the Colts young, healthy offense, there should be no stopping Reich from leading this team to a division championship.
Matt Harrington: Pat Shurmur – New York Giants
After a miserable 2017 season, the New York Giants are looking to bounce back under new head coach Pat Shurmur. Shurmur has a surplus of coaching experience in the NFL and had one of the most exciting seasons to date last year with the Minnesota Vikings.
With Shurmur as the offensive coordinator, the Vikings offense did a complete 180. In 2016, Minnesota was 29th in the league in yards per game. Under Shurmur in 2017, they rose to 11th.
Shurmur has also made some of Minnesota’s top offensive weapons household names among a national audience, like wide receiver Adam Thielen. Thielen was able to put up the best season of his career in 2017 under Shurmur, legging out over 1,200 receiving yards. Stefon Diggs has also become one of the NFL’s rising stars over the past few seasons.
Shurmur’s offensive impact in Minnesota should have the same effect on the Giants this year. New York has some big names on offense that are bound to make some noise.
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has become the face of the franchise and has been an important offensive weapon for the Giants throughout his first four seasons in the league. His massive five year, $95 million contract ensures he’ll be a Giant for the foreseeable future.
It seems the Giants have also found their running back of the future in potential Offensive Rookie of the Year Saquon Barkley. Eli Manning is a question mark at quarterback, but Shurmur has the pieces to improve the team offensively this season.
Defensively, the Giants were a mess on and off the field last season under head coach Ben McAdoo. The bad locker room environment seemed to make the headlines nearly every week.
On the field, the Giants finished almost dead last in every defensive category, including rushing and passing yards allowed. There aren’t many big names on the defense, but a fresh new face in the locker room could help turn things around. Shurmur has proven he can do just that.
Overall, the Giants still have a lot of work to do before reaching the playoffs again, but the team looks dramatically better going into this season. Saquon Barkley and Odell Beckham Jr. are more than likely to make a splash in the Giants’ offense. Under Pat Shurmur, there’s no doubt in my mind the New York Giants will improve their win total from last season and improve in the future.
