1st Quarter Grades for 1st Year NFL Head Coaches

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Mike Pettine - Cleveland Browns (1-2) Pettine inherited a young football team with plenty of potential. Josh Gordon lead the NFL in receiving yards last season and Joe Haden is considered by many as a top 5 cornerback in the league. Unfortunately for Pettine, Gordon was suspended prior to the season starting and the Browns drafted a headache in his own right in Johnny Manziel. Despite numerous off the field distractions, the Cleveland Browns have been competitive in all of their games. Pettine has his team in the top half of the NFL in total offense averaging 363 yards per game but are 30th in yards allowed per game giving up 426 yards a night. Losing two division games is a tough start to a season but those losses were only by 3 and 2 points respectively. Even at 1-2, Coach Pettine has done a great job with this team that most expect to have a top 5 draft pick. Grade: B-




Jim Caldwell - Detroit Lions (3-1) Caldwell took over the Lions after a brief stint with the Baltimore Ravens as their QB coach and offensive coordinator. Expectations are high in Detroit after a disappointing end to last season by losing 6 out of 7. Star players Matthew Stafford  and Calvin Johnson will provide on the field leadership. Ndamukong Suh can be a handful but Caldwell’s calm demeanor may rob off on Suh in the long run. Starting off the season 3-1 is good but being 3-1 with a division win over the Packers is better. The Lions have a lot of weapons that if coached by Caldwell correctly could make a run into the playoffs. Grade: A-




Bill O'Brien - Houston Texans (3-1) Coach O'Brien comes to Houston after one year at Penn State. Most coaches that make the college-to-pro transition fail but with four years of experience under Bill Belichick, O'Brien took the first opportunity he was presented with to come back to the league. Most coaches thought that the Houston job was a dead end but with the number one pick and weapons like Arian Foster, Andre Johnson and J.J. Watt, there is some potential. Jadeveon Clowney has been out since the opener so we really haven't seen the full potential of the Texans defense of line.  O'Brien has his team sitting at 3-1 but lost to the only team they played with a winning record. Bill has the experience to outcoach younger coaches but does he have the talent to compete with playoff teams? Grade: A



Mike Zimmer - Minnesota Vikings (2-2) Mike Zimmer may have gotten more than he had bargain for when taking the Vikings job. When you look at the Vikings roster you will see the best running back in the NFL in Adrian Peterson, a veteran quarterback in Matt Cassel and a host of young talent. The curve came when Peterson ran into off field trouble that led to him being deactivated and Matt Cassel's season ending injury. Now the Teddy Bridgewater era begins. Zimmer and Bridgewater will grow together. Defensively this roster has some improving to do in order to keep up with the other three teams in the NFC North. Don't expect Coach Zimmer to lead Minnesota into the playoffs this year (or next). Grade: B-


Lovie Smith - Tampa Bay (1-3) Tampa Bay has not had a winning season since 2010. After a two year hiatus, Lovie Smith brings his discipline to a team that was 30th in the NFL in penalty yards last season. Uncertainty at the quarterback position was a key focus during the off season for the Bucs. Josh McCown was suppose to be the answer to that but has been out the past couple of week due to injury. Tampa Bay lost two close games before getting blew out by Atlanta. No one knows what direction this team will go in after their first win of the season last week. The Bucs are currently last in the NFL in passing yards per game and 29th in passing yards allowed. If Lovie wants to stick around, he has to get his team back on the right track. Grade: D


Ken Whisenhut - Tennessee Titans (1-3) After starting off the season with and impressive win at Kansas City, Whisenhut and the Titans have dropped 3 straight. A couple of bright spots on the Titans roster would be tight end Delanie Walker and 3rd year wide receiver Kendall Wright. Coach Whisenhut has a sharp offensive mind. Once he assembles the players that fit his system, I expect Tennessee to be competitive in the AFC South in a few years. Grade: C-



Jay Gruden - Washington Redskins (1-4) After being the offensive coordinator for a top 10 offense, Jay Gruden comes to D.C. for his 1st NFL head coaching job. Robert Griffin III and DeSean Jackson are perfect fits for Gurden's offense but early injuries to both has stalled this team tremendously. Defensively the Redskins have improved statically going from 18th in total yards a season ago to 8th but are allowing right under 30 points a game. Discipline is something that most first time head coaches have problems enforcing and Gruden is no different. The Redskins are tied for last place in penalty yards with 97 per game. Giving teams extra chances for first downs and points resulted in their second 1-3 start in as many seasons. Grade: D+

   

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