ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through the Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Which coaching hire interests/worries you most?
JASON WOOD
It would have to be Jim Harbaugh. The NFL has tempted Harbaugh for years, and the stars finally aligned and he took the leap to return, partly because he believes the defense underachieved and Justin Herbert is a franchise quarterback. Given Harbaugh's success in four seasons in San Francisco, we can assume success for the team, but the fantasy outlook is far less certain. In Harbaugh's four NFL seasons as the 49ers head coach, his teams averaged 448 pass attempts (31st in the NFL) and 491 rushing attempts (5th). Will he open up the passing game as he re-enters a different era?
Wood is Senior Editor at Footballguys.com and has been with the company since its start in 2000. For more than 20 years, Footballguys has provided rankings, projections, and analysis to help fantasy managers dominate their leagues.
DAVID DOREY
I want to see what Zac Robinson can do as the offensive coordinator for the Falcons. They still need a solution at quarterback since 2022 third-round pick Desmond Ridder has not shown to be the answer. And above all, the offense under Arthur Smith always seemed to underperform against what the talent level should have been. That offense is stocked with top draft picks - Bijan Robinson (1.08 - 2023), Kyle Pitts (1.04 - 2021), and Drake London (1.08 - 2022). They have one of the best offensive lines and play in one of the softest divisions - NFC South. Their schedule strength is always good to great thanks to interdivisional matchups. Zac Robinson comes from the Rams where he was the QB coach for the last two seasons, and their WR coach the year before that. Arthur Smith's scheme loved to run the ball, and yet would mix in less talented players in a manner that many questioned. And the team's wide receivers have been very weak outside of London. The new coaching staff could and should push for upgrades in both quarterback and wide receivers. But there is untapped firepower here already, and Robinson gets a chance to ratchet up the fantasy points.
Dorey co-founded The Huddle.com in 1997. He's ranked every player and projected every game for the last 23 years and is the author of Fantasy Football: The Next Level. David has appeared on numerous radio, television, newspaper and magazines over the last two decades.
SAM HENDRICKS
I love the Chargers hiring Jim Harbaugh! This guy wins and he wins right away. The Bolts are just a brilliant mind away from the Super Bowl. And expect fireworks. He does not hold back and always brings out a toughness in his team. Look for the Chargers to be tough and win the close games with Harbaugh at their helm.
Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 30-year fantasy football veteran who participated in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). He won the Fantasy Index Open in 2013 and 2018.
IAN ALLAN
Jim Harbaugh wins games. He turned around Stanford and Michigan at the college level. The 49ers were 6-10 the year before he arrived, and he had them hosting the NFC title game in their first year. So I expect he’ll be winning with the Chargers, and sooner rather than later. They’ve got two other big-time coaches in the AFC West (Andy Reid, Sean Payton) but I expect Harbaugh will figure out a way to get into the playoffs in his first year there.
Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index magazine. He is a member of the FSGA’s Fantasy Sports Hall of Fame and the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame. He is an avid runner, swimmer and cyclist.
KEN HOLIZNA
I am intrigued by Brian Callahan, son of former head coach and legendary offensive line coach Bill Callahan, in Tennessee. He helped orchestrate the Bengals offense that propelled Burrow to a top NFL QB status. He also worked with Peyton Manning, Joe Burrow, Matthew Stafford and Derek Carr. That may be a plus for the development of Will Levis. The Titans don’t have the level of talent that the Bengals and some of those other teams had, so it will be interesting to see if his success was coaching or a collection of the right players at the right time. The Titans do have the 7th overall pick; will they go WR to help the development of Levis? I’m looking forward to the NFL draft.
The coaching hire I question the most and am irked over is my Pittsburgh Steelers hiring Arthur Smith. On one hand it appears to make sense considering the history of the “hey diddle-diddle Rogel up the middle” and the Steelers long history of taking the air out of the ball (no pun intended Tom) and running the ball. On the other hand, the Steelers are also very good at wasting offensive talent the last several years. They have been propping QB stiffs up behind a terrible offensive line thus making their offensive talent worthless. The Steelers are adverse to throwing to and using their highly drafted or established weapons. A recent quote from I can’t remember on X on the Steelers new head coach, “Can’t WAIT for the Steelers to trade up for Marvin Harrison Jr. and play him behind Allen Robinson while mixing in Calvin Austin in third and long situations.” It may be that they draft another RB so he can have three backs that are worthless. This just may be a perfect fit for what the Steelers have been doing as of late, which probably means more playing not to lose instead of playing to win. This organization is lagging behind in innovation and will continue to do so.
My third coaching intrigue is where Coach Belichick lands. To me this is a matter of a Missouri dweller (SHOW ME) that you are a great coach who can build a team and game plan with below average talent. Prove that what happened in New England was not just a collection of the right players at the right time, in the right system. If he ends up accepting a coaching job with established talent to help reverse the notion that New England's success was all Tom Brady, one will have to wonder if the notion is true.
Holizna is a 29-year fantasy football enthusiast and founder of Faith-Family-Fantasy Football in 2019, a family-friendly, faith-based, G-rated fantasy football platform. Rankings contributor to the 2023 Fantasy Index magazine. Find him on Twitter @holihandicapper
ANDY RICHARDSON
It's hard not to be interested in Jim Harbaugh. Although there are critics when it comes to Justin Herbert, most agree he's a clear franchise quarterback, making Harbaugh the only new coach stepping into that kind of situation. The other new hires will still be figuring that out (possibly why the Washington job is still open). There are roster issues with the Chargers, but no reason to think Harbaugh can't get them into the playoffs fairly quickly. As for concerns, I don't want to belabor the point but Arthur Smith as OC in Pittsburgh looks like one of those retreads we get every offseason that doesn't make much sense. A team in need of developing a franchise QB hires a coach with little track record of doing that; odd.
Richardson has been a contributing writer and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual experts draft and auction leagues since their inception. He previews all the NFL games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays during the NFL season.