Rams, ’Hawks, Browns poised for turnarounds

OPINION

By Dennis Dillon

updated 4:31 p.m. ET July 6, 2009

In case you haven't noticed, the three-year blueprint has become passé in the NFL. Teams now have moved into the quick-fix phase. And thanks to what Tony Sparano, Mike Smith and John Harbaugh did last year, the bar has been raised even higher.

Those first-year coaches came in and gave their teams instant facelifts. Sparano took a Dolphins team that went 1-15 in 2007 and molded it into an 11-5 club in 2008; under Smith, the Falcons improved from 4-12 to 11-5; and Harbaugh helped the Ravens flip-flop from 5-11 to 11-5. All three teams made the playoffs.

"You have to admire the jobs that were done in Miami, Atlanta and Baltimore last year," former Broncos general manager Ted Sundquist said.

Other GMs admired those situations, all right. They also wondered why their teams couldn't undergo similar reversals of fortune. Fair or not, what Sparano, Smith and Harbaugh did last season has raised the expectations for new coaches taking over losing teams.

"I guess everyone is looking for that from 1-15 to 11-5 Miami Dolphin kind of deal," CBS analyst Randy Cross said.

Nine teams will have new coaches in 2009 (we're excluding the 49ers and Raiders, whose coaches took over during the 2008 season): Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, the New York Jets, St. Louis, Seattle and Tampa Bay.

Five of those teams — the Browns, Chiefs, Lions, Rams and Seahawks — had losing records last season.

Don't expect to see a triple turnaround a la the Dolphins, Falcons and Ravens in 2009, but these three first-year coaches have the best chance of producing quantum leaps.

Jim Mora, Seahawks
Mora already has head-coaching experience, having guided the Falcons to a 26-22 mark in three seasons (2004-06). In 2004, he became the eighth rookie coach to win 11 games as Atlanta finished first in the AFC South and advanced to the NFC championship game.

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Mora also had a head start in Seattle. As the assistant head coach-defensive backs coach the past two seasons, he was Mike Holmgren's replacement in waiting.

Matt Hasselbeck may not be a premier quarterback, but more than half of the teams in the NFL wish they had him. Veteran wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh and rookie linebacker Aaron Curry were key additions. If the Seahawks can avoid injuries—a major problem last season—Mora has the best chance of the new coaches to make a turnaround.

"Of that group, he's got the closest to a playoff type team—if they stay healthy," Cross said.

Steve Spagnuolo, Rams
He has built a reputation as a defensive guru, having been an assistant under Jim Johnson in Philadelphia and then becoming the coordinator in New York, where his masterful game plan helped the Giants upset the perfect Patriots in Super Bowl 42.

Although the Rams' wide receivers are young and inexperienced, the offense has two potent weapons in Steven Jackson, the best all-around running back in the league if he can stay healthy, and Marc Bulger, an effective quarterback if he can stay protected.

"Bulger has the capability of not necessarily putting the team on his shoulders," Sundquist said, "but not making a multitude of mistakes that will put them in bad situations."

The defense doesn't scare anyone yet, but it appears to be cultivating potential playmakers in linemen Chris Long and Adam Carriker and safety Oshiomogho Atogwe.

Eric Mangini, Browns

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Like Mora, he already has been an NFL head coach, having led the Jets to winning records in two of his three seasons in New York. In 2006, Mangini's first season, the Jets rebounded from a 4-12 record to go 10-6 and get to the playoffs. He also is a branch off the Bill Belichick coaching tree.

The Browns have two young quarterbacks in Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn. The question is: Who will emerge to be the consistent leader the offense needs? On defense, nose tackle Shaun Rogers is a load.

"There are coaches who have waited entire careers to have a guy in the middle who can do the things Shaun Rogers can do," Cross said.

If Mangini can get his players to buy into his demanding management style quickly, they have a chance to be better in 2009. But with the Steelers and Ravens in the same division, it will be a challenge to improve by much.

Also on NBCSports.com Rosenthal: Steelers’ struggles could sink their playoff hopes Circling the Bases: Handicapping the Halladay race College football: What were Yale coaches thinking? Opinion: So far, Nowitzki is NBA’s MVP  |  Fan Ranker Twitter: Follow us @nbc_sports

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