PFT 2019 storyline No. 19: Which young offensive coach will live up to the hype?

Rampage

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Mar 19, 2019
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The 2019 hiring cycle saw the pendulum swing sharply in the direction of Sean McVay. More specifically, anyone who has worked with him, worked for him, and/or shared an elevator with him.

Three of eight head-coaching jobs went to coaches with McVay connections, sort of. Two were direct — new Packers coach Matt LaFleur and new Bengals coach Zac Taylor worked for McVay in L.A. One was tenuous, but nevertheless mentioned by the Cardinals when hiring Kliff Kingsbury: He and McVay are friends.

So which of them will live up to the hype? LaFleur arguably has the best team, but also the toughest task of getting through to a locker room dominated by the presence of Aaron Rodgers. Taylor has low expectations as he takes over a team that has a feel of irrelevance and mediocrity; the low bar actually gives him a great chance to overachieve, since no one expects much from the Bengals.

Then there’s Kingsbury, who is essentially a crapshoot with the Cardinals. He wanted quarterback Kyler Murray, and Kingsbury got him. Now, the guy who was fired for not being good enoug in a so-so college conference has to navigate the toughest division in football.

With defensive-minded Vic Fangio getting his first head-coaching job at age 60 in Denver, the Broncos’ performance relative to Green Bay, Cincinnati, and Arizona will become a great litmus test for the new infatuation with young offensive minds. Depending on how things go this season, the pendulum could swing sharply in the other direction by January.
 
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