NFL: The Best and Worst Coordinators of 2008

Surprised?  Don’t be.

After being stripped of most of his defensive talent immediately after being hired in 2006, Fewell has done an amazing job of teaching all of his young defensive players how to play at a high level and his unit is the reason the Bills are still in the playoff hunt this late in the year.

I will be very interested to see how far Fewell can take this young group if they begin to get some better support from the other side of the ball.  Most of his linebackers, corners, and safeties are still very young and they will go as far as Fewell can take them and so far it’s looking good.

Kevin Gilbride, Offensive Coordinator, New York Giants

What the Giants are doing this year on offense is what is making this team so dominant.

The Giants won last year with defense.  This year, their offense is as dominant as their defense, which makes them scary.

Running an efficient, but not flashy, offense, the Giants are beating teams on the ground and through the air.  The Giants offensive line is now possibly the best in the league.  They can dominate the line of scrimmage.  Brandon Jacobs is one of the more underrated backs in the league; he runs as hard as anyone.

And the development of Eli Manning into a confident, accurate NFL quarterback who can read defenses well is a tribute to both Gilbride and Chris Palmer, the quarterbacks coach.  Eli now looks more like his brother than his brother does, go figure.                                                                            

With no “star” receivers left, after trading Jeremy Shockey and suspending Plaxico Burress for the season, the Giants receivers are getting the job done with a “receiver by committee” formula. 

We knew the Giants were good on defense heading into the season but what they’re doing on offense, with no superstars, is truly a testament to great coaching.

Dan Henning, Offensive Coordinator, Miami Dolphins

With a bunch of cast-offs and no-name players, Henning has generated a productive, balanced offense that has kept the Dolphins in games all season long and currently leaves them smack in the middle of a playoff race. 

He is not only making the offense interesting and fun for the players, but it’s working.

Chad Pennington is having his best year as an NFL quarterback since 2002 and Henning is not just having him “manage” games.  The Dolphins are throwing and throwing a lot (averaging 240 yards a game through the air).  A young and revamped Dolphins offensive line is doing a fantastic job protecting Pennington and opening holes for Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams.

As icing on the cake, Ted Ginn Jr. has made huge strides as a wide receiver this season. 

Henning has been in coaching for a long time (46 years), and 2008 is shaping up to be one of his finest seasons yet.

Honorable Mention: (tie) Steve Spagnuolo, D-coordinator, New York Giants and Monte Kiffin, D-coordinator, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Both men are doing great jobs with few superstars and remain among the best defensive minds in the game.

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This is an original article by Pigskin Heaven Writer, Eric Edmundson. You can read it, more of Eric’s articles and more from the Pigskin Heaven staff, here.

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