10. Which new head coaches have the best chance to lead their teams to turnarounds of significance?
I don't foresee any worst-to-first coaching jobs among the six newcomers this year, but I think the Rams' Jeff Fisher and the Bucs' Greg Schiano will field vastly improved products in comparison to what St. Louis and Tampa Bay witnessed in 2011. Of course, the Rams at 2-14 and the Bucs at 4-12, with a season-ending 10-game losing streak, don't have extremely high bars to clear. Both clubs were certifiable disaster zones last season, and Fisher and Schiano won't be able to fix everything in year one.
While the 49ers look like the clear class of the NFC West, and the Saints, Falcons and Panthers are all formidable in the NFC South, I'd be surprised if the Rams and Bucs aren't both flirting with .500 this season, winning some games in unexpected fashion. Despite last year's collapses, there is talent to work with in St. Louis and Tampa Bay, and it begins with the bounce-back seasons I expect from both clubs' quarterbacks -- Sam Bradford and Josh Freeman. The two former first-round picks got into some bad habits last year and clearly regressed, but the hires of offensive coordinators Brian Schottenheimer in St. Louis and Mike Sullivan in Tampa Bay were good moves that will surround the young QBs with good coaching and help raise their performances back to those impressive 2010 levels.
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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/w ... z21dxclg9T
