Marty is charged with turning around a team with a single digit winning record over the last two years. The man who loved running back by committee in Kansas City, barely has a back up to LaDainian Tomlinson. Seeming to always love a quarterback who does not make mistakes, he is saddled with second year quarterback Drew Breeze who will be a first year starter. At least he has one aspect of the team to make him feel comfortable, an aging yet competent defense led by one of the best line backers of all time. The Chargers will be better this year with Marty in charge, but they will fall short of the play-offs. Outside of Tomlinson, there is really nothing to claim as a fantasy owner this year. The future could be brighter.

Steve Spurrier has an NCAA pedigree the envy of many. As a Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback in 1966, he was drafted number one by the San Francisco 49ers. He spent 10 years in the pros, but never rose to the level of the hype preceding him. He ended his career with the hapless Buccaneers in 1976 to begin coaching at the college ranks. He spent a brief stint with the defunct Tampa Bay Bandits in the USFL, before taking a downtrodden Duke team to the level of respectability, before taking over the University of Florida program. He stayed with the university for 12 seasons earning one NCAA title in 1996. Despite a record of 127-27-1, the best of any twelve-year coach, his team spent much of their time in the shadows as the third best college team in Florida. With the departure of Shottenheimer at Washington, Spurrier became a Redskin.

Spurrier brings with him the reputation of having an aerial attack second to few. He inherits a team with a strong defense only made stronger with the addition of Marvin Lewis from Baltimore. During the preseason the Redskins set a new record for points scored, averaging thirty per game. He has incurred the wrath of opposing coaches for running up the score. Although he has no real star at the quarterback position, the team has shown passing to be their strength. It will only be complimented with the running of Stephen Davis who saw few touches during the preseason onslaught. Receiver Rod Gardner has made the sleeper list of virtually every fantasy publication. The team seems poised for success in the regular season and should improve over their 8 and 8 record from last season. The glaring problem is at the QB position and Spurrier's philosophy regarding it. He was never known to stick with one player. If starter Shane Matthews falls short, he may be inclined to revert to one of his other U of F grads. Quarterback by committee has never truly been successful in the NFL and is a disaster for any fantasy owner. Unlike many diverse offensive attacks, there is no value at the quarterback position; the fantasy value lies in the defense and skill positions. The play-offs are possible this year, but there is only one bowl game in the NFL. This team may come close, but it is still out of reach.

Aside from out and out changes in the organization, there are two assistant coaches who have received their promotion to head coach from within. For both coaches it is their first time being in charge of a professional team. Both of them replace coaches who had fair to great success with their teams, but were unable to put the organization on top. One will be asked to turn his team around after a five win season the other will be dedicated to a "Commitment to Excellence."

Mike Tice came to the Vikings in 1992 as a tight end. He played for two seasons at the position before moving on to the coaching level in 94. In 1997 he was promoted to offensive line coach. With the departure of Dennis Green at the end of the 2002 season he became the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. He has always been described as unspectacular if not "blue collar' in his approach to the game.

Last year, after a disastrous summer camp, the Vikings fell apart during the regular season. Randy Moss and Chris Carter were seen fighting with each other as well as fellow teammates. After coming close to the big game a couple of times, Green was seen as not being able to discipline his team. Owner Billy Joe fired him "Red" McCombs at the end of the season.

On the surface, the changes seem to have been for the better. Players are reported as being happy. Randy Moss has said he wants to be a leader on the team. Daunte Culpepper has stated Randy will be 90% of the offense. It appears Michael Bennett has matured as a person and a runner, while their non-existent defense has shown some backbone. This team should have more focus than the past, but there should be few changes on offense. Why mess with a good thing? With a solid, if not spectacular defense, the Vikings should be headed back to the play-offs. The addition Biekert, a veteran from the Oakland Raiders, should assist in this process. (Like Marcus Allen, another Davis casualty.) Their offensive triangle of Culpepper, Moss and Bennett should be in the top five rounds of any draft. Despite another death in the Viking family, the team appears to have a great attitude, which should translate well into the regular season. Given their performance last season, and subsequent easier schedule outside of their division; the Vikings have a shot at the play offs. The "Big Game" looms in the future if they can adhere to the work ethic of their head coach.

Bill Callahan takes over a Raider team aging, yet still on the brink of making it to the Super Bowl. Callahan was the offensive coordinator/line coach under John "Chuckie" Gruden. He may not have called the plays last season, but he has been a crucial part of the Oakland offensive scheme. With Gruden taking the job at Tampa Bay, Callahan has been hailed as a player's coach and the change has been welcome. Although the Raiders were in double digits in their first two games in penalties, most of them being of the way stupid variety. Against the 49ers the Raiders looked to be more focused, against the Cardinals they looked to be in control. Once again they will challenge for the final showdown, once again they have few fantasy players worth taking in the top four rounds of any draft. The problem, they have too many weapons and their offensive success is built around role players like Crockett, Rice and Wheatley Outside of Rich Gannon, none of the Raider offensive players are consistently good enough to be anything but a secondary player or substitute. (As much as I love Tim Brown, he would not be my first choice as a wide receiver.) Part of the Raider scheme is to spread the touches of the ball between many players, this, unfortunately for fantasy players, will not change. Another element unchanging in the Raider organization is the megalomaniac personality of Al Davis. Greg Biekert is gone, I have a strong feeling it is the reason "Chuckie" wanted out. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

One of the most high profile coaching changes of the season occurred between Tampa Bay and Oakland Raiders. After several years of solid success, Tony Dungy was asked to leave the Bucs. It seemed he could not win the big game in the playoffs and get the team over the hump to real respectability. To replace him the organization went after John Gruden of the Raiders. The romance was one of the biggest soap operas of the off-season.

Gruden comes to a Tampa Bay team in search of a savior. Even the messiah "Chuckie" may not be able to lift this team to the very top level. Their defense has always been amongst the league's best; their offense let them down. Brad Johnson will be the starter. He makes few mistakes, but seems to lack the leadership skills of John's last quarterback project in Oakland. . Although Michael Pittman is listed as the starter at running back, Mike Alstott will still be the goal line guy making Pittman nothing better than a middle round fantasy draft selection. Between McCardell and Keyshawn Johnson they will have two solid receivers sharing the catches with neither one being a constant scoring threat. It will be ball control offense and just don't lose as the motto. The team may improve their record, but will fall short of Super Bowl rings. Even with Keyshawn Johnson and more freedom, none of their offensive fantasy players deserve anything above a fourth round pick. This is not the case in the new home of Tony Dungy.

Last season the Colts had an offense with the ability to score from anywhere on the field. They better had because their defense gave up points like a broken slot machine. Last year the Colt defense was every fantasy player's dream. Even your average guy could have a great day against a defense who could not get out of their own way. Tony has been hired to change it.

Controversy surrounded the dismissal of Dungy in Tampa Bay. Many people felt he had gotten the dirty end of the stick. Tony had brought them out of the cellar giving them, a glimpse of the light, but he could not take them to the "Promised Land." He has the job of changing the attitude of every fantasy owner's whipping boy, the Colt defense. He seems to have addressed the problem through free agency and the college draft. Look for the Colts to be better, but not great. At least defensive stats should not be on the bottom. It would not take much of a defense to allow the Colt offense to turn up the heat making the other team play catch up for a change, allowing them to make more mistakes.

He has stated he will not overhaul the offense of the team. There is really no need. Peyton Manning may have had his worst year for interceptions, but it is understandable. When your team is constantly down by two or more touchdowns you have to throw the ball more. They should not be in the position this season. For the last four years Peyton Manning has worked with Tom Moore Offensive Coordinator. For the last four years the Colts have had one of the hottest offenses in team history. To his credit, Tony Dungy has allowed Moore to stay on showing both his faith and commitment to the offense as is. After all, if it aint broken, why fix it?

The only broken thing on the Colts offense, outside of Manning's nose, is their starting running back Edgerrin James. He went down about mid-season last year with a knee injury. Pundits have cast doubt regarding his return in full strength. They say he has not worked out with the team during the off-season. They also say he has seen little action during this preseason. It should be remembered; James did not work out with the team last season either. Up until the time of his injury it appeared he was on his way to his third Pro Bowl. Few of the major starters play huge roles during the preseason. It is a time to evaluate talent; James has already passed the test. With James once again in the offense, the Colts should have very productive fantasy players. Their defense may not be strong enough to put them in the Super Bowl, but with Dungy at the helm, it could come in the near future.

Of course coaching changes are not the only concerns facing fantasy players on the eve of the first game of the season, but these are player concerns whose impacts will be short lived in the history of the game or organization. There are always replacements out there. There is always going to be the rookie surprise on a team or the veteran who finally has to hang them up. With the exception of Washington, few teams change their coaches on a regular basis, especially if the team has been successful under their regime. Coaching changes are more permanent, with a larger impact than any player could ever expect to have.

Sure Marshall Faulk has had tremendous success with the Rams. Their system of wide-open offense, with a diverse back, lends itself to his kind of play. Still, it was only a few years ago fantasy owners were writing off Marshal as the latest in a long line of busts at the position. Did Marshal get faster? Become a better receiver? A more elusive runner? probably yes, but not far from his pre-injury collegiate days. What happened was he went to a system where a player of his diverse talent was not only appreciated, it was required. The coach is the system. Follow the system to success. Good luck to all this fantasy season.