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Coaching Trees

Concept
Tap a coach to open their branch · hover for a quick take
  • Bill WalshBill WalshWest Coast offense · 49ers dynasty2

    The patriarch of the modern passing game. Built the West Coast offense in the 1980s and won three Super Bowls with the 49ers — Montana, Rice, Young. Almost every offense today traces back to him.

    • Mike HolmgrenMike HolmgrenPackers & Seahawks HC1

      Walsh's quarterbacks coach and the most important branching point in the whole tree. Won a Super Bowl in Green Bay and carried the West Coast offense forward — Andy Reid grew up on his staff.

      • Andy ReidAndy ReidKansas City Chiefs HC8

        Has produced more NFL head coaches than anyone alive. Spread formations, heavy motion, an endless playbook, and a tight end fed like a No. 1 receiver. Multiple Super Bowls with Patrick Mahomes.

        View Andy Reid's page →
    • George SeifertGeorge Seifert49ers HC · 2 Super Bowls1

      Walsh's defensive coordinator who succeeded him and kept the 49ers dynasty rolling with two more titles. His staff is where Mike Shanahan rose.

      • Mike ShanahanMike ShanahanBroncos HC · 2 Super Bowls2

        Took the West Coast passing game and bolted on the outside-zone running scheme in Denver, winning back-to-back titles. The father — literally and figuratively — of today's wide-zone offense.

  • Bill ParcellsBill ParcellsGiants · 2 Super Bowls3

    The root of the other great family — a defense-first, tough-minded tree. Won two titles with the Giants and mentored a generation of head coaches, Belichick chief among them.

    • Bill BelichickBill BelichickPatriots dynasty · now UNC6

      Parcells' defensive coordinator who built the Patriots dynasty with Tom Brady — six Super Bowls. A game-plan defense that takes away what you do best. Now coaching college football at North Carolina.

      • Mike VrabelMike VrabelNew England Patriots HC

        A former Belichick player who became the best head coach off this tree. Took the Patriots to a 14–3 season and a Super Bowl in his first year back in New England.

        View Mike Vrabel's page →
      • Josh McDanielsJosh McDanielsPatriots OC

        New England's longtime offensive coordinator and the classic pattern of this tree — elite coordinator, struggled as a head coach in Denver and Las Vegas.

        View Josh McDaniels's page →
      • Brian FloresBrian FloresVikings DC

        Ran New England's defense, head-coached the Dolphins, and now coordinates an aggressive, blitz-heavy defense in Minnesota — a real source of sacks and turnovers.

      • Matt PatriciaMatt PatriciaOhio State DC · ex-Lions HC

        Belichick's defensive coordinator in New England; failed as Lions head coach, now a top college defensive coordinator.

      • Bill O'BrienBill O'BrienBoston College HC

        A former Patriots coordinator who head-coached Penn State and the Texans, now the head coach at Boston College.

      • Nick SabanNick SabanAlabama dynasty

        Belichick's defensive coordinator in Cleveland in the early '90s, who became the greatest college coach of all time at Alabama. The tree's most successful branch — just not in the NFL.

    • Sean PaytonSean PaytonDenver Broncos HC3

      A Parcells protégé who built a Super Bowl offense in New Orleans with Drew Brees and made the pass-catching running back famous. Now leads a contending Denver team.

      View Sean Payton's page →
      • Dan CampbellDan CampbellDetroit Lions HC

        A tight ends coach under Payton in New Orleans; now one of the most respected head coaches in the league with the Lions.

        View Dan Campbell's page →
      • Aaron GlennAaron GlennNew York Jets HC

        A defensive backs coach under Payton, later the Lions' defensive coordinator; now head coach of the Jets. A defensive identity inside an offensive tree.

        View Aaron Glenn's page →
      • Dennis AllenDennis AllenBears DC · ex-Saints HC

        Payton's defensive coordinator and his successor as Saints head coach; now coordinates the Bears' defense.

        View Dennis Allen's page →
    • Tom CoughlinTom CoughlinGiants · 2 Super Bowls

      Another Parcells branch — won two Super Bowls with the Giants, both over Belichick's Patriots.

  • Vic FangioVic FangioEagles DC · two-high defense3

    The architect of the modern defense that took over the NFL — two deep safeties, a light box, and heavy disguise. His unit led the league when the Eagles won Super Bowl LIX.

    View Vic Fangio's page →
    • Brandon StaleyBrandon StaleySaints DC · ex-Chargers HC

      A Fangio disciple who head-coached the Chargers and now runs New Orleans' defense.

      View Brandon Staley's page →
    • Ejiro EveroEjiro EveroPanthers DC

      Came up under Fangio; now one of the more respected defensive coordinators in the league with Carolina.

      View Ejiro Evero's page →
    • Sean DesaiSean DesaiBengals senior defensive assistant

      Spent years alongside Fangio in Chicago; has coordinated defenses for the Eagles and now works in Cincinnati.

Coach photos via Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons.

Coaching Trees

This is a history page — the legacy record of who came up under whom. It's not the current staff list. For every team's full 2026 coaching staff, see the Coaches page. The trees here explain the lineage behind those staffs: the schemes coaches inherited from their mentors.

A coaching tree shows who learned from whom in the NFL. A coach who spent years working under a mentor usually carries that mentor's playbook, terminology, and tendencies with him when he gets his own job. This matters for fantasy football because schemes follow coaches — and schemes decide who gets the ball.

If a new offensive coordinator comes from the Sean McVay tree, expect a wide-zone running game, a heavy dose of play-action, and a featured running back. If a new head coach comes from the Andy Reid tree, expect spread formations, lots of pre-snap motion, and a tight end getting fed. Knowing the tree gives you a head start on guessing how a player will be used before he's ever lined up.

This page is the overview. Each major tree has its own deep page linked below.

It all starts in one place

Nearly every offense in the NFL today is a dialect of one system: the The West Coast Offense, invented by Bill Walsh. The two giant offensive families below both grow out of it. Start there if you want the full picture, then come back here.

The major offensive trees

Andy Reid Coaching Tree

The biggest offensive family in football — Reid has produced eleven NFL head coaches. The style: spread formations, heavy pre-snap motion, a creative and enormous playbook, and a tight end used as the number-one receiver (Travis Kelce being the model). Fantasy read: elite tight end value, pass-catching backs with PPR upside, reliable quarterbacks — but committee backfields and boom-or-bust receiver rooms.

Shanahan–McVay Coaching Tree

The most-copied offense in the league right now — the "wide zone" family built by Mike Shanahan and modernized by his son Kyle and Sean McVay. The style: outside-zone runs, tons of play-action, motion, and bootlegs. Fantasy read: "any back can eat," so cheap running backs can pay off — but the backfields are frustrating committees, which makes handcuffs especially valuable. Play-action lifts receiver and tight end efficiency.

Sean Payton Coaching Tree

A quarterback- and pass-catcher-friendly attack built on timing and matchups, made famous in New Orleans with Drew Brees and now running in Denver. Fantasy read: the home of the pass-catching "satellite" running back (Reggie Bush, then Alvin Kamara), plus productive slot receivers and a fantasy-relevant quarterback.

Belichick Coaching Tree

Bill Belichick's enormous, defense-first family — famous for being everywhere yet rarely succeeding as head coaches. The style: a game-plan defense that takes away what you do best, versatile players, and a concept-based offense with two-tight-end sets. Fantasy read: this is the "headache" tree — committee usage and matchup-based roles that are hard to trust week to week. Note: Belichick himself now coaches in college.

The defensive trees

Defensive trees matter less for picking individual skill players, but they tell you which offenses will struggle and how much a team defense (DST) is worth. The main families — Vic Fangio's two-high zone, Wink Martindale's blitz-heavy pressure, Steve Spagnuolo's exotic blitzes, and the rising Ravens/Macdonald hybrid — are all covered on the Defensive Coaching Trees page.

How to use this for fantasy

  • A new coordinator from a known tree gives you a head start on how a player will be used in week one.
  • Disciples carry the mentor's strengths and weaknesses. If every McVay-tree back gets a heavy snap share, the next McVay-tree starting back is probably a smart pick.
  • When a coach is fired and replaced, the existing roster may not fit the new scheme — watch for value drops on players whose strengths don't match the new system.
  • Some coaches blend trees. A coordinator who worked under two different mentors often runs a mix of both styles, so read the overlap, not just one label.

Deep pages: The West Coast Offense · Andy Reid Coaching Tree · Shanahan–McVay Coaching Tree · Sean Payton Coaching Tree · Belichick Coaching Tree · Defensive Coaching Trees