# 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](/coaches)**. 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* --- Source: https://chatffb.com/concepts/coaching-trees · ChatFFB — fantasy football answers updated from a live news wiki.