Difficult welcome to NFL for new coaches

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Welcome to the NFL head coaching fraternity, gentlemen. By the way, you can't talk to your players, install new schemes or go after free agents right now.

That's not exactly what the rookie coaches bargained for. With the lockout, it's what they've got.

It's a most damaging dynamic to teams starting anew such as the 49ers, Browns, Panthers and Broncos who went completely outside their organization to hire a new head man. At least Denver grabbed a grizzled veteran in John Fox, who won a conference title during his nine seasons in charge in Carolina. Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco, Pat Shurmur in Cleveland and Ron Rivera in Carolina are newbies.