Coach of the Year

From what I have seen on most of the top sports media sites/shows, the candidates for Coach of the Year have pretty much been nailed down to four candidates: Andy Reid, Bruce Arians, Ron Rivera, and Chip Kelly. While all of these coaches have done phenomenal jobs with their respected teams, I do not necessarily agree with this list. If I were given a vote, my vote would go to either Bruce Arians or Bill Belichik (which kills me to say since I loathe the Patriots). The fact that Belichik isn’t even being mentioned with these guys for COTY is a tragedy.

Year after year, for some reason, the COTY award goes to the coach whose team exceeded preseason expectations the most, not the best coach of the year. Think about it; the Chiefs, Panthers, and Eagles were all expected to do relatively decent but not be at the top of their divisions. The Cardinals were expected to once again be another one of the bottom feeder teams in the NFL, not 10-5 with one regular season game to play. While the accomplishments of these teams have been stunning and fun to watch, it does not necessarily mean that their coaches were the best in the league.

Bill Belichik’s team is the number two seed in the AFC right now. His team has overcome so much adversity this year. The Patriots have played virtually all season without their top offensive weapon (excluding Brady), Rob Gronkowski, while at the same time losing their top defensive player, Vince Worfolk, for the year. Their number one WR, Danny Amendola, has spent much of the season on the sidelines due to injury. Their top two DBs have both missed time due to injury, and both are still battling those injuries. Also, who could forget they also lost another one of their top weapons due to murder charges. The only pass catcher that has been somewhat reliable has been Julian Edelman. Most of the other WRs/TEs have looked overmatched or just plain lost on the field. Still, it doesn’t matter who the Patriots have had on the field, Belichik’s game plans have been near flawless, and his team is one win away from yet again clinching a first round bye in playoffs. So, how come Belichik is not even being considered for this award? It’s because this is what was expected of his team.

While the aforementioned coaches have all had great seasons and deserve the respect and attention that they are receiving, I do not believe that they deserve this award without Bill Belichik even being considered.