Due to the success of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills offense, head coaching rumors swirled around offensive coordinator Brian Daboll throughout the second half of the 2020 NFL season.
He was connected to head coaching openings with the Los Angeles Chargers and the New York Jets, along with a few more teams, but Daboll ended up deciding to stay in Buffalo for at least the next after not receiving any official offers.
It was good news for Bills fans, but Daboll didn’t go home this offseason emptied handed either. On Saturday, Daboll was named this year’s Associated Press Assistant Coach of the Year.
Daboll led an offensive group that scored the most points per game (31.3) in the AFC during the regular season and also averaged the second-most yards per game (396.4.). The Bills also improved their points per game total from 19.6 to 31.3, which was one of the largest increases in the NFL.
The talented third-year offensive coordinator also allowed individual players to put together career seasons this year. Allen skyrocketed into the NFL MVP conversation, first-year Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs led the league in both receptions (127) and yards (1,535), and Cole Beasley caught a career-high 82 passes for 967 yards and four touchdowns.
Beasley was also the only slot receiver to record more than 1,000 receiving yards between the regular and postseason.
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Allen Finished 2nd in NFL MVP Voting
In just his third year in the NFL, Allen burst onto the scene this year and threw himself into the MVP conversation. He completed 69.2 percent of his passes for 4,544 yards and 37 touchdowns. He also ran for 421 yards and eight touchdowns, while catching one as well.
He scored 46 total touchdowns, re-wrote the Bills single-season record books, and had the Bills on the verge of their first Super Bowl appearance since 1994. It was a season like no other for the young Bills quarterback who increased his statistics in every major passing category, which included a 21.9-point increase in his quarterback rating from 85.3 to 107.2.
Allen’s performance in Daboll’s offense put him, and the entire Bills offense, directly into the spotlight. From the first four weeks of the season, when he threw for 1,326 yards and 12 touchdowns, to the final weeks, Allen was considered an MVP candidate.
Although he went through his ups and downs this season, he was always in the picture. But, in the end, Allen finished second in MVP voting behind Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who completed 70.7 percent of his passes for 4,299 yards and 48 touchdowns while only throwing five interceptions.
Rodgers received 44 of the 50 votes while Allen received four and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback received two.
Sean McDermott Places 2nd in Coach of the Year Voting
Bills head coach Sean McDermott has done special things since taking over the Bills coaching staff in 2017, but this season might’ve been his greatest work yet. The Bills went 13-3 during the regular season and made a run to the AFC Championship game. But, while his assistant came home with some hardware, McDermott just missed out.
With just seven votes for Coach of the Year, McDermott finished runner-up to Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, who received 25 first-place votes. Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores also received six first place votes.
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Brian Daboll Wins AP’s Assistant Coach of the Year