When it comes to the NFL Coach of the Year honors, it appears it’s going to come down to three men.
Arizona Cardinals’ Kliff Kingsbury, the New England Patriots‘ legend Bill Belichick and the Green Bay Packers’ Matt LaFleur. You’d be hard-pressed to make a realistic case for anyone else.
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Kingsbury was asked about the subject recently, and he didn’t just say Belichick should win, the Cardinals head coach suggested the award should be named after the future Hall-of-Famer.
After Kingsbury graciously praised Belichick’s coaching ability and worthiness of Coach of the Year, the Hoodie returned the compliment. In fact, Belichick told WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show that Kingsbury was the man most deserving of winning Coach of the Year, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. Belichick said: “That’s very nice of Kliff to toss that bouquet. I’ll toss it right back. Kliff has done a great job and should be the Coach of the Year.”
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Quite honestly, Kingsbury is being pretty gracious and respectful of a legend, and the man who drafted him as a QB out of Texas Tech in 2002. No one picked the Cardinals to even make the postseason, let alone being in the driver’s seat to win the NFC West–even after losing to the Los Angeles Rams. Nicholas Cothrel of Sports Illustrated was like many prognosticators, he picked the Cardinals to finish last in the division. Considering the limitations, no one has done a more impressive job than Kingsbury. That doesn’t mean Belichick is out of the running.
Does Bill Belichick Have a Shot at Winning Coach of the Year?
As we head into Week 15, which begins on Saturday with the Indianapolis Colts hosting the Patriots, as well as the Las Vegas Raiders heading out on the road to take on the Cleveland Browns, Belichick still has some time to make his case.
The Patriots are tied for the best record in the conference at 9-4 and almost no one expected New England to be this good. Despite having a back-up quarterback at the helm for every game this season, the Patriots–led by a stout run game and the No-1-ranked defense in the league–are in a position to earn home-field advantage in the playoffs.
If the Patriots pull that off, it would take a herculean effort to keep Belichick from winning his fourth NFL Coach of the Year honor, and his first since 2010.
Belichick would be the first coach to win COTY in three different decades, and also just the second to win the award four times.
It Will Come Down to Win-Loss Record
Win-loss record isn’t usually the major barometer for the award, but in this situation, it might be that simple. If the Cardinals finish with a better record than the Patriots, it will be difficult to deny him.
The same can be said if Belichick’s Patriots have a better record than Arizona. In any case, a coach who has done a phenomenal job will be recognized and the other will get the runner-up.
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