Six names stand out in race for Coach of the Year
Picking the Coach of the Year is a difficult task. My criteria for judging candidates is based on a couple of aspects: Did the team exceed expectations? Did the coach have to deal with any hurdles during the season?
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| Bengals coach Marvin Lewis had to deal with two tragedies this season. (Getty Images) |
Phillips had a talented team that faded badly at the end of last year and lost an embarrassing game to Philadelphia with a playoff berth on the line. As I left the Cowboys training camp this year, I felt they were the third-best team in the NFC East, which I believed was the strongest division in the league. What impressed me about them was the intensity with which they practiced. The team had a sense of purpose when you talked to the players and coaches. They were talking about the team first, no excuses, and clearly wanted to stay under the radar. I thought the removal of Terrell Owens was helping the players focus on playing as a team.
The bottom line is, Wade Phillips won the division with a great stretch run. He never blinked all year with the pressure squarely on him while in the last season of his contract.
Next on my list is McCarthy. The NFC North was a hard division to pick coming out of training camp. The Vikings had the most talent and were the defending division champions, but had a question at quarterback. What did Brett Favre have left? The Bears were a trendy pick because of the addition of Jay Cutler. As for the Packers, I thought they could bounce back and have a good year, but to win 11 games with the youngest team in football is certainly worth a nomination for Coach of the Year.
The other reason for McCarthy's selection is his decision to change his defensive staff and defense. Hiring Dom Capers -- one of the best defensive coaches and a former Coach of the Year -- showed McCarthy had not only the courage to make a tough decision but was not intimidated by having a former head coach on his staff.
Caldwell and Payton led their teams to 14-0 and 13-0 starts, respectively. Both had to deal with injuries to key players along the way. The Colts lost safety Bob Sanders and the Saints lost tackle Jammal Brown. To win that many games to start the season is an incredible accomplishment, and I certainly could see either winning the honor.
One name that will probably raise some eyebrows is Del Rio. But remember my criteria of what I thought the expectations were for the team. Maybe I rated the Jaguars too low at the start of the season, but I thought they would start 0-4, opening the season against Indianapolis, Arizona, Houston and Tennessee. Coupled with the fact they were going to play a lot of young guys in front of some of the smallest crowds in the NFL, I thought this was going to be a long season. I know they did not finish well, but I think winning seven games was quite an accomplishment. They are certainly a young team on the rise.
This brings me to Lewis. He not only won the AFC North with the third-best team, but was undefeated in the division, which included the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers and playoff-bound Baltimore Ravens. He did it for the most part without his most productive pass rusher (Antwan Odom) and deep threat (Chris Henry). He also endured two tragedies: The deaths of Henry and the wife of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. Let's not forget the HBO series Hard Knocks that many teams shy away from because of the potential distraction it can cause. The Bengals even overcame that to win the division.
Some credit for the success of the Bengals this year has to go to owner Mike Brown, who could have fired Lewis last year after the Bengals went 4-11-1. We have seen many teams fire coaches in similar situations, but Brown knew the reason for the Bengals' down year was injuries. He realized the problem, ignored public criticism of the team and backed his coach. He showed patience, something more owners need to show in their coaches and their programs.
