MINNEAPOLIS -- It was hardly a surprise that Rams coach Sean McVay won the 2017 NFL Coach of the Year at NFL Honors. The Rams won four games in 2016 and won the NFC West in 2017. The turnaround in Los Angeles was remarkable, and the Rams went from being a boring team to one of the most exciting young teams in the NFL.
But there were many deserving candidates, including Eagles coach Doug Pederson, who is about to coach in the Super Bowl. Pederson, however, only received a single vote from the 50 media members, which means he finished in a tie with Bill Belichick (also just one vote) behind McVay (35 votes), Vikings coach Mike Zimmer (11 votes), and Jaguars coach Doug Marrone (two votes).
It's worth noting that voters can only vote for one person when it comes to these awards. So if 35 members though Pederson was a close second to McVay, none of that would be recorded. But regardless, it was surprising to see Pederson just get one vote.
And when people found out, the response on social media was ... not approval. In fact, it was pretty much outrage.
Doug Pederson did the finest coaching job I've ever seen.
— Reuben Frank (@RoobNBCS) February 4, 2018
To get to a Super Bowl without Wentz, Hicks, Sproles, Peters and Maragos -- and beat Sean McVay and the Rams along the way in their building -- Doug should get Coach of the Century.
The voters should be ashamed.
Doug Pederson got 1 Coach of the Year vote. The same number as Belichick. One.
— Kevin Negandhi (@KNegandhiESPN) February 4, 2018
This voting is INSANE.
— Dan Levy (@DanLevyThinks) February 4, 2018
Lost Darren Sproles
Lost Jason Peters
Lost Jordan Hicks
Lost Ronald Darby for most of the year.
Lost Carson Wentz
No. 1 seed.
All happened before the voting was done. Pederson got ONE vote? https://t.co/6k9zHWwdlg
The #NFL coach of the year went to #rams Sean McVay. His team went 11-5. #eagles Head Coach Doug Pederson got ripped off. His team went 13-3 and lost his QB @cj_wentz for 3 games. @SportsRadioWIP
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) February 4, 2018
Sean McVay received 35 votes for coach of the year.
— Gym Shorts (@IgglesCoverage) February 4, 2018
Doug Pederson got 1.
Pederson’s team beat McVay’s. Eagles are currently in the Super Bowl.
1 vote for Doug Pederson
— John Barchard (@JohnBarchard) February 4, 2018
1....
"It's humbling and it's flattering," McVay said of the award, before pointing out that he "looks up to" the other guys who were on the list.
"You look at those guys and what they did with their teams," McVay added. "Very flattering."
Here's the thing for the Eagles: they're in the Super Bowl. They made it to the Super Bowl despite not having their MVP-caliber quarterback for the end of the year and still managed to win the NFC East and are squaring off against the Patriots for a championship on Sunday.
Pederson will probably settle for having the same number of Super Bowl rings as he does Coach of the Year votes.