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Throughout all sports activities, the Coach of the 12 months Award has a deceptive title. It’s not about who the very best coach is; it’s about which crew surprised the most individuals, or which crew overcame probably the most adversity whereas staying close to the highest of the league. That’s what voters are actually searching for. By that standards, there are plenty of coaches who could possibly be worthy of the title “Coach of the 12 months.”
Belichick led his Patriots to the playoffs with a rookie quarterback. Zac Taylor’s Bengals shocked everybody by overtaking the Browns, Steelers, and Ravens for the AFC North title. Kliff Kingsbury’s Cardinals may doubtlessly win the daunting NFC West when nobody was giving them a shot previous to the beginning of the season. Matt LaFleur and the Packers repeated because the NFC’s high seed within the common season regardless of a collection of distractions from quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Hell, many individuals thought the Eagles would compete for the worst file, but with per week left to play, the Eagles have clinched a playoff berth.
However, barring outcomes from Week 18, not one of the coaches talked about above have something on Tennessee’s Mike Vrabel and New Orleans’ Sean Payton.
With a victory over the Houston Texans this week, the Titans will formally clinch the top-seed within the AFC and a first-round bye — a feat the Titans haven’t achieved since 2008. The Titans can have completed so regardless of the absence of star working again Derrick Henry, who’s common season led to Week 8, and with quarterback Ryan Tannehill present process his worst 12 months because the starter for Tennessee. But, regardless of these adversities, the Titans are one win over the depressing Texans away from securing home-field benefit all through the AFC playoffs. Who would’ve thought that the AFC highway to Tremendous Bowl LVI would undergo Nashville on condition that by way of the primary 8 weeks of the season, Henry had accounted for 45.8 % of the crew’s offensive touchdowns (10 speeding, 1 passing) and 36.2 % of the crew’s complete yards? Nobody. Everyone thought the Titans would sink again into mediocrity earlier than floundering out of the playoff race, and whereas the Titans undoubtedly haven’t been pretty much as good as they have been with King Henry, they’ve nonetheless managed to take down each the Los Angeles Rams and a extremely popular 49ers crew with out him of their backfield. That claims so much about not solely the crew’s resiliency, but additionally Vrabel’s adaptability as a head coach.
Now, you could be considering: “Nicely, definitely, how may anybody compete with what you simply mentioned?” Nicely, what if I informed you there was one other crew, who, regardless of having a number of key gamers miss time because of COVID issues, regardless of having the sixth-most players on Injured Reserve all through the season, regardless of having to virtually play and not using a quarterback for greater than half the season, was vying for a playoff spot within the closing week?
Meet the New Orleans Saints. Whereas the Saints are usually not presently within the NFC playoff image, it’s not exhausting to think about a world the place a crew quarterbacked by Taysom Hill is combating for an opportunity to remain within the Tremendous Bowl hunt. All that should occur is for the 49ers to lose to the Rams and the Saints to beat the Falcons. I perceive that the Falcons beat the Saints when final they performed, however Hill additionally wasn’t the starter for New Orleans in that sport. I additionally perceive that the 49ers beat the Rams when final they performed, however let’s be sincere, everyone knows the Rams are the higher crew, and because the Rams must win with a view to safe a division title, they’ll seemingly pull out all of the stops with a view to give the 49ers a run for his or her cash.
If all goes in line with plan, the Saints will attain the playoffs, regardless of the crew’s high huge receiver lacking your entire season, the crew’s beginning quarterback taking place with an damage halfway by way of the season, and a number of other of the crew’s offensive linemen lacking video games because of COVID and different accidents. That’s insane. That’s really nuts. The Saints don’t have any enterprise being anyplace near the playoffs, however by way of sheer will and unwillingness to let accidents derail their season, they’ve persevered and have the 49ers’ timbers correctly shivered.
If the Saints wind up lacking the playoffs, I don’t assume there’s any probability Payton wins Coach of the 12 months, but when they do make it, he needs to be significantly thought-about. It shocks me that in many of the Coach of the 12 months predictions I’ve seen as of late, Payton is nowhere to be discovered. What’s much more stunning are the folks I’ve seen as a substitute of Payton.
John Harbaugh? Significantly? You imply the man whose crew was projected to win the division or, at worst, end second, however has only a two % probability of constructing the playoffs with just one week to go? I get that Lamar Jackson hasn’t been obtainable the final three weeks, however Tyler Huntley has been no slouch both. Brian Flores? You imply the man who had a 10-6 file final season and got here into this season with huge expectations solely to be the streakiest crew in NFL historical past, and be on the skin of the playoff image trying in with one week to go? No. Whereas each of these guys are nice coaches, worthy of excessive reward, neither has needed to face the identical adversity as Sean Payton and the Saints.
And guess what, when the NFL common season lastly involves a detailed this Sunday evening, if any one among these groups goes to search out themselves nonetheless enjoying video games, it’s going to be New Orleans. Give Sean Payton the respect he deserves please!
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