12th's Five Coach Of The Year Candidates

[12thMan]

The past couple of weeks I've been thinking about who will win COY. Although I think New England's Bill Belichick will run away with it, I've decided to make it interesting and add four other names to the list.


Bill Belichick: Not really much to say here that hasn't already been said. Love him or hate him, Bill Belichick is a mastermind and will probably win the coach of the year award. A win against the New York Giants next week just might seal the deal as the Patriots go for the undefeated mark. I guess it's time for those old ass former Dolphin players to finally put away their champagne.

Romeo Crennel: I really like what Crennel has done up there in Cleveland. With the help of his front office bringing in some really good talent via the draft and free agency, Crennel has put together a very solid football team with a really bright future. It took three years, which seems to be the standard nowadays, for the Browns to turn the corner under Crennel's leadership. Now that the Browns have a bonafide quarterback in Derek Anderson, I wonder if they will be looking to deal Brady Quinn during the off season?

Jack Del Rio: During the off-season when Del Rio decided to let quarterback Byron Leftwich go, you almost got the feeling he was starting from scratch with David Gerrard. In hindsight, Del Rio not only made the right decision by letting Leftwich walk but he's probably coaching the most dangerous AFC team not in Massachusetts. Mr. Del Rio definitely deserves some consideration for coach of the year.

Tony Dungy: All the guy does is win games and show up for the playoffs. This year Dungy and the Colts have been flying very quietly under the radar while posting an impressive 13-2 record. I don't think there is one team currently in the playoffs, our Redskins included, that have suffered more injuries to starters than Dungy's Colts. In my opinion, managing around injuries is a true mark of excellent coaching. In all likelihood Dungy's name won't get tossed around that much for coach of the year honors, but he is just as deserving as anyone else.

Joe Gibbs: Let me say right off the bat, Gibbs is probably a long shot to win coach of the year. But consider this, if the Redskins can get into the playoffs with a win this Sunday and catch a team sleeping in the first round I'll almost guarantee, and maybe for sentimental reasons, that Joe Gibbs' name will quickly ascend to the top of some lists for COY. It's amazing how winning a few meaningful games will make people forget a few botched timeouts.