Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Some years they get this award wrong. Which years do you think so?

2003- Marvin Lewis or Bill Parcells deserved it more. What did Belichick do to earn it- win a bunch of close games?

1988- It should have been Marv Levy instead of Mike Ditka

2025- I’m sorry but the schedule alone should have disqualified Mike Vrabel

Of all the NFL's postseason awards this is the one that bugs me the most. It too frequently gets awarded to the first year coach who improves his team 4-5 games from the previous season and sneaks them into the playoffs. To answer the original question, I could probably go back through history and find about 10-12 who didn't deserve it. Was Brian Daboll really the best head coach a few years back when he won the award? Matt Nagy was "coach of the year" in 2018 his first year with the Bears.

CSKreager wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2026 5:02 am Some years they get this award wrong. Which years do you think so?

2003- Marvin Lewis or Bill Parcells deserved it more. What did Belichick do to earn it- win a bunch of close games?

1988- It should have been Marv Levy instead of Mike Ditka

2025- I’m sorry but the schedule alone should have disqualified Mike Vrabel

Regarding 2025:
1. Who would you have picked for this past season?
And 2. Do you think New England is going to the Super Bowl with the coach they had the previous season?

ChrisBabcock wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2026 9:38 am It too frequently gets awarded to the first year coach who improves his team 4-5 games from the previous season and sneaks them into the playoffs.

"Coached a team that wasn't as awful as it was the year before" is too often the default rationale for the award. Dan Devine and Lindy Infante both got the award for this reason, and they both stunk as head coaches.

Citizen wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2026 1:54 pm

ChrisBabcock wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2026 9:38 am It too frequently gets awarded to the first year coach who improves his team 4-5 games from the previous season and sneaks them into the playoffs.

"Coached a team that wasn't as awful as it was the year before" is too often the default rationale for the award. Dan Devine and Lindy Infante both got the award for this reason, and they both stunk as head coaches.

Not saying those two (or Vrabel) necessarily deserve it myself, but I will ask: If they stuck with the coach they fired for one more season, do you think they would've gotten the same result.

1988- It should have been Marv Levy instead of Mike Ditka

Actually, it should have been Sam Wyche. He took a team that had turmoil a year before and guided them to within seconds of a SB win.

Not just because of my forever-affinity I have for my '89 Steelers, but I think Chuck Noll should have won COY in the AP poll as well and any other 'legit' poll! 'Just' Maxwell is 'just' not right!

Lindy? Yes, a great job! But for '2nd'-place that season? I would go with Schottenheimer instead, using that 21-3 walloping at Lambeau as a very sensible tie-breaker.

And, hey, Seifert not too bad a candidate either.

But, again, Noll #1-across-the-board hands-down!!

Never been a fan of Coach of the Year Awards.

The best coach won the Super Bowl that given season.

Really absurd award. Super Bowl winning Head Coaches that have never been NFL Coach of the Year. Coaches that have never even reached a Super Bowl being the "best coach" (as signified by being COY) multiple times.

Takeover a 3rd place in a division team, finish 3rd again your first year as HC = Coach of the Year. Finish 3rd in the division again the season after that, then finish last in the division, then move all the way up to 2nd out of 4 teams in the division and Coach of the Year again. Coach of the Year 2x in a 4-season span. Legitimate award. Go 37-30 over a four-year span (and eventually 45-56 over a six-year span,) make the playoffs twice, miss the playoffs twice (4x in 6 years,) never win your division, never win a divisional round playoff game and you're a multiple time winning NFL Coach of the Year. Legacy.

7DnBrnc53 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2026 9:17 pm

1988- It should have been Marv Levy instead of Mike Ditka

Actually, it should have been Sam Wyche. He took a team that had turmoil a year before and guided them to within seconds of a SB win.

I disagree ... the Bengals should have been a SB contender going back to 1985. They even had a top defense in 1983. Wyche and Esiason underachieved from 1985-1987 and sucked in 89 and 90 as well, though they made the playoffs in 1990. Had another team gone instead of them, Bo Jackson's football career might have continued.

The Bengals couldnt beat Kosar and the Browns ...

I disagree ... the Bengals should have been a SB contender going back to 1985. They even had a top defense in 1983. Wyche and Esiason underachieved from 1985-1987 and sucked in 89 and 90 as well, though they made the playoffs in 1990. Had another team gone instead of them, Bo Jackson's football career might have continued.

The Bengals couldnt beat Kosar and the Browns ...

Wyche wasn't the coach in 1983 when they had a top-rated defense (it was still Forrest Gregg). Sam led this team to glory in 1988 after a 1987 strike year where everything fell apart. I think you are overlooking that.