Now, you were probably expecting me to just tell you right away who my front runner is, however that is not the case. I will be going over my top 5 head coaches for the COY award (in no particular order), and then end the article with whom should win out of these players.
Brian Flores (MIA)
2019: record: 5-11, offense rank: 27th, defense rank: 30th
2020: record: 6-3, offense rank: 29th, defense rank: 19th
I think it is quite obvious why Brian Flores is in consideration for coach of the year, despite the excellent start by Ryan Fitzpatrick he decided to throw in the rookie Tua Tagovailoa and it has worked out in the Dolphins favor. The offense still not being that good is what is holding Flores back from getting this award, but the amount that the defense has improved since the 2019 season is amazing. If the Dolphins continue to win games and they can sneak into the playoffs I think it is fairly certain that Flores is a top option for the coach of the year.
Frank Reich (IND)
2019: record: 7-9, offense rank: 25th , defense rank: 16th
2020: record: 6-3, offense rank: 15th, defense rank: 1st
What a team these Colts are, major improvements on both sides of the ball is the number one reason behind coach Reich being on my list. With the best offensive line in the league, and the best defense in the league it is hard to believe that the Colts even have 3 loses. When Rivers was signed to a 1 year deal in Indianapolis many people thought this was going to just make the team worse or stay the same as last season, however we can see that his presence alone has made this offense better. Coach Reich and Flores are my 2 underdogs for this award, but if both of these teams can make the playoffs, even potentially win their division I think that increases their odds exponentially. Frank Reich has turned this Colts team around and has made them a serious threat to the Titans winning the AFC South title.
Bruce Arians (TB)
2019: record: 7-9, offense rank: 3rd, defense rank: 15th
2020: record: 7-3 , offense rank: 14th, defense rank: 3rd
Of course Arians is going to make this list, the additions of Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski alone increased his odds by a ridiculous amount. Behind the best defensive line in the league (allowing just 76.6 rushing yards a game, and a pass defense that has definitely elevated form last season Arians in a perfect position to win coach of the year. In order for Arians to walk away with this award the Buccaneers need to win the NFC South, and make a deep playoff run that end with them being in the super Bowl. The Buccaneers have the slight edge now with Brees potentially missing a couple of games, they cannot afford to play like they did versus the Saints on Sunday night week 9
Kliff Kingsbury (ARZ)
2019: record: 5-10-1, offense rank: 21st, defense rank: 32nd
2020: record: 6-3, offense rank: 1st, defense rank: 18th
After absolutely robbing the Texans for DeAndre Hopkins we all knew that this Cardinals offense was going to be dangerous this season. But we cannot ignore how much the defense has improved, from being last in yards allowed, to now 18th is a big accomplishment for the Cardinals. Not to mention, this defense is doing this well without star pass rusher Chandler Jones, just imagine how much of a force this team would have been with him starting on the defensive line. Kingsbury's key to winning coach of the year is to come out on top of the NFC West, arguably the toughest division in football right now, getting a playoff win or two would get him even that much closer to taking home the trophy.
Mike Tomlin (PIT)
2019: record: 8-8, offense rank: 30th, defense rank: 5th
2020: record: 9-0 , offense rank: 24th, defense rank: 6th
I mean come on now, I think it was a no brainer that Mike Tomin would be on the list for coach of the year. The Steelers are 9-0 for the first time in franchise history, and they already have achieved more wins than what they had last season. Tomlin brought a Steelers team without Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell, and Big Ben to an 8-8 record which was very very impressive. This season with a healthy Big Ben Tomlin was expected to have a good season, I do not think that they expected this big of a season from Tomlin and the Steelers. I know many people have Tomlin as the front runner for COY, but what I need Tomlin to do is, get AT LEAST 13 wins to finish the season, get the 1st seed, and make a run into the playoffs. Anything short of the AFC championship game is just unacceptable for how this team has been playing. Tomlin winning this award would make him the first African American head coach to win the award since former Bengals head coach, Marvin Lewis in 2009.
Now it is time to tell you who I think will win the coach of the year award. After doing research and comparing where all these coaches are ranked amongst their peers I made the decision to go with... Mike Tomlin as my winner of the 2020 coach of the year award. Obviously this is just my prediction for our half way mark in the 2020-2021 NFL season, but if the Steelers keep playing the way they have been I see Tomlin for sure running away with this award. I think his closest competition to this award is Kliff Kingsbury, but as well I think Brian Flores could make a sneaky run for this award. I will write another article after week 17 giving my final predictions for who I think will take home the COY award.