NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
Who will win Coach of the Year in the NFL? My money is Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns. While most will point the finger in the direction Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers, or John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens, why not go with the unconventional choice?
I say unconventional due to the fact people love to give awards to a coach with a team at the top of the standings. But a true coach can lead his team to wins when the odds are stacked against them. What Kevin Stefanski has done in leading his team to the playoffs has been nothing short of remarkable. How can you turn and look the other way at any other coach besides him?
If that is the basis of what the NFL Coach of the Year Award means, then what coach other than Stefanski deserves that nod? You can look at Shane Steichen of the Indianapolis Colts and what he has done with obstacles dating back to the preseason. He gave the keys to the team to a rookie and watched him grow before an injury. Steichen’s hands were also tied behind his back at the start of the year without one of the top RBs and still found ways to win.
Then you can take in what DeMeco Ryans has done with the Houston Texans. He also gave the keys to the organization to a rookie and all CJ Stroud has done is prove him right. However, what Stefanski has done with the Cleveland Browns deserves an award, a gold medal, and maybe even an Oscar.
To begin, he lost his top offensive threat when Nick Chubb went down in Week 2. He then lost his starting QB Deshawn Watson. He then had to turn to backups P.J. Walker and Dorian Thompson-Robinson who would both lead the Browns to great wins before their mishaps. And then the icing on the cake. Somehow, he managed to pull a rabbit out of the hat with Joe Flacco.
Who Will Win NFL Coach of the Year
You can count the wins with San Francisco. You can count the wins with the Baltimore Ravens. Hell, you can look at what Stroud and that no-name offense has done but each of those teams for the majority of the season had their primary weapons at their disposal.
Talk about a guy who had to lead a team through the fire. He’s doing that while they playing in one of the toughest divisions in football. The Cleveland Browns have beaten the Bengals, 49ers, Colts, Ravens, and the Jaguars. With all of that, people still want to give the nod to a coach with two players vying for MVP or one with a former MVP leading the way.
Ryans has a stake at Coach of the Year just as much as Steichen but neither has done more with less than Stefanski.
Yes, Flacco is a vet and has a Super Bowl ring to his resume. But he’s 39. To be a good leader, a team has to want to follow you and do whatever it takes to win. The Browns have done exactly that. While not everything has been pretty, it’s the results that matter most. What’s going on in San Fan, Baltimore, and even Detroit is great but what’s a true feel-good story without some real adversity?
Kevin Stefanski may not win it. The voters for NFL Coach of the Year may want the popular person to win. Anything can happen at this point. Maybe the team has used all their 9 lives up. Or, maybe they believe in their head coach.
