Lance's Coach of the Year Candidates

Bill Belichick has kept his hat in the Coach of the Year ring since the run started in 2001, but this year is different. This year Tom Brady won’t be under Center. But that’s not the only thing working against this Patriots team, their defense lost a lot of talent in the offseason and replaced most of it with rookies, and there were no “WOW” additions to arguably the worst position group on the team last season (the Receivers). The Pats will be fighting for their lives this season. If I’m wrong, if New England manages to win another division title with Stidham slinging passes, Belichick wins COY flat out.

Sean Payton is another big name that you won’t see on my list. His was not left off because I think the Saints are going to fail. I still think the Saints will be in the playoffs, but I don’t see them finishing 13-3 or better, which is what it’s going to take for Payton to garner COY consideration. Either that or he’ll need a slew of injuries to stars on his team and then he’ll need to still push his team through to the playoffs, I just don’t see it happening.

Jim Harbaugh falls on this list for the same reason as Payton. I think the Ravens have the best chance to finish the year at 15-1 (or maybe even make a run at 16-0), but those chances are still pretty slim and that’s what Harbaugh will need if he wants to win this award.

Here are my top 5:

1)      Frank Reich (Indianapolis)

Reason: Adding Philip Rivers gives Indy a talented veteran QB who is hungry for a Super Bowl ring. Trading for Deforest Buckner gives Indy the premier talent they needed on their sneakily successful D-Line. Drafting Michael Pittman and Jonathan Taylor loads up more talent on the offensive side of the ball. The Colts are ready to make a run, and with DeAndre Hopkins gone it’s going to be difficult for Houston to stand in their way.

2)      Bruce Arians (Tampa Bay)

Reason: The Bucs did a ton this offseason to build up their team, that’s not a secret. Tampa is going to make a push for a playoff spot and potentially an NFC South title. The big question is how much love will Tampa get when you take into account who they brought in? Signing Tom Brady to turn your team from a 7-9 team to a 10-6, 11-5 or 12-4 team could knock down the impressiveness of the turnaround that happened.

3)      Vic Fangio (Denver)

Reason: I’m high on Denver this year (no that is not meant as a playful line). The additions the Broncos made on both sides of the ball give them a legit chance to threaten the Chiefs crown in the AFC West. If Lock takes another step forward and launches Denver to its first winning season since 2016 and first playoff appearance since 2015, then Fangio’s name is going to be a hot one for this award.

4)      Mike McCarthy (Dallas)

Reason: The talent has been there for Dallas for a while and yet they’ve merely been mediocre. Enter McCarthy who has the chance to turn things around and dominate a weak division. There are two things that could destroy this team’s chances for 2020, Prescott’s contract discussions or lack thereof, and the defense. If McCarthy holds it all together and has them in the running for a first-round bye he’ll get some COY love at seasons end.

5)      Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland)

Reason: All the talk from last year has cooled off, not so much so that the Browns are flying under the radar, but enough to where they won’t be the focal point of the media’s attention this preseason. The AFC North is a difficult division to be in, so if Stefanski can get his guys in the playoff race his name is going to be on the short list for the award. He certainly has the talent on the team to make it happen.