What precisely is required to be awarded NFL Coach of the Year? Dan Campbell asked, had a fantastic season, but the NFL and the Associated Press have once again passed him by for the NFL Coach of the Year honour.
After transforming the Lions from a league-worst 1-6 record to the hottest club in the league with a 9-8 finish that almost saw them qualify for the playoffs, Campbell was cheated out of the trophy the previous season. Rather, they handed it to head coach Brian Daboll of the Giants, who led the team to a 9-7-1 record. Just so you know, Campbell and the Lions only lost one of those seven games.
The NFL and the AP determined that Kevin Stefanski should have received more credit for coaching Joe Flacco this season, despite Stefanski leading the Lions to a franchise-high 12 victories and their first division title in more than 30 years.
I’m aware that a lot of people will bring up the fact that the Lions outperformed the Browns in the postseason, but playoff success has no bearing on this honour, which is given for regular season play.
Okay, that’s OK. The Lions can return and fight for the Super Bowl in 2024 without this trophy. This is simply one more item that could inspire them to strive for greater goals. It’s unfortunate that Campbell’s accomplishments in 2023 won’t be acknowledged.
