Tag: Coach of the Year

Brandon Staley is the favorite for 2022 NFL Coach of the Year, but trends point to a different AFC West coach

Staley is a good bet, but there might be an even better one in his own division.

Mike Vrabel’s 2021 Coach of the Year campaign with the Tennessee Titans bucked a trend that dominated previous seasons when it came to who won the award. In six straight years prior to Vrabel’s win, the coach of the year came from a team that improved at least four games over the previous season.

More often than not, those coaches took losing teams and coached them to double-digit wins. In 2020, Kevin Stefanski won the award after the Browns went from 6-10 to 11-5. John Harbaugh’s Ravens in 2019 were the only winning team in this stretch, improving from 10-6 to a league-best 14-2. Matt Nagy’s Bears in 2018 went from 5-11 to 12-4. Sean McVay’s Rams in 2017: 4-12 to 11-5. Jason Garrett’s Cowboys in 2016: 4-12 to 13-3. Ron Rivera’s Panthers in 2015: 7-8-1 to 15-1. You get the drift.

So what allowed Vrabel to grab the award after losing as many games in 2021 (12-5) as he did in 2020 (11-5)? My best guess is he secured the AFC’s top seed despite injuries to his best players throughout the year. So while his win may seem an aberration, it does inform one part of how to bet on who will win in 2022: if you aren’t picking a coach from a losing team the previous season, you’d better pick a coach from a team that can ascend to top seed.

NFL Coach of the Year Odds
(Odds from Tipico)

So who are the coaches who best fit those criteria? The best candidates from teams that were good but have the potential to be great are Josh McDaniels +1500 (Raiders), Kyle Shanahan +1500 (49ers), Nick Sirianni +1500 (Eagles), Sean McDermott +2000 (Bills) and Zach Taylor +3000 (Bengals).

When it comes to coaches from teams that can make the playoffs after missing them last postseason, the best candidates are Brandon Staley +1300 (Chargers), Mike McDaniel +1500 (Dolphins), Nathaniel Hackett +1500 (Broncos), Harbaugh +2000, Frank Reich +2000 (Colts) and Dennis Allen +3000 (Saints).

Because the coach of the year has more often come from teams that were not previously playoff contenders, I favor the coaches in the second list. And though Staley is the betting favorite after a monster offseason for the Chargers, I actually favor his AFC West rival on the Broncos, Hackett.

Aside from Harbaugh, who’s Ravens simply dealt with a slew of injuries last season, Hackett is the only coach on the list whose team had a losing season. That gives him the potential to lead the largest turnaround of these teams. Not to mention, he fits another recent trend in recipients of the award: he’s a first-year head coach. Three of the last five winners — Stefanski, Nagy and McVay — were also in their first years on the job.

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ESPN panel projects several Boston Celtics in mix for 2022-23 hardware, with one major award won by team

Rookie of the Year, of course, is not among them.

When it comes to the dog days of summer, that period of the NBA calendar sometimes referred to as the “doldrums,” the focus of the NBA media turns toward ranking teams and players and projecting how the looming season will pan out.

When it comes to the major hardware handed out at the end of the 2022-23 season, the folks over at ESPN have some players in mind. A number of Boston Celtics make the cut for several awards as projected by the ESPN panel.

While there are a few categories without any Celtics presence — it seems fairly unlikely, for example, JD Davison would be in the running for Rookie of the Year — Boston is still well represented.

The Celtics are even seen as likely to win one of the major season awards, so let’s take a look at how Boston was rated by the panel.

Pittman named to preseason Watch List

Arkansas football is on an upward trend thanks to the leadership of head coach Sam Pittman.

Arkansas Football has become a program on the rise thanks to the efforts put in by head coach [autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag].

The Razorbacks program is now on a solid foundation after a nine-win season in 2021. The recent success on the field has translated to the recruiting aspect of the game, as Arkansas is currently ranked No. 10 in the nation for the 2023 cycle.

As the program continues to grow, so does the national respect for Pittman.

The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation, as well as Peach Bowl Inc., released their preseason watchlist for the 2022 season, and have included Pittman on the list.

The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award was established in 1976 to honor the Division I college football coach whose programs represent quality on and off the field. The Bobby Dodd Award honors the coach of a team who enjoys a successful season on the gridiron while stressing the importance of academic excellence and sense of duty to return something back to the community, as Coach Dodd did during his 22 seasons as the head football coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Pittman is 12-11 in two seasons as Arkansas’ head football coach. Arkansas won nine games in the second season of the Pittman era, the most since Arkansas won 11 games during the 2011 season. The Razorbacks also won their first bowl game since the 2015 season, when they defeated Penn State in the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day.

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Nick Saban named to Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award watchlist

No surprises here… Nick Saban is named to the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Year Award watchlist!

Alabama football head coach Nick Saban was named to the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award watchlist. He joins 19 other head coaches of programs from all across the nation on the list.

Saban won the award in 2014 and is one of two Crimson Tide coaches to win the award, joining the 1989 recipient Bill Curry.

Six of the coaches named to the watchlist sit at the helm of SEC programs. Saban was the last SEC coach to earn the award.

Last season, Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell was the recipient. He led the Bearcats to its first College Football Playoff appearance. A historical run that was cut short in the Cotton Bowl with a loss to the Crimson Tide.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Saban and the Dodd Trophy watchlist as the 2022 college football season approaches.

Value play: Bet Buffalo Bills’ Sean McDermott to win NFL Coach of the Year

Analyzing the 2022 NFL Coach of the Year award including an expert prediction and best bet.

The Buffalo Bills are my top-rated team entering the 2022 NFL season. Unfortunately, the market agrees with me and there isn’t a ton of value in their future prices.

Buffalo is the favorite to win the Super Bowl (+600), the AFC (+320), the AFC East (-200) and Bills QB Josh Allen is the favorite to win the 2022 NFL MVP (+700).

The most profitable way to cash in on the Bills reaching or exceeding expectations is for Sean McDermott to win 2022 NFL Coach of the Year (+3000).

Below, we look at the 2022 NFL Coach of the Year odds at Tipico Sportsbook – with the best bet suggestion among our NFL picks and predictions.

2022 NFL Coach of the Year odds

  • Brian Daboll, New York Giants (+1300)
  • Brandon Staley, Los Angeles Chargers (+1300)
  • Nathaniel Hackett, Denver Broncos (+1500)
  • Mike McDaniel,  Miami Dolphins (+1500)
  • Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota Vikings (+1500)
  • Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars (+1500)
  • Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco Giants (+1500)
  • Bill Belichick, New England Patriots (+2000)
  • Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+2000)
  • Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions (+2000)
  • John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens (+2000)
  • Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers (+2000)
  • Josh McDaniels, Las Vegas Raiders (+2000)
  • Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams (+2000)
  • Frank Reich, Indianapolis Colts (+2000)
  • Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles (+2000)
  • Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns (+2000)
  • Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals (+2000)
  • Mike Vrabel, Tennessee Titans (+2000)
  • Dennis Allen, New Orleans Saints (+3000)
  • Kliff Kingsbury, Arizona Cardinals (+3000)
  • Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills (+3000)
  • Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs (+3000)
  • Ron Rivera, Washington Commanders (+3000)
  • Robert Saleh, New York Jets (+3000)
  • Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers (+3000)
  • Matt Eberflus, Chicago Bears (+4000)
  • Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys (+4000)
  • Matt Rhule, Carolina Panthers (+4000)
  • Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks (+5000)
  • Arthur Smith, Atlanta Falcons (+5000)
  • Lovie Smith, Houston Texans (+5000)

Exclusive USA TODAY Network offer: Deposit $10 or more, get $200 in instant bet credits at Tipico Sportsbook! New customer offer in CO and NJ. 21+, see Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. Place your legal, online sports bets at Tipico. Let’s make this interesting. Bet now!

2022 NFL Coach of the Year best bet

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated June 22 at 7:12 a.m. ET.

Buffalo Bills, Sean McDermott (+3000)

There are 19 NFL head coaches with shorter odds to win the Coach of the Year award and 6 other coaches tied with McDermott at +3000.

This is pretty much an “auto-bet” considering McDermott has never won the award and the Bills are the Super Bowl favorites, who will be in many high-profile games this season.

Six of the last 7 NFL Coach of the Year recipients have been on division-winning teams with the lone exception being Stefanski, who turned around a cursed Browns franchise in 2020.

If winning your division is a requirement for winning this award, then the Bills, being the 2nd-biggest favorites to win their respective division at -200 is a handicapping angle.

Also, the Bills are tied for the most primetime games (5), which include the NFL Kickoff game Sept. 8 against the defending Super Bowl champion Rams in Los Angeles. I like the Bills in Week 1 vs. the Rams; Buffalo can put the league on notice with a win in L.A. opening night.

McDermott is long overdue for this award. He arguably should have won it his rookie season (2017) when he got the Bills into the playoffs with former QB Tyrod Taylor under center.

Furthermore, McDermott could finally get the recognition he deserves this season if the Bills roll through their schedule because the Giants hired his important former offensive coordinator (Daboll) this offseason.

Allen has the ability to make Buffalo’s offense his own. There are enough productive quarterbacks in good schemes that could have a big year and that makes “Allen to win the 2022 NFL MVP (+650)” a no-go.

McDermott can earn a bulk of the credit for Buffalo’s success this upcoming season if his defense becomes more ferocious, and that’s in play. Buffalo signed pass rushers LB Von Miller and DE Shaq Lawson in the offseason and drafted first-round CB Kaiir Elam, adding to the best secondary in the NFL.

Finally, not only do the Bills have a bunch of high-profile games, but they also have an easy schedule. Buffalo is ranked 18th in strength of schedule by Sharp Football Analysis, which is slightly harder than the average, but the Bills have the best net rest edge in the NFL.

BET SEAN MCDERMOTT to win NFL COACH OF THE YEAR (+3000) all the way down to +1600.

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Broncos odds and ends: Nik Bonitto a long shot for DROY award

Nik Bonitto is a long shot for DROY, but Nathaniel Hackett is an early favorite for Coach of the Year, per @Tipico Sportsbook.

Denver Broncos outside linebacker Nik Bonitto might contend for league-wide awards one day, but it’ll be hard for him to generate much national attention as a rookie while playing behind Bradley Chubb and Randy Gregory this fall.

That explains why Bonitto has been given +6000 odds to take home Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, according to Tipico Sportsbook. Twenty-nine other rookie defenders have better odds than Bonitto.

Elsewhere on the odds front at Tipico, quarterback Russell Wilson is +1500 to win the MVP award, marking the seventh-best odds in the NFL.

Meanwhile, running back Javonte Williams has +1500 odds to lead the NFL in rushing, also seventh-best in the league. His odds of taking home Offensive Player of the Year are much lower (+6000), 32nd-best.

On defense, Chubb (+4000) and Gregory (+7000) have the 11th- and 19th-best odds, respectively, for Defensive Player of the Year honors. Broncos defensive backs Justin Simmons (+10000) and Pat Surtain (+10000) are considered extreme long shots.

As a team overall, Denver has been given an over/under line of 10.5 wins this year and they have +260 odds to win the AFC West. That ranks above the Las Raiders (+600) but behind the Kansas City Chiefs (+155) and Los Angeles Chargers (+240). The Broncos have the sixth-best odds (+1500) to win the Super Bowl this season.

If Denver does have a big season, Nathaniel Hackett will be a strong candidate for Coach of the Year honors. Hackett has +1500 odds for the award, tied for second-best in the NFL, trailing only Brandon Staley (+1300).

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Arkansas sweeps SEC Softball Awards

The SEC Coach, Player, and Pitcher of the Year all reside in Fayetteville, as well as six first-team all-SEC selections.

The regular-season Southeastern Conference softball champions were well represented on the league’s season softball awards list.

The coach, player, and pitcher of the year in the SEC all reside in Fayetteville, as well as six first-team all-SEC members, the league announced Friday.

Head Coach [autotag]Courtney Diefel[/autotag] takes home SEC Coach of the Year, while transfers [autotag]Chenise Delce[/autotag] and [autotag]KB Sides[/autotag] win SEC Pitcher and Player of the Year respectively. Six players were named all-SEC, with a seventh player named to the second team. Two athletes were also named to the all-defensive team as well.

It has been a season to remember for Arkansas, who won their second straight SEC regular-season crown, their first outright championship. The Razorbacks won all eight SEC series on the season, and finished the regular season with a 41-9 record.

Dan Campbell is the most popular NFL coach of the year candidate

Campbell has more bets placed on him than any other NFL coach to win the honor in 2022

The Detroit Lions might be coming off an underwhelming 3-13-1 season, but the arrow is definitely pointing upward for 2022 and beyond. One of the primary reasons is head coach Dan Campbell.

The energetic Campbell and the positive, instructive culture he’s installing in Detroit have caught notice outside of the Lions nation. Campbell is the current leader in total betting tickets for the NFL coach of the year, and it’s not particularly close. The strong action on Campbell has moved his betting line considerably over the last few days.

Check out the info from Max Meyer,

It seems the betting public likes what it sees from Campbell and the Lions.

Watch: Monty Williams surprised with Coach of the Year award

You might wanna grab some tissues.

It always is cool when a sports figure is surprised with a moment of accomplishment. It’s even more special when the people who mean the most to you are a part of the moment. Phoenix Suns coach and Notre Dame alumnus Monty Williams won the NBA Coach of the Year award, but he didn’t find out merely by being informed of it. As the Suns were wrapping up practice, his family came out to present him with his newest piece of hardware:

Williams has a reputation for being humble and classy, and this moment was no exception. It’s great to see him refuse to give himself all the credit for this accomplishment. The Suns’ unity is a major reason for their success this season, and it should come as no surprise to see Williams at the forefront of the operation. Of course, the thing that would bring them together forever without question would be winning the first championship in franchise history.

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Notre Dame alumnus Monty Williams named NBA Coach of the Year

Congrats, Monty!

To say the least, Monty Williams has had an incredible run in his three seasons as the Phoenix Suns’ coach. Fresh off coaching the Suns to the NBA Finals last year, the Notre Dame alumnus guided them to a league-best 64-18 record. That gave the Suns the best record in franchise history. So it only was fitting that Williams be given the best honor an NBA coach can receive:

During the season, Williams won Western Conference Coach of the Month twice. In November, the Suns won all 16 of their games. They also nearly had a perfect month in January, going 13-1. For that, he also had the honor of coaching Team LeBron to a 163-160 victory in the All-Star Game.

Presently, the Suns and Dallas Mavericks are deadlocked at 2-2 in the Western Conference semifinals. The Suns have home-court advantage, so they only need to protect that in order to advance to the conference finals and play the winner of the Memphis Grizzlies-Golden State Warriors series. Here’s hoping Williams and the Suns can finish what they couldn’t in 2021.

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