The NFL’s New England Patriots have come a long way from “Deflategate” in 2015 and rumors of the team becoming extra creative in an effort to win games. However, it has always enjoyed a solid reputation in the league and, as one of the longest-running active coaches, head coach Bill Belichick continues to receive praise for his ability to manage the team. So much so, that he now sits at the top of the charts for being dubbed this season’s NFL Coach of the Year, according to odds put up by several sportsbooks.
OddsShark indicates that Belichick is the overwhelming favorite for the award, currently looking at +650 odds. While still long, they’re much better than the next coach in line, Bruce Arians of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with his +1200. Despite the Pats now having to play without 20-year starter Tom Brady (the quarterback is now with the Bucs, which might explain Arians’ position on the list), Belichick is a strong contender for the title, especially if the team can pull off another season with 12 wins.
Following on the list after Belichick and Arians are San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. They all have +1600 odds in the prop bet, with the 49ers looking to make it to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row. In last year’s championship game, the Niners ended up taking a loss at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, whose head coach, Andy Reid, is getting odds of +2000. Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys, Frank Reich (Indianapolis Colts) and Mike Vrabel (Tennessee Titans) are also sitting at +2000.
Not everyone may believe that Belichick deserves the award. Lawyer Milloy, a former safety for the team and a four-time Pro Bowl selectee, had a disagreement with the coach when he was with the Pats in the early 2000s, and said during an interview on “Ordway, Merloni and Fauria” on New England radio station WEEI, that he was given an ultimatum by Belichick that didn’t’ sit well with him. He explained, “I had good representation with Carl Poston and went the whole offseason — the last time I talked to Bill was in June right before the veteran (time) when you can go out and seek another team and we had a discussion. He said basically, ‘The worst-case scenario is you play out this year and we have to revisit it after the season.’
“So, me and my representation were in agreement with that and the Friday after the last preseason game, he pulled me into the office and gives me the same ultimatum: I have until Monday to think about it. Guys get released or have these situations come up all the time. It was just the way he handled it, trying to wait until the Monday before the first game, which really disgusted me.”
Milloy ended up leaving the team after that talk and went to the Buffalo Bills. The following season, the Bills wiped out the Pats in the first game of the season, 31-0. He may have held a grudge for a while, but he’s over it now. He added during the interview, “I think [Belichick] has changed over the years. He’s I guess willing to have the small-talk kind of conversations, he’s smiling a little bit more — maybe it is the young girlfriend he has now, but everything kind of lined up for me to go back.”
