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NFL: Predicting this season’s award winners

By Brad Rowland

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien calls for a time out late in the fourth quarter of a preseason game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Texans defeated the Broncos 18-17. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien calls for a time out late in the fourth quarter of a preseason game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Texans defeated the Broncos 18-17. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

Coach of the Year 

Bill O’Brien, Houston Texans

In all honesty, the Coach of the Year award should be renamed “the head coach of the team with the biggest turnaround” award. Because the general public (and really, NFL pundits) have a hard time distinguishing the great majority of activities that a head coach performs during the course of a full season, the win-loss record emerges as the chief indicator of competence, and that will be the case for rookie head coach Bill O’Brien in Houston.

The Texans were dismal last season, finishing 2-14 and snatching the number one overall draft pick, but their true talent level certainly wasn’t befitting of that sort of result. The defense, led by J.J. Watt and rookie Jadeveon Clowney, has the pieces to be above-average (at worst), and offensively, the return of Arian Foster and the injection of half-decent quarterback play from Ryan Fitzpatrick could go a long way.

Houston could be a 9-7 team, and if they can achieve that, O’Brien will generate all kinds of positive buzz.

Runner-up: Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons

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