Jan 6th 2009 10:48AM by Michael David Smith (author feed)
Filed under: Falcons, Patriots, NFL Coaching, NFL Media WatchNew England Patriots coach Bill Belichick got one vote among the 50 members of the media who selected the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year, and that one voter is none other than NBC’s NFL studio host, Bob Costas.

Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe contacted Costas to ask why he voted for Belichick, rather than Falcons coach Mike Smith or Dolphins coach Tony Sparano, who were by far the two top vote getters, with Smith edging Sparano by one vote. Costas replied:
“I thought he deserved a nod for what might have been the best, or certainly one of the best coaching jobs of his career,” Costas said. “He loses [Tom] Brady, and it’s not just losing Brady, but also that [Matt] Cassel basically never played. It’s not the same thing as losing Johnny Unitas and you have Earl Morrall. He brought the kid along.”
I don’t ever recall a coach getting any Coach of the Year recognition after a season in which his team’s win total declined by five from the year before. Then again, I don’t ever recall a coach leading a team to a 16-0 record, then losing his MVP quarterback in the first game of the following season, only to go 11-5 with a backup quarterback who had never even started a game in college, let alone in the NFL.

I probably would have gone with the plurality who selected Smith, but I don’t have a problem with Costas’s choice. The argument for Belichick as coach of the year is a legitimate one.