Andy Reid probably won't win the NFL's coach of the year award announced at the NFL Honors show on Saturday night. The favorite for the award seems to be Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera, who has his one-loss Panthers in the Super Bowl. Reid, however, is among those mentioned as a candidate. NFL.com asked their experts about coach of the year and a few folks mentioned Reid ahead of Rivera.
Colleen Wolfe: The time has come for Andy Reid. I thought the Chiefs were in big trouble after starting 1-5. Jamaal Charles went down in Week 5 -- it was a grim scene in Kansas City. To turn things around so drastically and win 11 straight games is a testament to the coaching staff and the leadership on the team. The Chiefs were one score away from playing the Broncos for the AFC championship. This might not be a popular choice -- because of the time management issues on that final drive in that final game -- but the clock still ticks on this award. Right, Andy?
After Jamaal Charles went down and the Chiefs lost another heartbreaking game against Chicago, I was sure the Chiefs were done. Anyone with a brain knew the Chiefs were done. Andy Reid got in front of the team and said he'd never been 1-5 before in his career. He challenged them to respond. And they did. Doing so without Jamaal Charles is really one of the most underrated parts here. Reid understands his personnel and his offense so well that he knew the right buttons to push to get a couple of undrafted guys few people hard heard of to carry the running game.
I would bet money on Rivera winning this award but the job Reid has done merits a mention here. The award will be announced at 7 p.m. (Arrowhead Time) on CBS this evening.