Why Liam Coen Might Never Win Coach of the Year

What makes for a Coach of the Year?

Liam Coen isn't just having a great year with the Jacksonville Jaguars — he's put together a literally historic campaign. He's the first person in league history to take over a team with four wins in the previous year and lead them to 12 victories as a first-time head coach. And yet, he's currently just fourth in Coach of the Year odds, listed at +1,200 on FanDuel. The San Francisco 49ers' Kyle Shanahan is second at +150. Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab made the case:

"Shanahan is having a remarkable season. He has navigated injuries to Brock Purdy, George Kittle, Trent Williams, Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner to put his team one win away from the No. 1 seed in the NFC... That’s not usually how Coach of the Year is decided, strangely enough. The award typically goes to a coach who exceeds preseason expectations the most — like preseason predictions are never wrong — and it often goes to a first-year coach."

Liam Coen should be the Coach of the Year

Schwab might not know it, but he was actually making the case for why Liam Coen should be the runaway favorite for Coach of the Year. The Jaguars might not have dealt with injuries the same way the Niners have, but they've had to navigate extended absences from several of their starters, including EDGE Travon Walker, left tackle Walker Little, wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., and now nickelback Jourdan Lewis.

Jacksonville is tied with San Francisco at 12-4 and holds the head-to-head victory over the Niners, with Brock Purdy and Fred Warner suiting up and Travon Walker out, at that. The Jaguars could also wind up as the No. 1 seed in the conference. And Coen is a first-year head coach, not just with the team, but in his career!

If it's boiled down to preseason expectations, plenty of people thought the Patriots had a chance to make the postseason, bolstered by a Charmin-soft schedule. No one thought the Jaguars could win 13 games this year. Expectations for Coen will never be as low as they were this past offseason again. All of that begs the question: If Liam Coen can't win Coach of the Year this season, will he ever?

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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