It was announced earlier this week that Jack Del Rio has won the 28th annual Greasy Neale Professional Coach of the Year Award. It’s recognition for a fantastic 12-4 season and by winning it, Del Rio becomes the first Raiders coach since Art Shell in 1990 to win the award. However, it’s the Associated Press award that is the most widely recognized award. With that just weeks away, it’s time to present a case for why Jack Del Rio deserves AP Coach of the Year.
Why Jack Del Rio Deserves AP Coach of the Year
Restoring a Winning Record
Firstly, the Raiders hadn’t been to the playoffs since 2002. That’s 14 years without playoff football. Only the Bills have suffered a longer post-season drought, although they at least managed a winning season in that time, posting 9-7 in 2004 and 2014. The Raiders hadn’t managed more than eight wins once in those 14 years. Let me repeat that. The Raiders hadn’t managed more than eight wins once in those 14 years. The Raiders were the laughingstock of the NFL, the poster boys of poor performance.
This was a team that from 1970 to 1980 went to seven conference championship games, winning two Super Bowls. Among coaches with 50 wins or more, John Madden’s winning percentage (an incredible .750) is the best in the Super Bowl era, better even than Vince Lombardi himself. Yet from 2002 to 2016, this historic franchise was the butt of countless jokes. That hard-earned respect was gone.
Changing the Culture
Del Rio, an Oakland native, has brought that respect back, dragged it kicking and screaming into the 21st century. In year one he adopted a sensible we-need-to-learn-how-to-win mantra. A 7-9 finish wasn’t great, but Raider fans saw improvement and embraced some continuity throughout the off-season and into year two. Here was a guy who had been a head coach, who had learnt from his previous experience, and knew what he wanted to do. He changed the culture, got rid of players who didn’t fit in with his new Raiders. Players like Sio Moore, who thought his talent made him indispensable, found out he wasn’t. A message was sent. This was a different team.
Del Rio ensured that the players at the centre of his team bought in the most. Derek Carr, Khalil Mack, Donald Penn, a rejuvenated Michael Crabtree. That’s what makes culture spread: a core of players that buy in, that make the rest of the players buy in too. Everyone becomes accountable. That stems from Del Rio. It’s Del Rio that has enabled these players, Del Rio that has placed them at the centre of his new Raiders.
Improving the Coaching
Del Rio has been big on fundamentals, on putting the building blocks in place. This clear and methodical approach is something that players seem to buy into, can see that success follows if they do what their coaches ask. Early on, Del Rio’s frustration was with people failing at the basics – not setting the edge, missing tackles, blowing coverages. And while no one would say the Raiders are the finished article, you can see clear improvements in everything he’s said needed to improve. By concentrating on the building blocks, he’s able to help each player improve in small amounts week-to-week. Big changes come from lots of small changes, and that’s what the Raiders are now seeing.
So, he’s changed the culture and he’s changed the coaching. Collectively that’s resulted in a pretty impressive record over two seasons, particularly 2016. Is there anyone else who deserves it more though?
How Have Other Coaches Performed?
So who else might deserve it more? Of the four coaches with teams still in it, three of them have won Super Bowls as head coaches before. Bill Belichick is a marvel, arguably the best coach of all time, and deserving of coach of the decade honors for sure. But that team has performed at a high level for such a long time, what is it about this year that really stands out? Being 3-1 without Brady is an achievement, but enough for Coach of the Year?
Meanwhile, both the Packers and the Steelers have had troubles of their own. While they’ve been excellent in the playoffs, both have worse regular season records than the Raiders. The Packers famously needed Aaron Rogers’ inspiration to run the table. The Steelers needed a run of their own to take the AFC North away from the Ravens. Both were arguably lucky to win their division, and therefore to make the playoffs at all. And in the Packers case, their success would seem to sit more with Rogers than McCarthy.
That leaves the Atlanta Falcons and Dan Quinn, who might be Del Rio’s biggest challenger. Last year the Falcons raced off to a 5-0 start before collapsing down the stretch. Quinn has steered them into the playoffs this year. He didn’t overreact to how the last season ended and instead seems to have built more mental toughness around the Falcons. And while they’re my pick to make the Super Bowl for the NFC, a large amount of their success has come on the offensive side of the ball. You could argue then that Kyle Shanahan deserves as much credit as Quinn. Perhaps he has even outshone his head coach this season.
So who else should be considered for this list? Andy Reid perhaps, who did in Kansas City what he did so well in Philadelphia – get a team to the playoffs and no further. Adam Gase is another possibility, having brought a small amount of instant success to Miami.
Del Rio Has Achieved More
But remember when Art Shell hired a former bed and breakfast operator from Idaho as his offensive coordinator? Remember when the Raiders had the number one pick in the draft and selected JaMarcus Russell ahead of Calvin Johnson and Adrian Peterson? Between losing the Super Bowl to Gruden’s Buccaneers and hiring Del Rio, the Raiders record was 67-141. That in itself is reason enough. Yes, Reggie McKenzie has done well in drafting and free agency. Yes, the players have performed well. But Del Rio is the undisputed captain of this rebuilt and remodeled pirate ship, and he deserves the accolades that come with this success.
So, here’s to Captain Black Jack Del Rio, head coach of the Oakland Raiders and the undisputed and rightful choice for Associated Press Coach of the Year.
