Jan 5, 2023
Morning Coffee: Sean McDermott Is The NFL’s Coach Of The Year
As far as I’m concerned, it is unimaginable to consider the pressure of being expected to play an NFL game on Sunday amidst the current circumstances. My heart goes out to Damar Hamlin and his loved ones, his teammates and his coaches during this time. This is the Morning Coffee for Thursday January 5th, 2023.
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin remains in critical condition in the ICU at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center this morning.
Mario Hamlin, his father, informed the entire Bills’ team via Zoom on Wednesday that his son is making progress, as per ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
While we hope and pray that Hamlin’s condition continues to improve, support continues to pour in for the GoFundMe that Hamlin started in 2020 to raise money for a children’s toy drive.
The NFL confirmed that Monday night’s game between Buffalo and Cincinnati will not be made up this week and that Week 18 will go on as planned around the league.
The Bills are scheduled to host the New England Patriots and the Bengals will host the Baltimore Ravens.
As far as I’m concerned, it is unimaginable to consider the pressure of being expected to play an NFL game on Sunday amidst the current circumstances.
My heart goes out to Damar Hamlin and his loved ones, his teammates and his coaches during this time.
This is the Morning Coffee for Thursday January 5th, 2023.
Sean McDermott Is The NFL’s Coach Of The Year
As somebody who is expected to cover the NFL from a sports betting perspective every single week, it’s been extremely difficult to shift my focus to the Week 18 schedule.
All that really matters right now is Hamlin’s status.
It’s alarming that even as someone so far removed from the situation, I’ve struggled to focus on my job.
In the face of this difficult reality, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on the man who is expected to lead and guide the Bills forward right now.
I’m not sure we’ve fully recognized or comprehended the remarkable leadership that head coach Sean McDermott has demonstrated.
It was McDermott who made the decision to stop Monday night’s game.
McDermott was the leader that the Bills, the NFL and really all of us needed on Monday night.
After the team returned to Buffalo, it was McDermott who coordinated team meetings, individual meetings, game plan installation and Wednesday’s walkthrough.
He did all of this while providing council to the men he has been tasked to lead.
It’s McDermott who has set the tone every step of the way.
As I was thinking about some of these things early on Wednesday, I overheard a conversation about the NFL Coach of the Year odds.
Currently, FanDuel lists San Francisco 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan is the favourite to win that award at +175.
Philadelphia Eagles’ head coach Nick Sirianni is the second choice at +200, followed by New York Giants’ head coach Brian Daboll at +250.
For what it’s worth, McDermott is currently +2500 to win NFL Coach of the Year at FanDuel.
One sports book had him as high as +8000 on Wednesday.
I understand that records, division titles, and year-over-year improvement are key criteria in the Coach of the Year conversation.
As far as I’m concerned, they pale in comparison to the leadership and resilience shown by McDermott.
Not to mention that despite numerous challenges including losing his offensive coordinator, injuries, a difficult schedule and a game being relocated due to severe weather, the Bills still had the best record in the AFC entering Week 17.
In my opinion, McDermott should have been a prime Coach of the Year candidate entering Week 17.
Now, I believe McDermott should be the clear favourite.