Ben Johnson might not be the frontrunner for Coach of the Year yet, Kevin O'Connell and his unbeaten Vikings hold that spot for now. But Johnson has quietly built the second best case in the league, and he's done it in one of the most competitive divisions in football. Even more impressive, he did it while his quarterback was missing, and his roster was being held together with duct tape.
How the Coach of the Year winner is actually picked
In case you're unaware, the process for how the winners are selected is actually rather simple. It's all run by the Associated Press, who puts together a panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. Those 50 media members submit their rankings after Week 18, and prior to the start of the playoffs, ensuring that the award is for the regular season only.
The AP then takes those rankings and combines them using a weighted system to calculate their rankings.
So something to remember, because it's a rather important caveat. The NFL season is 18 weeks long. That might not sound like a long time, especially when we're all so closely following trends and injury storylines. But when you zoom out, it's not a short window.
This is important to Johnson specifically because his case is being built in October, when nobody is casting their ballot. The Bears have played only seven of their seventeen games. Ten games between now and when the ballots are cast is more than it sounds, and a lot can happen in a short time, let alone more than half a season.
If the voting happened now, Johnson would be on plenty of ballots. He already has standing with this electorate, too, having finished last season fourth, and he received one first place vote.
This year's resume is better as well. The Bears stand at 5-2, they were missing their quarterback for three games, they've lost players without dropping games, and the bright side is shining.
But the same schedule that gives Johnson his stage is also the one that can take it all away. Four of those ten remaining games are within the NFC North, somewhere Johnson has struggled as the Bears head coach, and Monday night brings a tough game against the defending Super Bowl champions.
O'Connell in Minnesota could run the table if the Vikings can keep this up, but as stated above, it's a long season. If the Bears come back to win the division, this conversation gets flipped on its head. For now, Johnson has done everything October can ask of a candidate, and the next ten games get to decide whether the voters remember any of it in January.
| More Bears on DaWindyCity |
Add us as a preferred source on Google