I was on ESPN.com the other day, and I found that six workers have died working on the Bejing games. China's government, famous for cover ups, seems to be at work once more. It seems like a lot more than six people have died, judging from the reaction of the Chinese government. I'll post more info as a get it.
He cheated. He spied on his opponent and stole information to make it easier for his side to win. He was charged with his crimes at first, but then President Gerald Ford pardoned Former President Richard Nixon.
New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick also cheated. He also spied on his opponent and stole information that made it easier for his team to win. He too, was charged at first by the NFL handing down a record $500,000 fine, but then the sports writers of the Associated Press played the role of Gerald Ford and named Belichick (the same Belichick that spied on the New York Jets) as the coach of the year in the NFL.
It is a disgrace that Belichick was named the coach of the year.
To any New England fan reading this, I feel your eyes rolling and I hear you yelling from here. Yes, the New England Patriots had perhaps the best season in the history of the NFL. Yes, they were just the fourth team to go undefeated in the history of the NFL, only the second to do so in the modern era, and the first to do so in a 16-game season.
I don’t deny that at least some of that has to do with Belichick.
But, even if they went 16-0, they, um cheated. They probably would have been undefeated even if they hadn’t cheated, but they did.
But they cheated, and if If you cheat, you shouldn’t win an award.
To recap, the Patriots cheated in the first week of the season by videotaping the defensive signals from the New York Jets’ sideline. With this knowledge, the Patriots were able to change the plays they called on offense and exploit the weakness of the defense.
Many people question how much the cheating actually helped the Patriots. But, the point is not how much it helped them, the point is that they cheated.
If a marathon runner were to jump out to a 10-minute lead on his nearest competitor, he would be guaranteed to win, but if he got on a bus after 20 miles and drove across the finish line, he’d be disqualified-- not named to the olympic team! . The Patriots were clearly the better team when they took the field against the New York Jets. But, they stole the Jets defensive signals, and took the bus into the endzone.
Even if they didn’t cheat, I don’t know if Belichick was the best coach in the league this year.
First off, let’s look at Mike McCarthy’s accomplishments in Green Bay. Last year was McCarthy’s first year in Green Bay and he lead the team to an 8-8 year, doubling their 2005 win total of four. Now, in his second year, he has added another five wins to last year’s already impressive turnaround.
I personally think McCarthy is the best candidate, but I am a huge Packers fan, so here are two other coaches that are deserving:
Joe Gibbs led the Washington Redskins to a 9-7 year and came in third in their division, normally not Coach of the Year material.
On December 2nd, the Skins had lost three straight games and needed a win against the Bears to have any chance of making the playoffs. But this crucial game was the least important thing on their minds.
Five days before game day, Redskins safety Sean Taylor was murdered.
The Redskins lost the emotional game 17-16, and it seemed as if the season was over; the Redskins had a slain teammate, a four-game losing streak, and were two games under the .500 mark.
If that wasn’t enough, the Redskins next four games included tilts against their division rivals, the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys.
This where Gibbs started to show his stuff. Somewhere in the Redskins team meeting, Gibbs got the team to buckle down on their next four games. Somehow, against all odds, the Redskins won all four of those games and locked up a playoff berth.
I don’t care if they lost in the first round of the playoffs, any coach who can lead the Redskins past all their troubles and into the playoffs deserves a COY nomination.
Another nominee is Wade Phillips, the coach of the Dallas Cowboys. In his first year as head coach, Phillips led the Cowboys to the NFC’s best record. Normally a new coach means at least one sub-par season of rebuilding, but Phillips jumped right in to immediate success. He deserves some accolade for that.
When all’s said and done, there are plenty of other coaches who deserved the Coach of the Year award. Sure, no others went undefeated, but, none of the others cheated, and they have impressive things on their resumes too.
