Bruce Coslet Award

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=95 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Vrinda" ><B>the</B><I><B><U>right</U></B></I><B>slant.com</B></FONT><B>.......... </B><B>never afraid to be </B><I><B><U>right</U></B></I><B>!</B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>   </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#009900" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#009900" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B><B>|     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="therightslant.com"><U><B>home</B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> <B>Bruce Coslet Award</B><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id108.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Leeman Bennett Award"><U>Leeman Bennett Award</U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id143.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Super Bowl Pick"><U>Super Bowl Pick</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=190 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> Back to:</div> <div> <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="4th Inches"><U>4th & Inches</U></A></div> <div> or...</div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="therightslant.com"><U>therightslant.com</U></A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Comment by email:</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:respond@eatananimal.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:respond@eatananimal.com"><U>respond@therightslant.com</U></A></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><U>Past Recipients</U></B></div> <div> <B>2006</B></div> <div> <B>Marty Schottenheimer</B></div> <div> <B>Sand Diego Chargers</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>2005</B></div> <div> <B>Jack Del Rio</B></div> <div> <B>Jacksonville Jaguars</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>2004</B></div> <div> <B>Bill Cowher</B></div> <div> <B> </B><B>Pittsburgh Steelers</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>2003</B></div> <div> <B>Jeff Fisher</B></div> <div> <B>Tennessee Titans</B></div> <bR> <div> NFC Coach of the Year...</div> <div> <A HREF="id108.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Leeman Bennett Award"><U>Leeman Bennett Award</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=385 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B><U>Bruce Coslet Award</U></B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> 2007</div> <div> the<I><B><U>right</U></B></I>slant.com</div> <div> <B>AFC Coach of the Year</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> You needn't look far to find candidates for the AFC's top coach. Jeff Fisher (Tennessee) and Romeo Crennel (Cleveland) turned in worthy performances in 2007. Fisher led a Titan team with no true stars to the playoffs and Crennel gave Browns fans something to cheer about after Halloween for the first time in recent memory. But the three nominees were an easy choice.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Bill Belichick- New England Patriots</B></div> <div> Belichick's offense lit up the conference in 2007. The Patriots led the AFC in points, total yards, and yards per play. They led every major passing category, set an NFL record for points scored, and Tom Brady threw an amazing 50 TD passes against only nine interceptions. Yet, despite their pass-oriented offense New England was second in the AFC in time of possession and rushed for over 115 yards a game while losing only 6 fumbles. Furthermore, only Cleveland and Cincinnati allowed fewer sacks.</div> <div> The defense was overshadowed to say the least. But don't overlook this consistent unit's contribution to the Patriot's success. They ranked third in total defense, fifth against the pass and fourth against the run, and topped the AFC in sacks. What's more, their unbeaten season was no fluke. The Pats beat six of the NFL's 12 playoff teams, four of them badly and three of them on their home fields. If that isn't enough, New England beat four division champions.</div> <div> Success isn't new to Belichick and New England. But Belichick has the reputation of being a strict perfectionist, expecting nothing less than flawlessness from everyone on the team. Every Patriot, including the eccentric Randy Moss, bought his philosophy. Is he a jerk? Probably. A cheater? Maybe. The fact is that Belichick gets his message across and his players emulate his determination.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Norv Turner- San Diego Chargers</B></div> <div> Turner is supposed to be an offensive mind, although his past stints as a head coach belie that image. Oddly, it was the Chargers' defense that drove the team. Although they ranked only eight in the AFC in total defense they were fourth where it counts, surrendering 17.8 points per contest. Only New England sacked more quarterbacks, and San Diego recovered 18 fumbles and picked off 30 passes for a league best +24 in turnover differential.</div> <div> It certainly appeared that Norv Turner was on his way to taking another talented team to a mediocre finish in 2007. The Chargers were bland at best through the first 10 games, which included an embarrassing 30-16 home loss to the Chiefs. In November they surrendered an NFL record rushing performance to Minnesota rookie Adrian Peterson during an equally ugly 35-17 drubbing.</div> <div> Yet, to Turner's credit, the ship didn't sink. San Diego rallied to win their last six regular season games, won an anemic division and entered the playoffs on a role.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Jack Del Rio- Jacksonville Jaguars</B></div> <div> The Jaguars boast the AFC's top rushing offence, leading the league in yards per game and per carry. Pro Bowl running back Fred Taylor, who became the NFL's most underrated back when Curtis Martin retired, was the key factor. And QB David Garrard's mobility didn't hurt. Even though the Jaguars ranked only seventh in passing, Garrard tossed 18 touchdowns against only three picks (a better ratio than Tom Brady).</div> <div> One might expect a team coached by a former hard-nosed linebacker to be tough on defense. Jacksonville fulfilled that expectation in consistency if not in dominance. The Jag's defense ranked a respectable but somewhat average sixth in the AFC in total defense. But they had no glaring weaknesses. Del Rio's defense was sixth in points allowed, sixth against the pass, and fifth against the run. The only trouble spot came in their propensity for surrendering big plays in the passing game. Jacksonville gave up 49 pass plays of more than 20 yards, fourth worst in the AFC.</div> <div> But it's not so much the on-field performance that earns Del Rio consideration; it's his willingness to make the tough call. It took courage to drop a former first round draft choice in starting QB Byron Leftwich in favor of David Garrard. Del Rio made it work to near perfection. And his team has attitude. Although postseason performances aren't considered in choosing the conference's top coach, the Jags went into New England and gave the undefeated Patriots everything they wanted in the divisional playoff. Such confidence flows from the top down.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> 2007 AFC Coach of the Year</div> <div> Bill Belichick- New England Patriots</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id107_m.htm" TITLE="Bruce Coslet Award"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> Comment by email:</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:respond@eatananimal.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:respond@eatananimal.com"><U>respond@therightslant.com</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id107_m.htm" TITLE="Bruce Coslet Award"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> All statistics and rankings researched through NFL.com. Rankings are against other AFC teams only.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>