DeMeco Ryans deserves the Coach of the Year award
On September 7, Betonline.ag had the Houston Texans at 11/1 odds to win the AFC South. They were given a 19.05% chance of making the playoffs, which ranked closed to the bottom of all 32 probabilities. Only five other teams had worst odds of winning their respective divisions.67.1% of the public bet the under on […]
On September 7, Betonline.ag had the Houston Texans at 11/1 odds to win the AFC South. They were given a 19.05% chance of making the playoffs, which ranked closed to the bottom of all 32 probabilities. Only five other teams had worst odds of winning their respective divisions.
67.1% of the public bet the under on the projected total of 6.5 wins for the regular season – it was the second-most popular under ticket heading into the year. 74.1% of the public bet the under on the Carolina Panthers' projected total of 7.5 wins, making it the most popular ticket in that context.
In other words: Hardly anyone thought the Texans were going to do anything big in 2023.
Well, today, on January 7, Houston is currently on top of the AFC South and punched its ticket to the postseason after beating the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday night. If the Jacksonville Jaguars lose to the Tennessee Titans, DeMeco Ryans and co. will have a new banner to hang in NRG Stadium.
The Texans haven't won the division since 2019 and that was also the last time they made the playoffs. That wasn't in the cards for 2023, either, as Ryans was supposedly leading a rebuild with a rookie quarterback, a first-year offensive coordinator/play-caller, and an overhauled roster filled with guys playing alongside each other for the first time.
And, this is Ryans' first go as a head coach in the NFL.
And they're an upset away from winning the division.
It's simply remarkable what Ryans has done in his inaugural year and he deserves to win the Coach of the Year award. In fact, Betonline.ag currently has him the favorite at -130 odds.
This stuff isn't supposed to happen. Stroud looks like the NFL's next best thing and you can see Ryans' fingerprints all over the defense. As the unit
He's going to have some very tough competition, however, in former odds leader, Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski. The argument that should keep the award in Ryans' grasp is the fact that while, yes, the Browns have had a rollercoaster of a season at quarterback, the team was in far better shape heading into the season and expectations were far higher. Especially with Deshaun Watson's return – and that was evidenced by oddsmakers giving them a 53.5% chance to make the playoffs and a 20% chance to win the AFC North before the season began.
Stefanski has done a helluva job holding things together, but Ryans has completely elevated his team and looks to have established a winning culture, with all of the inexperience, in less than a calendar year.
It doesn't look like 2023 is a flash in the pan, either, and it shouldn't be. With Stroud's rookie contract, the Texans should be able to add top talent through free agency over the next couple of years, if they want and then there's the draft, as well.
Ryans deserves it, through and through. And if he does in fact keep this up, there's going to be plenty more awards for him and the Texans in the future.
