The 2023 NFL Honors ceremony has announced its winners, and the Coach of the Year Award recipient was none other than New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll.
Brian Daboll Wins 2022-2023 NFL Coach of the Year
Arguably no one did more with less than Daboll this season. He becomes the first Giants head coach to receive COTY since … 1997. He’s also the first to receive the award with less than 10 wins since Bruce Arians in 2012 (Indianapolis Colts). Yet, the honor is much deserved, as what Daboll did for Daniel Jones and the G-men’s offense was nothing short of monumental.
The former Bills offensive coordinator utilized his play-calling ability and schematics to augment his players’ skill sets. The result? The Giants saw their highest offensive rank in points (15th) since 2015.
MORE: 2023 NFL Honors Results — List of 2022-2023 NFL Awards Winners
In his first year under Daboll, Jones set career highs in passing yards (3,205), yards per attempt (6.8), and completion percentage (67.2%). Meanwhile, the ground game was churning, averaging the tied-fifth yards per carry (4.8) and owning the fourth-highest rush first-down rate (28.8%).
But more importantly, the Giants rebounded from a 4-13 record last season to 9-7-1 and their first playoff berth since 2016. They didn’t stop there, either, knocking off the 13-4 Minnesota Vikings on Wild Card Weekend.
Andy Reid, Nick Sirianni Snubbed?
Interestingly, neither Super Bowl head coach made the final COTY ballot. Those spots belonged to the San Francisco 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan and Jacksonville Jaguars’ Doug Pederson. Still, Andy Reid and Nick Sirianni deserve their flowers.
All the talk around Kansas City last offseason was about what the Chiefs would do without Tyreek Hill. Well, Reid continued to evolve as a play-caller, leading to the NFL’s No. 1 offense in points and yards.
Of course, having a magician at QB and an all-timer at TE certainly helps. But KC had 12 pass catchers with 100+ yards, and Reid unleashed seventh-round rookie Isiah Pacheco.
Meanwhile, Sirianni took the Eagles to a 14-3 record after going 9-8 last season. Had QB Jalen Hurts not injured his shoulder, Philly could’ve very well finished 16-1. The passionate head coach has endeared himself to Eagles players and fans alike with his personality and, of course, results.