Bovada sportsbook, one of the most well-known online bookmakers, believes in Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell about as much as I do.
Nobody has worse odds of being NFL's Coach of Year than Jim Caldwell https://t.co/5knrzXHJfi
— MLive Sports (@MLiveSports) August 16, 2017
Not. At. All.
Calwell is locked in a seven-way tie for the worst odds league-wide to bring home Coach of the Year honors. What’s most intriguing is who he’s surrounded by.
.@BovadaLV has released odds to Win Coach of the Year for the 2017 NFL Season. Marvin Lewis is tied for the worst odds in the league. pic.twitter.com/HKtLvsD7rW
— Cincy Jungle (@CincyJungle) August 16, 2017
A quick glance will show a bottom populated by first-year coaches or teams expected to be absolutely awful. Marvin Lewis is the one semi-exception and many Bengal fans would argue both counts as they try to run him out of town.
Caldwell, notably, is entering his fourth year with the Lions, fresh off a playoff berth, and with an entrenched upper echelon starter at quarterback. Adam Gase, the other returning playoff coach, just watched his starting quarterback go down for the year. His replacement? A guy fresh out of the broadcasting booth.
Caldwell is behind coaches like Kyle Shanahan who is inheriting a disastrous rebuild in San Francisco with no end in sight.
That’s not impressive company. The top of the list is populated by coaches with Super Bowl expectations like New England’s Bill Belichick and Jack Del Rio of the soon to be Las Vegas Raiders. Oft-maligned division rival Mike McCarthy checks in at third with expectations for his Packers sailing.
Caldwell might not be considered in the same breath as those at the top but his name buried in the depths of those odds just reinforces how much he has underachieved in Detroit despite two playoff berths in three seasons.
Fans should not only expect better but demand it.
You should never put too much stock in odds makers opinions, but Caldwell’s perception has been well earned. It’s time to improve or move on.
