National Football League

NFL Coach of the Year: Mike Zimmer Holds Narrow Lead

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Oct 3, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer enters the stadium prior to the game with the New York Giants at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings won 24-10. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL Coach of the Year award is among the most prestigious in football, and it’s going to be hotly contested in 2016. That much is certain.

There are still three quarters left in the season but as everybody knows a good start can often mean the difference. So in what is a rich field, who is the current leader for the award and who are the guys he should worry about most?

Leader:  Mike Zimmer

There is no arguing this at the moment. For Mike Zimmer to coach a Minnesota Vikings team to a 4-0 record after losing the two best players on his offense (Adrian Peterson and Teddy Bridgewater) is remarkable. Much of that is thanks to the superb play of his defense, which is now arguably the best in the NFL.  It looks like the Vikings are the team to beat in the NFC, and by rights they shouldn’t be playing this well. That’s a testament to what Zimmer has done.

Close behind

Bill Belichick

As if this is any surprise. Bill Belichick got his New England Patriots to a 3-1 record in the first month of the season with Tom Brady serving a suspension. To top it off he won games with Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett as the starters, each of whom had zero starts under there belts when the season began. Not to mention to ongoing health concerns with Rob Gronkowski.

Jeff Fisher

People were slamming him to no end after that ugly 21-0 loss in San Francisco on opening night. Now Jeff Fisher has the Los Angeles Rams 3-1 and in control of the NFC West. Oh, and he did it with Case Keenum at quarterback. He never caved to the pressure. He’s done it his way from the start and hasn’t deviated. Fisher deserves mad respect (and apologies) for the job he’s done so far.

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In the hunt

Gary Kubiak

He’s the reigning champion and his team is undefeated. So of course Gary Kubiak is on this list. The fact he’s won all his games with a former third-string quarterback as his starter makes it all the more impressive. Of course having an elite defense doesn’t hurt. In truth the Denver Broncos have shown no ill-effects from the loss of Peyton Manning or other key free agents. That’s fine coaching.

Jack Del Rio

The games have been extraordinarily tight through the first four weeks, but the Oakland Raiders are finding ways to win. They never used to do that. It just shows that head coach Jack Del Rio has instilled a confidence and discipline in this roster that is enabling them to excel in crunch time. If he can get that defense to improve, this team will be one nobody wants to play in January.

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