It appears to be a three-horse race for Coach of the Year in the National Football League this year. And guess what? You have three African-American coaches leading the way. Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts, Lovie Smith of the Chicgo Bears and Marvin Lewis of the Cincinnati Bengals are all very deserving of the award for what they have accomplished so far. These men have their respective teams bound for division titles and playoff berths.
Dungy has guided the Colts to a 12-0 record by adding his signature dominating defense to an already explosive offensive attack. Now, the Colts are the latest team with a chance to accomplish the improbable task of going through an entire season undefeated.
Smith, the former defensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams, has led the Bears to a 9-3 record with a National Football Conference North Division title in their sights. In just a couple of years on the job, Smith has built the NFL’s most formidable defensive unit. So dominant is the Bears defense, that they continue to win despite getting little or no scoring from its offense.
Lewis has made it cool to be a Cincinnati Bengals’ fan again. The most futile franchise of the 1990’s is now fast becoming a power broker with Lewis in charge. After defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday, the Bengals are in prime position to claim the AFC North Division title and get into the playoffs. Lewis was the architect of a Baltimore Ravens defense that was arguably the best in NFL history during their run to the Super Bowl title in 2000, yet he was passed over by several different teams that had openings that year. He was finally given his opportunity two seasons later and the Bengals are now one of the league’s spotlight teams.