LaFleur Named Coach of Year by Analytics Site EdjSports
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers’ Matt LaFleur was named NFL Coach of the Year on Wednesday by EdjSports.
EdjSports provides decision-making guidance with its predictive and prescriptive analytical models and win probability applications in the sports industry for teams, media, fans and bettors. EdjSports’ properties include EdjSports.com and Football Outsiders.
“Matt LaFleur has been a consistent decision maker this season and emerged as our Coach of the Year this week after being in the Top 5 throughout the 2020 rankings,” said Frank Frigo, EdjSports co-founder. “It was a very tight race against other head coaches in the league known for their focus on analytics.”
LaFleur has the Packers at 12-3 and with a chance to earn homefield advantage on Sunday against Chicago. In two seasons, he’s 25-6. LaFleur is tied with Steve Mariucci for the second-most wins by a coach in his first two seasons. Only George Seifert (28) had more. Since the NFL went to a divisional format in 1967, LaFleur is only third coach to win 12-plus games and a division title in each of his first two seasons. Seifert and Barry Switzer are the others.
LaFleur and quarterback Aaron Rodgers have formed a formidable tandem. Rodgers is the front-runner to win MVP and the Packers solidified their status as championship contenders by thumping the Tennessee Titans last week.
In the EdjSports rankings, Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who was No. 1 through the Week 15 games, dropped to No. 2 this week. Last year’s coach of the year, Baltimore’s John Harbaugh, finished third. Frank Reich of Indianapolis and Sean McDermott of Buffalo rounded out the top five.
On the opposite extreme, Detroit’s combo of Matt Patricia and Darrell Bevell finished last. Jacksonville’s Doug Marrone was 31st, Carolina’s Matt Rhule was 30th, Giants coach Joe Judge was 29th and Texans coaches Bill O’Brien and Romeo Crennel were 28th.
Click here for a video diving deeper into the Coach of the Year rankings.
Built on more than 20 years of historical NFL play-by-play and statistical data, the EdjFootball model is a customizable simulation engine. It accounts for each team’s strengths and weaknesses on offense, defense, and special teams. Model inputs include game state (score, timeouts, quarter, clock, down and distance, and field position), venue characteristics (indoor, outdoor, grass, turf, elevation), second-half kickoff team, key injuries and Football Outsiders DVOA. Each week, the model evaluates team performances and adjusts team strengths and weakness accordingly. As a result of these analyses, over the course of a season the EdjFootball model simulates over 3 billion games to conclusion.
Despite the accomplishments, LaFleur is not considered a contender for the award, which will be announced during the NFL Honors program before the Super Bowl. For what it’s worth, at BetMGM, Miami’s Brian Flores is the favorite at +165, followed by McDermott at +225, Cleveland’s Kevin Stefanski at +500, Washington’s Ron Rivera at +800 and LaFleur at +1100.
