Was Texans Coach DeMeco Ryans 'Robbed' of Coach of the Year? C.J. Stroud Say Yes
Houston Texas coach DeMeco Ryans was narrowly edged out by Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns for the AP NFL Coach of the Year Award on Thursday night by a razor-thin.
Both coaches received a total of 165 points from votes, with Stefanski getting the nod due to having precisely one more first-place vote than Ryans.
Despite being the underdog to Stefanski coming into the night per the oddsmakers, it was a result that surprised many due to the incredible turnaround the Texans saw under their first-year head coach.
And when asked if he believed his head coach was robbed of the award during an appearance on Up and Adams with Kay Adams on Friday, C.J. Stroud gave his thoughts.
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“Yes, he did,” Stroud told Adams “Everybody says you have a below-average roster, a rookie quarterback, a rookie offensive coordinator, a rookie head coach and you beat the odds and you go the playoffs, you win a playoff game against the guy that won Coach of the Year … and you lead one of the best defenses in the league, I think that’s Coach of the Year worthy.”
On paper, it's hard to say Stroud is wrong either.
Under Ryans, the Texans went from 3-13-1 to AFC South champions and won a playoff game, completing one of the most dramatic turnarounds in NFL history.
He also helped to completely rebuild the roster of a franchise that had been an NFL bottom dweller for three straight seasons.
But more importantly, he helped change the culture of the locker room and the belief in the players - something that Stroud believes to be vital.
“He’s played and he's been in our shoes before," Stroud said. He’s not the type of guy who’s going to be a negative coach. He’s a positive person but he’s going to hold everybody accountable and set a standard and everybody’s got to stick to that standard. And he brings the juice every day. He’s been amazing to my development... He's a really good coach and I appreciate him.”
Now with a slew of Texans free agents ready to hit the market this offseason, Ryans will have a difficult task in front of him.
But if he can have similar success to what he did last offseason, the sky is the limit for the Texans in 2024.
