Mike Vrabel ‘Without Question’ Should Win Coach Of Year, Rex Ryan Says

If well-known Patriots hater Rex Ryan had a vote for Coach of the Year, he would give it to New England head coach Mike Vrabel.

And Ryan, who spent eight seasons coaching in the AFC East, doesn’t believe it’s particularly close.

“Mike Vrabel, I mean, without question,” Ryan said on “ESPN’s NFL Countdown” on Sunday ahead of the league’s Week 18 slate.

“Look, he took over a team that was dead last in his division, catapulted his team all the way to first in his division and had them on the verge of being the number one seed,” Ryan continued. “The phenomenal job that he’s done, and his whole staff — the entire team has improved, every player on that team. And that’s coaching.”

Ryan credited Vrabel for his ability as a hands-on coach, referencing his one-on-one teachings between the lines.

“I love old-school teaching,” Ryan said. “Fundamentals still make a difference in this league, regardless of how talented these kids are. And nobody’s done a better job, in my opinion, than Mike Vrabel.”

Vrabel enters Week 18 as the betting favorite to win AP NFL Coach of the Year (-190), per FanDuel Sportsbook. Other contenders for the award include Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald, Jaguars’ Liam Cohen and Bears’ Ben Johnson.