One of the greatest attributes about David Culley is his ability to believe in himself no matter the circumstances around him.
That aspect is good news, because hardly anybody outside of NRG Stadium is giving the new Houston Texans’ rookie coach a chance.
According to BetMGM, Culley has the same odds to win the Associated Press’ NFL Coach of the Year for 2021 as the Cincinnati Bengals’ Zac Taylor does: +6600. The odds are tied for the worst in the NFL.
Among rookie coaches, Brandon Staley leads the way with +1600 odds, which are actually tied with Sean McVay, Brian Flores, Andy Reid, and Kyle Shanahan for the second-best in the entire league.
The New York Jets’ Robert Saleh has +1800 odds, which are even better than Bill Belichick’s +2000. Arthur Smith of the Atlanta Falcons has +2500. Even Urban Meyer is at +3500 with Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions and Nick Sirianni of the Philadelphia Eagles at +5000.
Although the Texans aren’t expected to have a good season, it isn’t unprecedented for a coach to win coach of the year amid a losing campaign. In 1990, the Dallas Cowboys’ Jimmy Johnson won the award after posting a 7-9 record following a 1-15 mark in his first season in the league.
If the Texans are able to get within a win of a playoff berth, just as the ’90 Cowboys were, then award voters need to consider giving Culley his just due. However, if the Texans indeed are a basement dweller in the AFC South, then voters need to wait until 2022 to evaluate whether Culley can get a handle on the problems ailing the Texans.
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