NFC North roundtable: Who will be division’s coach of the year?
The Chicago Bears are building around Justin Fields, the Detroit Lions are entering the season as betting favorites to win the division, the Green Bay Packers are transitioning from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love and the Minnesota Vikings are attempting to repeat as division champs for the first time since 2008-09.
There’s a lot going on in the NFC North this season.
In the latest of a series of posts previewing the division ahead of the 2023 season, Alyssa Barbieri of Bears Wire, Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire, Zach Kruse of Packers Wire and Tyler Forness of Vikings Wire answered the question: Who will be the division’s coach of the year?
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Chicago Bears: Dan Campbell, Lions
You could make an argument for each coach in the division, but I’m going to ride the hot hand. Dan Campbell has the Lions in a position they haven’t been since before the realignment: favorites to win the division. Last season was the tip of the iceberg for what Detroit can accomplish under Campbell. In two years, Campbell has changed the culture in the locker room, where players are buying into his system and looking to prove they’re contenders. While the Lions have a good wealth of talent, it’s Campbell’s leadership that puts them over the top. As last year’s rally after a 1-7 start indicates, Campbell’s players play hard for him, and it’s what makes them dangerous to play against. If the Lions are able to claim the NFC North throne, Campbell will rightfully get a ton of the credit for getting Detroit back to relevance.
Detroit Lions: Dan Campbell, Lions
He is the heartbeat and the driving force behind the Lions promise. Campbell has quickly proven to be a compassionate, focused, open-minded leader as the Detroit head coach. He’s surrounded himself with a cadre of fellow former players with an emphasis on player development and football character. Those are paths the Lions haven’t tried before, and they appear to be leading to a much higher place.
If the Lions achieve what many expect of them, Campbell will deserve the lion’s share of the credit. He could see some NFC North competition here from Matt Eberflus if the Bears pull off a playoff visit, or Matt LaFleur if the Packers show vibrant life after Aaron Rodgers.
Green Bay Packers: Matt LaFleur, Packers
This one is difficult, and I’m assuming everyone is going to pick their team’s coach because each coach in the NFC North has a legitimate argument. If the Bears take a big jump and Justin Fields improves, Matt Eberflus is going to get a lot of well-deserved praise for leading an up-and-coming team. If the Lions win the division for the first time since it became the NFC North, Dan Campbell is the easy pick. If the Vikings don’t regress and also repeat as division champs, Kevin O’Connell should get a bunch of credit. And then there’s Matt LaFleur and the Packers. Let’s unpack his case. Arguably no coach in the division is under more pressure in 2023; the Packers just missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018 and are now in the post-Aaron Rodgers era. But with pressure comes opportunity, and LaFleur is getting a chance to show the world that his offense (and his team) is more than just a Hall of Fame quarterback. What if Love plays well in Year 1 and the Packers stay alive as contenders in the NFC North? That might qualify as the best coaching job of LaFleur’s career. The division is wide open, and the Packers are no less talented than the other three teams in the NFC North. It will fall on LaFleur’s shoulders to guide this Packers team through the transition, and if he does so successfully, he’ll cement himself as one of the league’s top coaches.
Minnesota Vikings: Matt Eberflus, Bears
One of the keys with coach of the year is exceeding expectations. That is one of the reasons why we have been seeing a lot of first-year head coaches winning the award in recent years. Currently, the Bears have the least expectations in the division, but the multitude of moves they have made could have them winning a significant amount of games. The key will be Eberflus running a solid defense and the development of Justin Fields. If both of those come to fruition, look for the Bears to potentially contend for a wild card spot.
