Calling the race for NFL Coach of the Year after Week 1 sounds ridiculously premature, but until another team matches what New England pulled off at Arizona on Sunday night, the award should reside in Bill Belichick's office.
Long underappreciated by those who think any decent coach could win with Tom Brady, Belichick led the Patriots to a heavyweight knockout on the road against the defending NFC West champion Cardinals without Brady or Rob Gronkowski available. It was an epic achievement that further differentiated Belichick from his peers, including in ways that require a little investigation to uncover.
Dare to say it: Garoppolo topped even Brady
Jimmy Garoppolo completed 24 of 33 passes (72.7 percent) for 264 yards with one touchdown, no turnovers, a 106.1 passer rating and 73.0 Total QBR score. While that would be sensational production for any quarterback making his first NFL start, Garoppolo put up numbers that would have made even Brady envious under the circumstances.
