By: Jake Rajala

The New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen is out for blood in his second stint as a head coach. With that said, I’m going to simply untwine three reasons why the Sean Payton disciple could even win Coach of the Year in 2022.

Improvement from 2021

The Drew Brees-less Saints didn’t make the playoffs last season, but I really believe the Saints will have a significant turnaround and three to four more victories than the 2021 season. I expect a healthy Jameis Winston and a highly motivated Michael Thomas to wreak havoc against opponents on a frequent basis. Kev Stefanski was COTY in 2020 for leading the Browns to 11 wins in 2020 — after CLE had a mere six victories in 2019. I believe Allen will receive a lot of buzz after jolting the Saints team in 2022.

Buccaneers

I recently wrote about why the Buccaneers could *finally* beat the Saints next season. Although, the Saints still have the upper hand at this point in time. It should be noted that DA caught a lot of attraction for shutting out TB12 in their last match-up. If the Saints can have a successful season, while ousting a dominant victory (or two) against the Bucs, there should be very high praise for the Saints HC.

Defense

Allen’s baby is clearly the defense — as he plans to retain play-calling. I expect the Saints defense to be a Top-3 unit and they could potentially be the utmost best defense next season. Allen will garner heaps of glory for pressing the right buttons with a Saints defense that added the Honey Badger this off-season. Marshon Lattimore, Mathieu, Demario Davis, and Cameron Jordan will delight in dismantling under Allen opponents moving forward.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Miami Dolphins have been one of the most polarizing NFL squads this offseason. Similar to the Los Angeles Rams, the Dolphins have a young ambitious coach who isn’t scared to take risks. It’s honestly hard for a lot of people to imagine and sometimes be a fan of mystic growth, but the Dolphins could really take a large leap next season. It wouldn’t be a shock if the 2022 Dolphins surprise the NFL world in a way that the 2021 Cincinnati Bengals shocked NFL audiences.

With that enunciated, I believe the outlook of McDaniel will be a significant reason why the Dolphins could strike a playoff berth and unveil an unusually successful season. Furthermore, the fiery, hipster McDaniel could win COTY in the process of a fantastic 2022 Dolphins season. Here are a couple of reasons why McDaniel is truly a darkhorse to win COTY next season.

• Scoring machine

The Dolphins may not unveil 13+ wins next season, but the Dolphins could score A LOT of points. Tua Tagovailoa will have Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, so expect fireworks frequently. The COTY isn’t always the coach “with the most victories”. Sean McVay won COTY in 2017 with an 11-5 record and Kevin Stefanski was named COTY in 2020 with an 11-5 record. I believe McDaniel could follow a similar path as McVay and Stefanski in winning COTY by improving Tua Tagovailoa, unleashing a Top 10 scoring offense, and leading the Dolphins to 11 or 12 wins in 2022.

• Success against the Bills

It will be hard for the Dolphins to win the AFC East or be a cream of the crop AFC squad if they get swept by the Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins had 9 victories last season, but the Bills mopped the floor against MIA. The Bills beat the Dolphins 35-0 and 26-11 in 2021. If the borderline playoff team Dolphins can split games with the Bills next season, it would make a significant difference for the new-look Dolphins team. If the underdog Dolphins can upset the Bills twice in a similar way that the Saints swept the juggernaut Buccaneers, the Dolphins could realistically win their division and really sit well in their conference at the end of the season.

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