Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury is a worthy candidate for NFL Coach of the Year. His team has held the NFL’s best record for seven total weeks this season, including now.
But Kingsbury believes he’s not worthy when you put him alongside New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
When Kingsbury was asked about how he feels being in the running for the award, he praised Belichick to the utmost and claimed the award needs a new namesake.
“I mean, they should just name the award ‘Bill Belichick,'” Kingsbury said as he laughed with reporters. “And when he retires, like, bring that back. But, yeah, until he retires, I don’t think anybody else should get the award, honestly. He should be that every single year that he’s coaching.”
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The AFC East-leading Patriots (9-4) are on a seven-game win streak after their road win over the Buffalo Bills on Monday.
Following that win, Belichick surpassed Kingsbury as the current leader in Tipico Sportsbook’s Coach of the Year odds.
Kingsbury’s knowns Belichick’s coaching acumen from his first-hand experience when he was rookie backup quarterback for the Patriots in 2003.
Kingsbury doesn’t relish in the success of his third year with the Cardinals as they’ve reached one of the best seasons in franchise history.
It was all a part of the plan he had when he was hired by general manager Steve Keim in February 2019.
“I see it differently, because we’ve just built, you know? When we got here, it was what it was, and one more game that first year, one more the second, and we’re winning more this year. And so that’s just been part of the process. I think we feel like we can still be a lot better. That’s how I’ve seen it. It’s just been a build and we’re continuing to progress, and hopefully we can take another step.”
After being a former journeyman quarterback in the league, Kingsbury revealed the secret behind his rise in the coaching ranks is treating every day as if it could be his last.
“I felt like after one year, I could be gone,” Kingsbury said while laughing. “I feel like I’m coaching for my job every day. I think that’s if you want to be successful, that’s how you have to view it.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kingsbury: Bill Belichick should be NFL Coach of the Year every year
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