Klint Kubiak earns early Coach of the Year recognition
There are always surprises in the standings of any NFL season. Nobody really thought the Los Angeles Chargers would be 0-4 to start their season, and on the flip side, people didn’t think the Las Vegas Raiders would be 3-1 and have already won the same number of games they did their entire last season.
But here we are, and new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak is really working wonders with this team. There’s been quite a turnaround, and the NFL is taking notice.
In a feature on Thursday, Bill Barnwell of ESPN published his NFL quarter-season awards after Week 4. In it, he gives Kubiak the nod for Coach of the Year. There’s no way he was expected to be part of that conversation going into the season, but whenever a new head coach starts piling up wins early, the conversation begins.
Klint Kubiak earns early Coach of the Year recognition from ESPN analyst
In the piece, Barnwell says he’s “picking the coach who has taken over an awful team and made it relevant in a matter of weeks.”
“What Kubiak has done to immediately rejuvenate the Raiders’ offense has been incredible,” he adds. “With a subpar offensive line on paper, Kubiak’s scheme — with its zone run game and heavy play-action rate — has mitigated the individual weaknesses of the linemen the Raiders are lining up on a weekly basis.”
“Incredible” is really a good descriptor here, and it’s not hyperbole. Kubiak has worked with quarterback Kirk Cousins to really bring this offense to life, and now he’s an early favorite to take home Coach of the Year.
