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Vermeil voted Coach of the Year
Posted: Thursday February 03, 2000 03:31 PM NEW YORK (CNNSI.com) -- Dick Vermeil inspired the St. Louis Rams to one of the NFL's greatest turnarounds. For leading the Rams to the NFC's best record, Vermeil was chosen The Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year. At 63, Vermeil might not have been the ideal candidate for change. But his ability to do just that made him an easy choice by a nationwide panel of 50 media members. "I might not be as intense or insistent as I have been in the past," Vermeil said, "but I still believe deeply in what I am doing. And I believe deeply in this team."
Well he should. The Rams went 13-3 this season after 5-11 and 4-12 records in the first two seasons of his return. They were 8-0 at home, using a devastating offense and an underrated defense. Quarterback Kurt Warner, in whom Vermeil showed unmitigated faith after first-stringer Trent Green wrecked a knee in the opening preseason game, wound up as the NFL's Most Valuable Player. Marshall Faulk, for whom Vermeil traded only second-round and fifth-round draft picks, was the Offensive Player of the Year. Warner, Faulk, tackle Orlando Pace and defensive end Kevin Carter were All-Pros. And now Vermeil is the third Rams coach to be selected as coach of the year, joining George Allen (1967) and Chuck Knox (1973). He beat out Indianapolis' Jim Mora, whose Colts went from 3-13 to 13-3 for the biggest turnaround in NFL history. Vermeil received 27 1/2 votes, while his close friend Mora had 18 1/2. Tennessee's Jeff Fisher got 2 1/2, with Jacksonville's Tom Coughlin getting one and the New York Jets' Bill Parcells receiving one-half vote. "Seasons like this make it all worthwhile," said Vermeil, who guided the 1980 Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl, but two years later was burned out and quit coaching for 14 years. "It's recognition for what the fine players on this team and the fine coaches on this team accomplished." And it's recognition for what Vermeil did:
And when Green went down, he simply turned to Warner and told him, "You're the guy. You can do it as well as anyone." Vermeil probably would have been fired by the Rams had he not displayed such flexibility. He has admitted that his instincts were to work the players extra hard "to turn this into a team." "I came back to prove to myself I can still do it and do it my way," he said. "We went through some times where you question yourself and everything else, but I knew it was going to be extremely difficult, because all you have to do is study the history of the NFL. I didn't think it'd be quite as difficult as it was. I needed to prove it to myself." But he was smart enough to realize if he didn't back off a bit, he could lose all of his support in St. Louis. "It isn't as much fun when you don't coach your own offense or defense," Vermeil said. "You aren't as closely connected with the players and I miss that closeness." Yet when so many good things happened this season, who was getting hugged and giving hugs? Vermeil. Who was crying tears of joy? Vermeil. Who was winning Coach of the Year? Vermeil. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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