When betting on future plays most of the public lean towards futures like who will win the Super Bowl, will a team win their division, or team totals and will their team go over or under the posted number. Those bets are concrete and undeniable. The winner is math and secure, there is no guess work involved. That however is not the case for many futures bets.
Things like the MVP award, or Rookie of the Year, are based off of relying upon other people's opinions and selecting their option. So, while it seems a bit more volatile, in reality it can give a professional an edge. You have to think about what story will captivate people the most, what player will be most noticeable or who will stand out from the crowd.
That is especially true when talking about Coach of the Year as a futures bet. The Coach of the Year award is potentially the most subjective award that you can bet on. While the MVP or ROY rely on stats and performance, the Coach of the Year has no such criteria. In fact, it often doesn't go to the team with the best record, but more so what is viewed as the best coaching job. Again, a very subjective and opinion based concept.
This year new faces in new places lead the betting numbers. Chicago Bears new head coach Ben Johnson leads the field to win the award at +650 and he also has gotten the bulk of the bets on him. Many expect the Bears to improve greatly and if they do Johnson will get the praise.
Likewise Mike Vrabel, the Patriots new head man in charge, is second on the list at 8 to 1 odds. Vrabel takes over a bad New England team that many expect to turn things around this season.
Continuing with the new faces in new places trend is Laim Cohen who takes over the Jags and comes in at 10 to 1 to win the award and Aaron Glenn the new head man for the New York Jets is also 10:1.
The Seattle connection is clear with the next two as Mike MacDonald is 13:1 to win COY and former Seattle, and now Las Vegas, coach Pete Carroll is not far behind him at 14:1. Rounding out those 20:1 or under are Dave Canalas at 15:1, Kyle Shannahan at 18:1, and Johnathan Gannon at 20:1 odds.
Notice not one Coach of the Year odds within the favorites for the returning Super Bowl champs. Nor any for the Andy Reid or the Harbaughs. The Coach of the Year is rarely given to a top team, who was expected to be their, and this year it's littered with the favorites being brand new to their teams sidelines.