With good reason, it seems all anyone wants to talk or write about today is Bill Belichick being named the NFL's Coach of the Year. The honor was announced more than a week early after the Boston Herald broke the story Thursday.
“Sixteen-and-oh clinched it,” voter Tom Curran of NBCSports.com told The Providence Journal (his former employer). "I would have been embarrassed if someone asked me in 20 years who won coach of the year in 2007 and I said I voted for Romeo Crennel and Belichick went 16-0."
"This guy was just far and away and maybe did the best coaching job in the regular season of all-time," FOXSports.com's Alex Marvez, another voter, told the Hartford Courant. "You look at how they won their games, the margin of victory and the fact that this Patriots team is just smarter, better prepared and has more varied schemes than anyone else in the NFL. From a technical standpoint, they are head and shoulders above everyone."
But received at least half the votes, so of course not everyone was in favor of his winning the award, as you'll see in the aforementioned stories.
Meanwhile, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is spurning (for now) offers to interview for head coaching jobs around the NFL.
"I am very grateful for the chance to interview for NFL head coaching positions, but I have decided not to pursue those opportunities at this time," McDaniels, 31, said in a statement Thursday. "I plan to focus all my attention on our postseason preparation."
Need any more evidence that this whole "Patriots-going-undefeated" story is really gaining traction worldwide?
Well, TIME is now getting into the act.
The news magazine recently came to interview Belichickr. Among other topics, TIME tried to talk about Spygate ("I've said everything I'm going to say," he told them) and Belichick's famous hoodies, the top-selling item in all of Patriots merchandising.
"I wish I was getting a cut of the sales," a smiling Belichick reacted.
Also quoted in the piece are owner Robert Kraft, Pats players, and other NFL experts.
QUICK HITS
What are the odds the Pats will reach win the Super Bowl, and who wil they play? The Los Angeles Times takes on that topic today.
How are Patriots players dealing with the pressure to win? That's the subject of another ProJo piece today.
The Boston Globe takes on the task of finding out how the Pats will spend their bye this Wild Card Weekend.