NFL Coach of the Year odds give Doug Pederson a better chance than you might think

It's safe to say Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has his fair share of doubters. ESPN named Pederson the worst coaching hire of the 2016 offseason. NFL.com took it a step further and ranked him as the worst coach in the NFL. Though these assessments might be premature, it's hard to say they're totally unfounded. It's not like Pederson has an extensive background of proven success.

With that in mind, it was a little surprising to see where Pederson ranked in the NFL Coach of the Year odds recently released by Bovada. There are "only" 13 head coaches ahead of Pederson. The Eagles coach has the same odds (33/1) as the following seven coaches: Jason Garrett, Adam Gase, John Harbaugh, Gary Kubiak, Ben McAdoo, Chuck Pagano, and Sean Payton. Pederson also ranks above former Eagles and current San Francisco 49ers coach: Chip Kelly (50/1).

The Coach of the Year award is obviously more nuanced than simply recognizing the head coach of the team with the best record. A lot of it has to do with expectations. Coaches that have made the playoffs in recent years won't get as much consideration if they maintain status quo, for example. There's more love for a coach who helps his team overachieve relative to what they were expected to do.

Therefore, it's not all that crazy to see where Pederson ranks. It's not impossible to think he could lead the Eagles to a good season in a weak NFC East and make the playoffs. I'm certainly not counting on it, but we've seen crazier things happen.

The question for you: what would Pederson have to do to win Coach of the Year? 10 wins and a division crown? More? Less? And then Coach of the Year award aside, what does Pederson have to do this year to earn your approval?

Complete list of odds below.

Who will win the 2016 - 2017 NFL Coach of the Year Award?
Bruce Arians                 15/2
Mike Zimmer                 15/2
Mike McCarthy              9/1
Bill Belichick                 10/1
Ron Rivera                    10/1
Pete Carroll                   12/1
Andy Reid                     12/1
Mike Tomlin                  12/1
Gus Bradley                  18/1
Jack Del Rio                 18/1
Marvin Lewis                 20/1
Todd Bowles                 25/1
John Fox                      25/1
Jason Garrett                33/1
Adam Gase                   33/1
John Harbaugh              33/1
Gary Kubiak                  33/1
Ben McAdoo                 33/1
Chuck Pagano              33/1
Sean Payton                 33/1
Doug Pederson             33/1
Jay Gruden                   50/1
Chip Kelly                     50/1
Bill O'Brien                    50/1
Rex Ryan                      50/1
Jim Caldwell                  66/1
Jeff Fisher                    66/1
Hue Jackson                 66/1
Dirk Koetter                  66/1
Mike McCoy                  66/1
Mike Mularkey               66/1
Dan Quinn                     66/1