Every NFL season tells a different story, but one thing remains constant—success has many fathers. When a team or a unit rises from mediocrity to dominance, the credit gets passed around like a championship trophy. But when time comes to hand out the actual hardware? Well, that’s when things get messy. Ben Johnson and Vic Fangio are two names that defined this season in their own ways. One orchestrated an offensive juggernaut, the other built a defensive fortress. But when the Associated Press cast its votes for Assistant Coach of the Year, only one man could walk away with the award. And that’s where the controversy began.

3 days before the Super Bowl LIX, the Associated Press awards ceremony started in New Orleans. The voting panel included 50 nationwide members including the GOAT Tom Brady, former NFL MVP QB Rich Gannon, HoF coach Tony Dungy, and ESPN analyst Mina Kimes. For starters, every voter selects five members. First place gets 10 points followed by 5 for the second place and 3,2,1 for the next ones. The result was a surprise.

After concluding the voting for the Assistant Coach of the Year in 2024, the Lions OC won the award. But everyone was shocked as most fans were expecting the Eagles DC to win it. He was phenomenal for taking the unit from 30th place to 1st in the league in just 1 year. That’s incredible. The biggest shock was that the Lions DC Aaron Glenn got 6 votes, 3 more than Fangio, who got only 3 votes. Ben Johnson was on the top by far with 29 votes. That’s truly surprising!

Former Patriots QB Tom Brady has shown his love for Johnson on many occasions. During the divisional game against the Commanders, he got excited over a play, calling it video game stuff. He even initiated head coach talks with the Lions OC for his Raiders, but Johnson ultimately went to the Bears. But the voting panel choosing him for the award reveals his impact on everyone.

Fangio, on the other hand, has also been impactful for the Eagles. He was with them as a consultant in 2022 as well when they qualified for the Super Bowl LVII. This year, though, he is in charge of the defense. And the Birds have thrived under him. Their defensive prowess is reflected in the fact that they rank at the top of nearly every defensive stat this season.

Fans were unable to wrap their head around the coordinator award decision. Backlash followed, with everyone venting on social media.

Fans troll Tom Brady & co.

One fan was so angry that he used a pretty strong word by writing, “Vic Fangio not getting AP Assistant Coach of the Year is a crime. #NFLHonors #NFL“. Another fan called it a mistreatment of the defensive coordinator. He tweeted, “Vic Fangio was robbed he took the 30th best defense and made it number one in one season.” The anger was evident in everyone’s feelings.

Another fan disregarded the award with a heavy heart and mentioned, “Man hell naw Vic fangio deserved this award.” One person even had serious doubts about the mental state of Tom Brady and other members of the voting panel. He wrote, “how vic fangio didn’t get more votes is insanity.” This year, Ben Johnson made heads turn with the dominant and perhaps more entertaining Lions. But Vic Fangio completely transformed the Eagles with his planning. That’s why fans favored him. One fan tweeted, “should’ve been Fangio, this is nuts.” It’s understandable.

While the Assistant Coach Award is out, stay tuned as 7 more awards, including the MVP, trickle out!