Dick Jauron showed the world how to handle being on the hot seat: win 13 games, a division title and The Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year award.
Jauron, who needed a winning season to impress new general manager Jerry Angelo and keep his job, led the Chicago Bears to the NFC Central crown and a first-round playoff bye. The Bears, 5-11 in 2000, had the stingiest defense in the league, allowing 203 points.
Chicago coach Dick Jauron, seen coaching last month during this regular season, was selected as the the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year on Saturday.
Their turnaround earned Jauron 24 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. He edged New England's Bill Belichick, who had 1912 votes in balloting released Saturday.
But the Bears were eliminated in their first playoff game later Saturday, losing to Philadelphia 33-19.
When Angelo was hired, there was strong conjecture that Jauron had little job security. But then the Bears started winning, compiling the league's second-best record.
"Our football team won 13 games," said Jauron, who carried a 11-21 record into the season. "Any time a team has success, whether you're a player on the team, an assistant coach, the head coach, you get recognition. That's just how it works in our business.
"Sometimes it may not even be your best year, but the fact that as a team we put together 13 wins, these are the things that come out of it. Everybody gets recognized."
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