New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Miami Dolphins coach Adam Gase tied for AFC East coach of the year, as voted on by the four reporters covering the division for ESPN.com.

Bill Belichick, a 22-year head-coaching veteran, shared the division's top coach honors with rookie Adam Gase. Getty Images

Mike Rodak, Buffalo Bills reporter: This decision is tougher than expected. Should the award go to the obvious top coach in the division, Bill Belichick, who led his team to an NFL-record eighth consecutive division title? Or should it go to Adam Gase, who exceeded expectations in his first year as Dolphins coach? The league-wide coach of the year voting typically leans toward the latter criteria, so I'll give the edge to Gase, although that's not a knock against another fine coaching job by Belichick. Gase had a clear impact on what seemed to be a wayward Dolphins team under Joe Philbin. I was skeptical about how much Gase could help Ryan Tannehill, but Tannehill put up the best yards per attempt (7.7) and passer rating (93.5) of his five-year career.

James Walker, Miami Dolphins reporter: Belichick should win this AFC East award every season because the Patriots annually are the best prepared, best coached and best overall team. However, Belichick often is penalized for his greatness. He had some hardship coaching without future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady for the first four games due to a suspension. A close second goes to Gase, who led Miami to the playoffs for the first time since 2008 in his first year at the helm. Belichick, by the way, beat Gase in two head-to-head meetings this season.

Mike Reiss, New England Patriots reporter: Navigating through the first four games without Tom Brady and going 3-1 reflected a job well done by Belichick and his staff. Overall, the Patriots finished 14-2. One of the key changes this year came in the area of health and wellness, as the Patriots made some notable changes to improve in this area and the results have shown.

Rich Cimini, New York Jets reporter: I might be in the minority on this one, but I’m giving it to Adam Gase over Bill Belichick. Yeah, Belichick went 3-1 without Tom Brady, a noteworthy feat, but Gase went 10-6 with Ryan Tannehill and Matt Moore. To me, that tops Belichick on the degree-of-difficulty scale. Gase encountered early turbulence -- a 1-4 start -- but he managed to change the culture of a perennial also-ran in his first season. The Dolphins made the playoffs for the first time since 2008, and they did it with less-than-elite talent. I like how he transitioned during the year to a run-oriented offense, riding upstart Jay Ajayi. The Dolphins picked a good one in Gase.