New York, NY (My Sportsbook) - Atlanta's Mike Smith was selected as the 2008 NFL Coach of the Year, awarded by the Associated Press, besting Miami's Tony Sparano by the slimmest of margins.

Each rookie head coach spearheaded a tremendous turnaround, inheriting a last- place team in 2007 and guiding it to the postseason this year. Smith received 23 1/2 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL, one more than Sparano (22 1/2).

The Falcons bounced back this season from a tumultuous 4-12 campaign in 2007, the incarceration of star quarterback Michael Vick for his involvement in a dog-fighting ring and the resignation of head coach Bobby Petrino after just 13 games.

Smith guided Atlanta to an 11-5 finish and an NFC playoff spot as a wild card this season, the club's first postseason appearance since 2004, and did it with a rookie quarterback -- Matt Ryan -- at the helm. The Falcons, though, had their amazing run come to an end on Saturday, falling to the Cardinals, 30-24.

As for Sparano, he inherited a Miami team that went 1-15 in 2007 and helped turn it into a division-winner. The Dolphins went 11-5 this season, winning the AFC East, and play Baltimore on Sunday in an AFC wild card game.

Smith is the second Falcons coach to receive the award, as Dan Reeves won in 1998, when the Falcons reached the Super Bowl.