The Chicago Bears Are All About Finding Leaders In 2015

Bad teams are not just bad because they don’t have talent.  An equally big part of the problem is they don’t have leadership, on or off the field.  So people wonder why a Chicago Bears team that seemed loaded with quality talent went from playoff aspirations to a horrific 5-11 finish that has resulted in GM Phil Emery and head coach Marc Trestman being fired and with more to come.  The answer is simple enough.

Neither of those gentlemen, nor the quarterback in Jay Cutler they chose to support have shown any signs of being great leaders.  Oh Emery and Trestman are nice guys to be sure.  They have tried to foster an environment of mutual support among men but the reality is it takes strong personalities to move men and they have shown that.

Trestman is much too passive, unable to discipline his players or his own assistant coaches, showing a profound lack of accountability.  Emery has missed on far too many draft picks and free agent contracts while also showing he can’t identify a leader as well when he hired Trestman as head coach.

So if there was a theme that will play out for the Chicago Bears franchise in 2015, it will be a methodical and thorough search for leaders from top to bottom.  Here is a list of some names that would qualify for each position.

GM

Tom Gamble

What goes into leadership?  Intelligence, experience and success are certainly three things.  Tom Gamble has all three.  Over the past ten years he has built a reputation for excellent talent evaluation and team success wherever he has landed.  He helped the San Francisco 49ers become a powerhouse the past few years and has spent the past two seasons helping the Philadelphia Eagles to back-to-back seasons with 10 wins.

Scott Pioli

Rings are always a great indication that guys knows how to build winning teams.  Scott Pioli has three of them during his years with the New England Patriots.  People may argue that the success mostly belonged to Bill Belichick, but it’s important to note that the Patriots haven’t won a Super Bowl since Pioli left.  He is a long-time front office expert and has demonstrated a clear eye for football talent.

Head Coach

Rex Ryan

Yes, yes it’s been established already.  Rex Ryan was fired from the New York Jets.  There is no getting around that.  He didn’t win enough.  Still, it’s fair to point out that he got a lot out of what he had.  Ryan is a defensive genius, something Bears fans would covet, he can handle a big media market, he’s got attitude and swagger and his players go hard for him.  If he can get a GM who can keep the talent level up then he has proven he can have success.

Dan Quinn

Another defensive mind that is gaining steam.  Dan Quinn has never coached his own team before but that can’t overshadow his impact.  The Seattle Seahawks defense has been the best in football by a wide margin since he took over.  Players practically worship him and he’s widely respected for his attention to detail and flexibility in applying the scheme to his players.  Couple that with good motivation skills and it’s a hard formula to beat.
Quarterback

Jameis Winston

Identifying leadership in quarterbacks is always difficult but when it appears, it’s something that is worth taking risks on.  Jameis Winston is as big a risk as there will be in the 2015 NFL draft given his off-the-field problems.  Yet his physical talent, his success at Florida State and his reputation for being a great leader on the field make him worth the gamble.

Nick Foles

This might be a surprising name to many, but should it be?  The thing to remember about Nick Foles is that he’s a winner.  Since he became the starter for the Philadelphia Eagles he has gone 14-4 and made the playoffs once.  He’s also demonstrated toughness and ability to lead his team out of tough situations.  The Eagles seem to have soured on him, for whatever reason, and it creates an opportunity for the Chicago Bears to get out from under the Cutler cloud.