Chicago Bears Head Coaching Job Will Be Coveted in 2018
By Erik Lambert
John Fox is clinging the Chicago Bears head coaching job by his fingernails now. There is no doubting his seat is hot and threatening to catch fire.
It’s not hard to see why. He went 6-10 his first year, 3-13 the next and is now 3-5 with eight games to go in 2017. It will be hard to justify keeping him if he goes 6-10 again or even 7-9. The Bears now know they have pieces in place. They’ve played some of the best teams in the league competitively. The persistent inability to finish off games are often due less to the opponent and more to their own mind-numbing mistakes.
Such things fall at the feet of the head coach and his staff. One thing is for sure. If Fox is out by January, there is no question the job opening he’ll leave behind will be one of the most coveted in the NFL. Not just because the Bears are an established franchise in a top market either. They suddenly have a number of prospects that are certain to attract the best available coaching minds.
Here are the ones that stand out most.
#1: Talented, young quarterback
Often the belief is the most desired head coaching positions are the ones that already have a quarterback in place that a head coach can build his system around. It’s rare that such a luxury exists. For the first time in, well, ever the Bears are one of those teams. Mitch Trubisky has all the trappings of a future star. What he needs is time and a quality scheme around him to make it happen. There will be plenty of coaches who feel they are the man for the job.
#2: Championship-caliber defense
The second thing a prospective coach would love is a defense already in place. Check that box as well for Chicago. This season has seen the Bears re-emerge as one of the top units in the NFL. Led by Akiem Hicks, Leonard Floyd, Eddie Goldman and a resurgent, young secondary they are playing faster and more confidently than they have in years. Pace has done a masterful job rebuilding the unit and it would take a lot to screw it up for any prospective coach at this point.
#3: Pro Bowl running back
Normally a team has one of two thing. Either they have an above-average to great quarterback or an above-average to great running back. The Bears definitely have the latter and are waiting to see on the former. Jordan Howard is establishing himself as one of the top backs in the NFL. He was the second-leading rusher in 2016 and is on pace to eclipse both his yard and touchdown totals from that season. He’s also just 22-years old.
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#4: Quality front office
People have loved to dump on Pace for the team not winning enough through his first three season. Truth be told that’s not really fair. The Bears were an absolute hollowed out wreck when he took over. They were old, dispirited from a dog pile of controversies and lacking any sort of star power. Pace in essence had to rebuild everything from scratch. This he’s done with considerable success as listed above. For the first time it feels like the team doesn’t have many gaps to plug next year before they become competitive.