Chicago Bears: Will John Fox Scare Pace Away From Retreads?
By Erik Lambert
The Chicago Bears are not a franchise typically known for giving former head coaches a second chance. John Fox was a rare exception.
Before him the only other man to ever get that opportunity was George Halas, and he owned the team. Other than that this franchise has long favored getting a coach anxious to carve a new path. It was true for Mike Ditka and for Lovie Smith. They were given assurances that Fox was a slam dunk. His history of turning franchises around in Carolina and Denver made it all but certain that he’d eventually get this team back to the playoffs.
Instead he’s won 14 games in three years and will finish with his third-straight losing season. One would imagine that this turn of events could have a cascade effect on how GM Ryan Pace conducts his next search. That is to say he may swear off going the retread route again, instead seeking a younger coach looking for his first shot. That could mean several big names might be off the table when the action goes live next week.
Harbaugh and Gruden among those that may be off the list
If this is the case, then it would cut down the Bears’ list quite a bit. Several prominent names would be crossed off before the search really gets underway. Jim Harbaugh would rank among them, having already done work in San Francisco. The same goes for the ever-elusive Jon Gruden who continues to flirt with a comeback after a decade away from the game. Pat Shurmur, Josh McDaniels and Jim Schwartz would make the list of negatives as well.
So who would qualify then? Plenty in fact. The Philadelphia Eagles tandem of Frank Reich and John DeFilippo rank near the top, as does Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, Rams OC Matt Lafleur and Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia among others. Swearing off second-chance coaches may not be the wisest thing though.
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Fox was a disaster of course but recent history suggests that giving coaches another chance tends to work out. Bill Belichick was on his second try in New England. The same goes for Pete Carroll in Seattle, Gary Kubiak in Denver and Tom Coughlin in New York. It comes down to whether they’re the right fit for Pace and what he’s aiming to do moving forward.