Chicago Bears: Replacement options if Vic Fangio leaves
By Erik Lambert
The Chicago Bears have their entire focus on this coming Sunday when they host the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles.
It marks the first time this franchise has ever played in a playoff game against the previous year’s Super Bowl winner. It’s certainly something that requires full attention given the Eagles have blown them out in each of their previous three meetings. This time though they have confidence they can turn the tables. Why? Their defense.
Vic Fangio, with the aide of GM Ryan Pace has created a genuine monster on that side of the ball in 2018. Not only does it rank 1st in points allowed, but it also boasts the #1 run defense in the league and is #1 in takeaways. The unit is right up there among the best the Bears franchise has ever produced, which is saying a lot.
It’s for those reasons that Fangio is in high demand for head coaching interviews. Already the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins have requested a chance to meet with him. Many fans are wondering what will happen if he ends up leaving. Who will take over in 2019? Looking at the current landscape, here are a few possible options with credibility for the job.
Todd Bowles
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The first and most obvious option. Bowles was recently fired by the New York Jets after being their head coach since 2015. Before that, he was a highly successful defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals. During his two years there they ranked 7th and 5th in points allowed respectively. Pace is already familiar with Bowles having interviewed him for the Bears head coaching job back in 2015 and was reportedly impressed.
As for Matt Nagy? He and Bowles have been friends since childhood. They know and like each other a lot. If any person made easy sense to replace Fangio, this is it.
Chuck Pagano
The former head coach of the Indianapolis Colts spent 2018 recharging his batteries after a difficult end to his run there. Expectations are he’s ready to return and it will likely be as a defensive coordinator. That’s no surprise. During his lone year at that job in Baltimore during the 2011 season, their defense finished ranked 3rd in both yards and points allowed. It dropped to 12th and 17th respectively after he left.
The guy knows that side of the ball well and is a strong motivator. Players love him. He could definitely ease the transition of losing Fangio.
Rex Ryan
The son of former Bears coaching great Buddy Ryan has spent the past two years recovering from a difficult run as a head coach in New York and Buffalo. He’s done analyst work in that time but there is a belief it’s only a matter of time before he returns. If it’s as a defensive coordinator, he will be in high demand, and it’s not hard to see why. During his four-year stint in Baltimore from 2005 to 2008, he never had a unit rank lower than 6th in total defense.
It would be a fascinating circle of life story for him to take over the job that made his father famous. Whether he creates similar problems for Nagy as Buddy did for Mike Ditka? That’s certainly a concern.