Dave Wannstedt has never lost his affections for the Chicago Bears franchise. After all they gave him his big break in the NFL as a head coach back in 1993. He ended up running the franchise for the rest of the decade. Unfortunately one of his lone regrets was not being able to win more often for the McCaskey family. To this day he remains one of their biggest supporters.
Now a member of the media, he’s kept a close eye on the Bears this past year. Like everybody else he’s seen what has happened with the team from the losing to the injuries and so on. He should know all about that since the majority of his coaching years were marred by similar problems. So he at least understands the frustration.
At the same time he also knows the risk the franchise is set to take in the next three weeks. One that could alter the outlook of the entire franchise. Wannstedt, unlike most, believe that it would be unwise to do anything so rash.
Dave Wannstedt warns against ousting John Fox and Vic Fangio
It’s hard to understand where his logic is coming from. Then again like many NFL people Wannstedt is undoubtedly a John Fox fan. The Bears head coach has a long list of connections around the league. No doubt he’d have lots of people sticking up for him as his hold on the job continues to slip away. Wannstedt appeared to use the latest Bears’ runaway victory in Cincinnati as a chance to warn against the idea of firing him.
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He said as much during a talk with Mully And Hanley on 670 The Score.
Dave Wannstedt warns #Bears management to not have a knee jerk reaction, think it through before making a move on John Fox.
— Mully And Hanley (@mullyhanley) December 12, 2017
His reasoning for this is a bit unusual. Blowing out the Bengals was nice, but it ultimately meant nothing. There is no escaping the .289 winning percentage (second-worst in team history) or the 3-13 record against the NFC North or the 1-5 record against the Packers. There are far more reasons to have Fox fired than kept around at this point.
Then again there may be a hidden agenda for Wanndstedt. He, like many, might be less interested in the loss of Fox than the possible exit of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
Dave Wannstedt warns #Bears have a good thing going on D' be careful on Fangio….won;t be able to hire a better guy than him….
— Mully And Hanley (@mullyhanley) December 12, 2017
Fangio is by far the most respected coach on the team among fans. His players love him for his detailed teaching style and mad scientist disposition when it comes to creating defense. It’s hard to argue with the results. Despite missing half the starters on their defensive roster in Cincinnati, the Bears held the Bengals to just seven points. Much of that was thanks to the crafty scheming of Fangio.
Losing him would be unfortunate since the defense looks like it’s on the cusp of something special. Sadly, despite Wannstedt’s warning, it may not be the Bears’ decision. Rumor has persisted the past few weeks that Fangio intends to leave with his contract expiring. So even if the Bears chose to keep Fox around, that doesn’t mean Fangio stays.
So while his heart may be in a good place, the fact is Wannstedt can’t let one win overshadow all that’s happened before it.
