I won’t quit Matt Patricia. Yes, yes it’s not lost on me what the Chicago Bears coaching search is ultimately aiming for. The #1 goal is to find somebody who can make Mitch Trubisky a success. It’s not a coincidence that the first three interviews announced were all offensive specialists. Getting the QB playing up to his potential is top priority, as it is for every team. The easiest way to do that is making the head coach an offensive guy.
Like it or not that’s been the case in Chicago. The only time they’ve had a top 10 offense in the past decade was when Marc Trestman was head coach in 2013. So why am I bothering with this? GM Ryan Pace said it himself in his own words. They aren’t going to paint themselves into a corner with any specific backgrounds. They’re looking for the “best coach.” Period.
#Bears GM Pace says he is looking for the best coach no matter offense or defense. No formal requests for interviews have been filed as of yet. Says they need a new, fresh voice after moving on from John Fox. @WBBMNewsradio
— Jeff Joniak (@JeffJoniak) January 1, 2018
To that end they’ve already requested interviews with two defensive coaches in Steve Wilks of Carolina and George Edwards of Minnesota. One would expect that list to expand before too long. Patricia is all but certain to be on it. So here it is. This is the only coaching pitch I’m going to make. After that it’s straight reporting on candidates like the fair, unbiased person one must be.
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Let’s start with the elephant in the room.
Matt Patricia actually has a deep offensive background
The immediate counterargument to Patricia is the obvious one. He’s a defensive coordinator and has been a defensive assistant since 2006. Can one really trust he’d be able to do what John Fox has failed at in cultivating Trubisky? It’s a fair argument, but one that Patricia is actually well-positioned to counter.
Before beginning his rise to stardom as a defensive coach, Patricia had a long and fruitful run on the offensive side of the ball. He played center and guard in college at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In 2001 he became an offensive assistant for three seasons at Syracuse. That’s what got him noticed by the Patriots, who made him an offensive assistant in 2004 before promoting him to assistant offensive line coach in 2005.
So in truth he has 10 seasons of offensive playing and coaching experience. That includes two in the NFL. To say nothing of the fact he’s been in close proximity to Tom Brady for 14 years now.
He took a two-year hiatus to study engineering
One of the things that makes Patricia unique is he almost went down a different career path. After his first year as a graduate assistant coach in 1996, he decided to join the field of engineering for two years. That was his field of study in college after all. His prowess grew so coveted that he was offered $100,000 at one point to maintain nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers. It’s clear he’s a highly intelligent person.
In this regard he shares much in common with Hall of Fame head coach Tom Landry. He too was an engineer by trade in his early life, using it to good effect in World War II. That intelligence and detail-oriented style proved to be ideal for his future exploits on the sideline. Landry was also a defensive specialist with an understanding of offense. If he could do it why can’t Patricia? Word has already filtered out on just how sharp the 43-year old coach is.
.@AdamSchefter says Matt Patricia has “gotten calls from just about every team that has an opening right now” and that “last year when he interviewed with teams, they said he was smart enough to be a general manager. He looks destined to leave NE at this point in time.”
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) January 2, 2018
Never devoted to a single position group
Another aspect that makes him so attractive? Most coaches tend to find their groove coaching a single position to great success. Ron Rivera was a linebacker specialist. Dan Quinn was defensive line. Bill Belichick was defensive backs. Patricia has gone the full range in his career. He coached defensive line in college then took over the Patriots linebackers from 2006 to 2010.
During that time he got multiple players to the Pro Bowl. Then in 2011 New England chose to switch him to safeties coach. It was an unenviable task. The league had just concluded its lockout that year, leaving no training camp to help him prepare. If that weren’t enough the position was soon beset by several injuries. Despite it all the safeties provided some key plays in helping the Patriots reach the Super Bowl.
His efforts didn’t go unnoticed. The next year Belichick gave him control of the entire defense, a job Patricia has held ever since.
Consistent excellence as a coordinator
A few things go into identifying a good coach. Is he consistently good at his job? Has he held that job for a long time? Patricia has checked both of those boxes during his run as defensive coordinator. In 2011 they ranked 15th in points allowed. His first year in charge that improved to ninth. Since then the Patriots defense has never finished worse than 10th in the league in that regard.
Last season they were #1 en route to his second Super Bowl championship as a coordinator and this season they were 5th. This despite starting the first month giving up 30+ points per game. What makes Patricia so special in this regard is he’s managed to do it without what any might call Hall of Fame-caliber talent.
In fact not a single Patriots defender made the Pro Bowl this season. No pass rusher had more than 6.5 sacks. They also lost a number of key names to injuries. The best player Patricia ever had was cornerback Darrelle Revis and that was only for one season. New England won the Super Bowl that year. The man gets results. Part of why that is? He never stops looking for an edge.
Patricia fits Chicago in every sense
At the end of the day what is Bears football to Chicago? It’s tough and hard-nosed. It’s getting after the opponent until they quit or be destroyed. Defense is often the driving force behind that and there are none better these days than Patricia. Chicago is also a town of personality and of facial hair too. Name the last successful coach in this city who didn’t have memorable growth on their face or certain quirks about them?
Patricia has the best beard in the NFL and once wore a Roger Goodell clown shirt getting off an airplane. Clearly this guy isn’t afraid to express his feelings in order to get the player’s attention. He is a good coach. He’s had sustained success, won championships and learned from arguably the best ever. Those other coaches might be best for Trubisky. I believe Patricia would be best for the Bears.
