We’ve Learned What NFL People Think Of Bears’ Approach To Coaching Search

The Chicago Bears have made no qualms about this head coaching search. They are determined to find the right leader for the franchise. It is a quest they’ve been on ever since Lovie Smith was fired in January of 2013. George McCaskey still hasn’t been able to escape that blunder even over a decade later. Now he’s leaning on GM Ryan Poles and team president Kevin Warren to finally save him. To that end, the duo has swung the door wide open. To date, the Bears have lined up interviews with 18 candidates. More could be coming.

Poles stated unequivocally that no stone will be left unturned. It makes sense from a logical perspective. If you’re not confident in your ability to precisely pinpoint a good coach, the thing to do is to meet with a bunch of possibilities. One is bound to stand out from the rest, right? Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune reached out to people across the NFL to get their perspectives. From what he gathers, the view of the Bears’ search is unimpressed, largely due to its needless size.

To the Bears, their North Pole-like scroll of interviewees may feel like necessary due diligence and a way to be comprehensive with their vetting process. But to some around the league, it feels excessive and unfocused.

“Sure, it’s incredibly important that you do all of your homework,” one source said. “But there’s a lot of middle ground between being narrowly focused and interviewing only two or three candidates and talking to 15, 16, 17, 18 people.

“There’s no way they believe every person on their list has a legitimate chance to be hired.”

The Chicago Bears can handle such a large search if they’re patient.

What was said is true. Having so many people to meet with can become a logistical nightmare. It threatens to make it impossible for Poles, Warren, and the search team to separate candidates from each other. They may start blurring together. However, that would change if the Bears were willing to be patient. A typical coaching search takes around two or three weeks, on average, from beginning to end. Some can take over a month, though. Certain teams want to ensure they have all the possible information before making a critical decision. Pittsburgh took 27 days to hire Mike Tomlin in 2007. Oakland took 33 days to hire Jon Gruden in 1998. Even Chicago took 31 days to settle on Mike Ditka in 1982.

Evidence suggests that letting the process breathe can be a good thing. Will the Chicago Bears do that? It is impossible to know. On average, all of their searches under the McCaskey family have lasted around 16 days. New NFL rules mean the team can’t meet with top candidates still in the playoffs until after the divisional round. This could be a blessing in disguise, forcing the organization to take its time and do things right. Yes, the search is larger than it probably needs to be. However, that doesn’t mean it’s useless.