From the outside, the Chicago Bears look like an organization that has no idea what it wants. This is the only explanation many have for why their search for a head coach has ballooned to 20 candidates. They’ve already met with nine, and more loom on the horizon. Some around the league believe this is a signal that they have no clue what they’re looking for and are hoping this wide-net approach helps them figure it out. While an understandable assumption, it’s worth mentioning their previous searches were smaller and still didn’t yield good results.
In truth, the big fear among fans is that the team’s approach is not going well, and they’re flailing around like a fish out of water. Josina Anderson, one of the more well-connected insiders in the league, was asked about the situation. She had some surprising nuggets. While she isn’t prone to giving up many details, her comments were still enlightening.
It appears GM Ryan Poles and team president Kevin Warren spent the weeks after firing Matt Eberflus building a picture of how the coaching search would unfold and reached their conclusions weeks ago. Not only that, but Anderson suggests they even have a primary target.
The Chicago Bears seem to have a course set.
If what Anderson says is true, it’s not hard to connect the dots. Whoever their preferred coaching candidate is, he is likely still involved in the playoffs. Those guys aren’t permitted to take in-person interviews until after January 20th. That leaves the Bears with two options. They can either wait around twiddling their thumbs or try to fill the time by interviewing other candidates. It is a great way to not only pinpoint other quality options but also gather information on how successful organizations operate and how they’d go about fixing the problems that have bedeviled Chicago.
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It sounds like answers won’t be forthcoming for some time yet. The Chicago Bears may have an ugly perception around them, but the idea they went into this month without a plan was always foolish. They had over a month to prepare. Say what you want about Poles and Warren, but both are known for being smart individuals. They knew what they wanted to do. Whether it works out as they hope remains to be seen.
@Barry: That’s one approach. However, what the NFL calls that is “Tampering”, and the Bears could be faced with loss of draft picks if they do that. I do see the appeal of your method to the fan base; everyone knows what you want to do. However, if Johnson decides he wants to go to the Raiders or Jaguars, then you’re left with no HC and plenty of egg on your face. Further, everyone knows that the HC you end up with is not your first choice, so much so that you were willing to put it all out there.… Read more »
@Dr. Melhus Here is what you want to do if you want to hire Ben Johnson. You put out a press release saying that you will conduct all the interviews, etc. that you have to conduct for compliance, etc. (Rooney rule). After that, your press release says, you hope to be hiring Ben Johnson as HC of CHI. And then you do exactly that: You interview two guys, and then you send Ben Johnson’s agent an offer letter that has whatever number on it that needs to be there to make it a great offer financially. And then you sit… Read more »
Big picture, y’all. Hottest candidates for coaching positions out there are Johnson (Lions), Glenn (Lions), Monken (Ravens), and now available for interviews, Flores (Vikings), Coen (Bucs), McCarthy (no team), and Carroll (no team). That’s seven potential HC for 5 openings (Bears, Jets, Saints, Raiders, Cowboys). Given that the consensus top choice Johnson is still in the playoffs, along with a few others, there won’t be a lot of action until his season is over. The Bears are interviewing a lot of people, better than sitting there with their thumbs up their asses. Other teams are also doing interviews, but not… Read more »
I’d try to get RB TreVeyon Henderson from OSU in the mid to late 2nd round. I would like to see what he could add to our offense.
@TGena Same old, same old boring attack. Poles is not perfect, no GM is. But the man completed one of the greatest heists by any GM in NFL history! Trading the #1 in 2023 to Carolina, he got their 2023 1st round pick (#9 – RT Wright) and 2nd Rounder (CB – Stevenson), Carolina’s 2024 1st rounder (#1 – QB CWilliams) and 4th rounder (P – TTaylor), plus the trade keeps on giving as the Bears also got the Panthers 2025 2nd round draft pick at #39!!! FACT: Poles acquired FIVE Starting players and possibly will add a 6th with… Read more »