It isn’t a secret by now that the Chicago Bears and Ben Johnson have mutual interest. The Detroit Lions offensive coordinator has eyed the job since last January, driven by the idea of working with likely #1 overall pick Caleb Williams. There are no indications that interest has died. The Bears are already hoping to line up an interview. It seems as if things are coming together. Unfortunately, nothing is ever simple with this team. There is still the issue of Ryan Poles.
The Bears GM is in serious trouble as his team is on a ten-game losing streak. He hired this coaching staff and put together this roster. Why should he keep his job when others won’t? Any coach worth his salt would be hesitant to work with somebody who is clearly on a short leash. It seems that is the case with Johnson. Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog provided a telling update. From what he understands, the Lions coordinator would prefer to work with a GM he knows.
Meanwhile, another name might be gaining traction inside Halas Hall.
The Ben Johnson decision may come down to interviews.
If he nails the process, it could force Kevin Warren’s hand, choosing to fire Poles in an effort to get the right coach. One can safely assume the GM might be pushing for Coen since he wouldn’t have any issues working with him. Chicago met with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator in January for their own OC position before giving it to Shane Waldron. Coen somehow improved on what Dave Canales managed last year, producing the #3 offense in the NFL despite Mike Evans and Chris Godwin missing significant time with injuries. Baker Mayfield set a new career high with 34 touchdown passes and will likely cross 4,000 yards this weekend.
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The problem with Coen is his lack of experience. He’s only been a coordinator for two years at the NFL level, and one of them didn’t involve him calling plays. Two others were spent in college with Kentucky. It is hard to know how much of his success comes from being unfamiliar to pro defenses and having a solid veteran quarterback to work with. He just doesn’t have the same reputation as Ben Johnson does. It would be so like the Bears to compromise at head coach because they want to keep the GM they have.
32nd article mentioning Ben Johnson as Bears coach since Flus was fired. 32 articles saying practaly the same thing and the season isn’t over yet. Guessing at least 75 more articles saying vertically the same before the Bears actually hire someone.
@Arnie I appreciate one of your earlier posts. You have valid points. I do give Poles credit for our OL depth with Shelton, Murray, Pryor, and Kramer. I’m hoping Murray gets a shot to be a starter next year. They seem to be way more reliable than our front end guys of Teven, Bates, and Nate. That’s where Poles put too much hope in 2 guys that weren’t healthy, and that the other would flip a switch and actually like playing football even though he hadn’t shown it to date. We were supposed to be contenders, and Nate shouldn’t have… Read more »
You need a cooler dude than Coen HC’ing in Chicago. Coen looks like a short haired Napoleon Dynamite
Let’s see…….Coen or Johnson with his hand picked GM.
Bye Coen.
Think of it this way. Whoever Johnson wants as GM has likely earned his trust already with who he’s scouted etc. He also couldn’t get much worse than Poles when it comes to drafting. Sounds like a win/win situation to me. Maybe the Bears should try something they normally would not do, because their normal decisions have failed miserably.
After reading this mornings article by Erik I would really like to hear his picks for coach and GM. So far each name he has offered is a “Supposed dumb jock.” I still can’t believe you wrote that Erik. Do better. As of now I like Johnson and maybe the Lions Asst. GM. I fear Cunningham might be Poles 2.0. He has a hill to climb