The Chicago Bears head coach situation is in flux. John Fox is desperately clinging to the job now. He’s no doubt actively trying to find a way to survive one more year. After all it’s likely this is his last chance at head coaching the NFL. If he’s fired the odds of being hired again at his age (62) are remote. Thus the Bears are poised to find somebody new, but who?
Early predictions vary but the general consensus is they be searching for a young coach. Hopefully someone who can help Mitch Trubisky take the next step. Several names have floated around from Matt Lafleur to John DeFilippo, Frank Reich, Matt Nagy and Josh McDaniels among others. Of course the list is subject to change depending on who becomes available in the next two weeks.
However the past two hires have involved names to come out of left field for the Bears. Marc Trestman was a complete wild card in 2013. Nobody thought Fox would be available in 2015. Word is spread that there may be yet another emerging name who might steal the gig from the big contenders.
Jeff Fisher wants to be the Chicago Bears head coach
Jeff Fisher wants to get back into the NFL next year, could be eyeing three jobs if they open: Cleveland, Indy and Chicago. Fisher buyout from the Rams was $16M.
— Mike Jurecki (@mikejurecki) December 19, 2017
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Fisher is not exactly the name that Bears fans want to hear about. In fact he may be just another Fox. An old school former defensive mind who has long since passed his peak as a coach. That much was true during his run with the Rams when he went 31-45 in five seasons. The way he handled the development of then-rookie quarterback Jared Goff certainly didn’t help matters.
Goff barely completed 54% of his passes with five touchdowns and seven interceptions. How exactly will a coach who turns 60 next year be any better with Trubisky? There is no sense to the idea. Fisher has coached for 22 seasons in the NFL and made the postseason six times. If anything he’s a poor man’s Fox and that’s terrifying.
Whether the Bears are interested in this happening is still cloudy. Fisher of course has ties to the organization, having played defensive back for them from 1981 to 1984. He’s well-respected by the McCaskey family. That could be the decisive factor that makes something like this happen. It will ultimately come down to how much sway GM Ryan Pace has in the decision.
As reported here a few weeks ago it’s believed he prefers the younger, offensive coach route similar to what the Rams did with Sean McVay after they fired Fisher. This feels like it’s just repeating the same mistake with Fox but with a different model. Time will tell how serious it is.
