Chicago Bears head coach John Fox is four games away from getting fired. Unless by some miracle he’s able to win all four, signs point to him being fired by early January. At that point the question will shift and split in two. Part one will be whether GM Ryan Pace follows him. Part two is, if not, who will Pace’s next head coaching hire be?
All we know for sure at this point is there is likely a list in play. One with a considerable number of names already on it. Before long more will be added. Pace being a man known for his methodical and detailed approach, the odds are he will spend the next month narrowing that list down to a short set of names he’ll want to pursue.
Who will that? There are plenty of intriguing candidates from Josh McDaniels in New England, Frank Reich in Philadelphia, Pat Shurmur in Minnesota, and of course Jim Harbaugh lurking up there at Michigan. However, one former Bears star thinks there’s another name they must consider.
Olin Kreutz urges Bears to go after David Shaw
Bears should hire Shaw. Wonder if Fangio would stay. Worked at Stanford together.
— Olin kreutz (@olin_kreutz) December 5, 2017
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It’s not a surprise that Kreutz, a six-time Pro Bowl center for the Bears, would have interest in this coaching search. The fact he likes Shaw? Also not a surprise. If one were to see how the Stanford head coach operates, there would be instant visions of Lovie Smith among Bears fans. The only major difference is Shaw’s expertise comes on the offensive side.
There is plenty to like about him. Shaw is 45-years old but been a head coach since 2011. In that time Stanford has compiled a respectable 73-20 record including three Pac-12 championships and two Rose Bowl appearances and one victory. What makes this so impressive is the handicap he’s constantly working with.
Stanford is notorious for being one of the most academically rigorous schools in the country. This limits the pool of talent that Shaw is able to work with from year to year. Yet he continues to win football games. That is the mark of a quality coach if ever there was one. The question isn’t whether he’s qualified. It’s if he has interest in the NFL at all.
Word persists that his wife and family are happy in California. He has a good job as is. So it would be a challenge to pry him away.
