The Chicago Bears are about to embark on their fifth head coaching search since 2013. That should give you an idea of how bad things have been over the past decade. It certainly explains why they have only one winning season in that span. Failing to find the right head coach is even worse than failing to find a good quarterback. Poorly coached teams lose a lot more than poorly-quarterbacked ones. Lovie Smith proved that for years. Since he left, the Bears haven’t been able to find the right guy for their organization.
Things bottomed out under Matt Eberflus. Chicago went 14-32 under his watch, including 5-19 in one-score games. His choke job in Detroit was the final straw. The Bears fired a coach midseason for the first time in their history. No, fans are left wondering if the organization can finally get it right this time. Already the familiar buzzwords are showing up about their upcoming search. They want a “leader of men” and a “culture builder.” The problem is this is precisely the same approach they had in 2022.
Nothing has changed.
However, that may not be entirely true. Bears fans may have become familiar recently with a Twitter handle called SearSTower. Over the past couple of weeks, it has delivered shockingly accurate inside information. It correctly stated Daniel Jones would sign in Minnesota before anybody else and also indicated that Eberflus was likely to get fired after the Lions game. It also provided an update on the Bears’ looming coaching search. Screw culture. It’s not about that anymore. This organization wants a winner.
The Chicago Bears are looking for somebody only interested in winning.
They’re not focused on how it happens. It doesn’t matter if it’s done with suffocating defense or high-flying offense. Whatever it takes. Winning is the only goal. If nothing else, that is a breath of fresh air from a franchise that seemed stuck in its ways. Maybe this is the first indication they’ll move away from the archetype of coach that has plagued them for most of the past decade. Marc Trestman, John Fox, and Eberflus are perfect examples: set ways of doing things, hoaky sayings, and bland personalities. None of them exhibited what you’d call an air of charisma.
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By the sound of it, the top brass is focused on exactly that this time. They want an alpha in the room—somebody who is prepared to do anything and everything to win a game. Finding that person will be challenging. Perhaps this leans further into the idea that the Chicago Bears will eye someone with previous head coaching experience. That would align with team president Kevin Warren’s track record from his previous NFL stops.
Quarterback Caleb Williams is expected to have a strong voice in the process since his success is tantamount to the Bears’ future. It will be interesting to see who makes the list of finalists.
@jim Jones — You’ve just entered an on-going conversation that @BearDownTX and I are having regarding the relative value of two “injured” draft prospects, each available at #75 — which was day two, of the 2024 NFL draft. GM, Ryan Poles chose Yale OT, Kiran Amegadjie — while I advocated for NC St. LB, Payton Wilson (the #1 ranked LB in college — as you stated). It seems that “…TX” believed that selecting Wilson was pointless because the Bears had recently signed Tremaine Edmunds to a 4-year, $72 million contract. But, as this season has shown us Tremaine Edmunds is… Read more »
The next 5 games are an audition for Thomas Brown. I’m hopeful he’ll make the most of them. Whether he’s coaching for the Bears or another team next year this is a great opportunity for him. I’m also interested to see how Eric Washington does calling his own plays on defense. Hopefully no more soft coverage on plays that demand aggression and no more playing it not to lose late in the game.
Winning is the only “culture” any team should care about. Everything else is hyperbole. They need to hire a coach with a winning mentality/record but also someone that can manage an NFL game and has great situational awareness. Not some nice guy bumpkin that sells a bill of goods on some HITS principle and bilks the organization into a 5 year multi-million dollar contract. The only thing HITS did was want some players to hit their former head coach and not in a good way. Eberflub wanted his players to play smart yet he was a complete dumba** at managing… Read more »
“Let’s go out and hire an HC who can win this time!” is literally the next jar of snake oil they’re selling. I haven’t been posting much because this franchise defies satire.
@TGena, you may want to look into why he dropped so far. May have something to do with a medical list that disqualified him from many team’s big board. Just maybe that and less to do with production or being unknown. Considering he was THE top linebacker last year. Just maybe