Finding the right head coach has been a problem for the Chicago Bears going back over a decade. It all started when they fired Lovie Smith despite a 10-6 finish in 2012. Since then, it’s almost as if a demon came to collect on a contract, sticking the franchise with the worst run of head coaches in franchise history. It started with the horror show that was Marc Trestman, then John Fox, Matt Nagy, and now Matt Eberflus. GM Ryan Poles’ first pick for the position might be the biggest disaster since Abe Gibron.
Suppose he does get another opportunity after Eberflus is fired in January. In that case, he must do everything possible to ensure he doesn’t miss twice, especially with the fate of Caleb Williams in the balance. In times like this, some good luck is always welcome. A top-tier head coach becoming available at the exact right time would qualify. Most would agree Kyle Shanahan is among the league’s best after two Super Bowl appearances in five years. However, the team’s struggles this season have many whispering that he could lose his job if the San Francisco 49ers can’t rally to make the playoffs.
Ryan Poles would be insane not to pounce if this comes true.
Lots of people will say this is impossible. San Francisco would never do that. Well, Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog poured some gas on those flames with a recent tweet.
Anyone who has followed Hughes for a long time knows he has proven connections around the league. He wouldn’t post something like that unless he was hearing something. Andy Reid was wildly successful for the Philadelphia Eagles, taking them to five NFC championships and a Super Bowl from 1999 to 2010. However, two disappointing seasons in 2011 and 2012 led to his firing. He landed in Kansas City not long after that and has now won three championships.
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Don’t forget Ryan Poles was in Kansas City when that happened. There is no way he wouldn’t sense the same opportunity if Shanahan became available. The guy reached two Super Bowls with Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy. Imagine what he could accomplish with Williams as his quarterback. He is still only 44 years old. San Francisco sits at 5-5. Their remaining schedule features four teams with winning records, another who beat them once already (the Rams), the surging Dolphins, and the Bears. If things keep going sideways, 49ers ownership may decide a change is needed.
Don’t forget this is the same guy who fired Jim Harbaugh. It remains unlikely, but the possibility is there.
@Dr. Melhus – Well said and stated! Don’t worry, @TGena will come back with some overhyped PFF data to try and prove his point. He is the impetuous and rookie poster! Gena likes to ignore issues that don’t prove his point, even though they are very evident to everyone else.
The irony of this suggestion is that in spite of his pedigree and well documented successes, Shanahan is becoming a near living legend when it comes to losing big games where he had the lead and then his highly rated offense craps the bed and watches it slip away. He’s done it teice as a HC and once as an OC. He’s also half of the braintrust that traded multiple first rounders and then some to move up and draft Trey Lance. Literally, the only thing that saved them all was getting lucky with Purdy (aka West Coast Bagent) Obviously,… Read more »
LOL more crackpipe dreams. I’m sorry but a 20M coach isn’t coming to Chicago for the 5M McCaskey pays. And neither is Ben Johnson when he finally gets his big offer. It never occurs to fans why McCaskey won’t pay more for coaching: They all let you down and they all get FIRED! Bill Parcells said it best: “The NFL is a talent acquisition business”. Food 4 thought: Imagine the Bears had the Packers O-Line and D-Line. Obvious playoff team in that case. So much that Eberflus would like like a genius. Packers destroy Bears since 2018. Because of Rogers?… Read more »
(Warning – very long post). @TGena: I remember you claiming for the first two weeks of the season that D’Andre Swift was a terrible signing, and blamed it on ‘Ryan Poles being an inept judge of NFL talent, proficiency, heart, and value.’ Then the Bears won three in a row, and Swift started playing like the player he is – he’s not McCaffrey or Barkley, but he’s a solid RB with home run potential on every play. And suddenly you were very quiet for several weeks. One could interpret this as meaning that @TGena is an inept judge of NFL… Read more »
If San Francisco were to lose out from this point on, there’s a near zero percent chance they’d fire him. This is beyond wishful thinking.