If the Bears fire John Fox these are the 2 names getting attention
To date most people think they know who the obvious candidates are for 2018. Sometimes that’s the case but they may be surprised next year. Benjamin Allbright, the same insider who first broke that the Bears were starting Trubisky, explored his own sources looking for names to watch. Turns out the ones getting the most buzz were virtual no-names to more than a few people last year.
The two hottest names for upcoming NFL HC vacancies oin conversations I've had are Todd Wash and John Morton.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) October 18, 2017
Who? Okay some context will be needed. Let’s start with Todd Wash. He is defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He arrived in the NFL in 2007 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and became a respected defensive line coach. Eventually he landed in Seattle in 2011 and held the same job there for two years. Jacksonville brought him in for that job in 2013 and three years later he was promoted to defensive coordinator. The Jaguars went from 24th in total defense in 2015 to sixth his first year. They are ninth so far this season.
John Morton may be the more surprising name. He was a journeyman wide receiver who played in the NFL, NFL Europe and the CFL. Retiring in 1998, he joined the Oakland Raiders as a scout. After three years he moved to coaching and swiftly rose up the ranks. By 2007 he was receivers coach at USC. Two years later he became offensive coordinator.
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In 2011 he regained his receivers coach job in San Francisco and got two 1,000-yard seasons from Michael Crabtree. New Orleans scooped him up in 2015 for the same position and he contributed to an offense that ranked first in passing two-straight years. Now he’s offensive coordinator for the New York Jets. Somehow, despite constant insistence the team has no talent, he’s improved them from 26th to 21st.
So what happened to the supposed big names?
Perhaps what is so difficult to accept about this is that the two big names are coming from the Jaguars and Jets. Neither team can be associated with great success in recent years. What happened to the big names like Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia or Jim Bob Cooter? Well according to Allbright NFL teams aren’t quite as high on them as the masses.
Cooter is more a social media creation. Haven't heard his name mentioned once when asked. McD & Patricia have been soured on. Schwartz hot.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) October 18, 2017
Word persists that McDaniels may be keen on taking over for Belichick whenever he retires. Also some wonder if he has the personality of a head coach. Patricia has two rings but his defense has taken a huge step back this year, ranking 32nd in the league. As for Cooter it’s clear his success is tied to the exceptional play of Matthew Stafford. Most other aspects of the Detroit Lions offense like their blocking and their running game are average at best.
It will be fascinating to see how Wash and Morton continue to progress over the final three months of the season. Perhaps one of them may take over command control of this franchise next year.
