The Chicago Bears have made their intentions pretty clear with most of their offensive coordinator interviews. They want to retain the Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan system if possible. If that is the case, wouldn’t the best idea be to pluck directly from those staffs? It appears GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus reached that conclusion as their search continued. Albert Breer of the MMQB reported that they will interview Los Angeles Rams passing game coordinator Zac Robinson for the job.
He might be the biggest enigma of the bunch. Robinson was a former 7th round pick out of Oklahoma State, bouncing around the league as a backup quarterback. In that time, he learned under guys like Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll, and Marvin Lewis. After retiring, he spent years working as a lead analyst for Pro Football Focus. That apparently caught the attention of McVay, who brought him in as an assistant in 2019. Since then, Robinson has served as assistant quarterbacks coach, assistant wide receivers coach, and now passing game coordinator.
After a difficult 2022 season marred by injuries, the Rams rebounded in a big way this year. Matthew Stafford returned to form while rookie receiver Puke Nacua exploded for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns.
The Bears are wise to look into Zac Robinson.
Yes, it is apparent he has zero playcalling experience. That is a red flag for many. At the same time, McVay has an uncanny eye for coaching talent. It’s been proven countless times already. Matt Lafleur, Zac Taylor, Shane Waldron, Kevin O’Connell, and Liam Coen have all gone on to have considerable success as offensive playcallers elsewhere. It isn’t a crazy stretch to think the Rams head coach believes Robinson has the capacity to do the same. He’s spent five years learning that offensive system inside and out. As a former quarterback himself, he understands how to communicate with the position.
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It makes perfect sense that the Bears would at least speak with him. Just because Zac Robinson has never called plays doesn’t mean he can’t. Maybe he makes a strong impression, presenting a great plan for whichever quarterback he would work with. Or maybe the Bears hope to lure him to Chicago for a different position. There is no harm in asking. People forget McVay was a complete unknown at one point too. Sometimes you have to be willing to take the risk.
@Jioha What you said. @Slip Knotz Talent is talent. Coaching is team. In other words, great talent can be extraordinary, and somes can win games by themselves if they have great games, it the reason the Bears are even looking for an OC, isn’t because Justin Fields was good or bad, but because not enough other players were developed and schemed to participate. And it was obvious. Every person who plays in the NFL has more “talent” than other people. But most TEAMS lose. Some more than others. That is less lack of talent, than lack of coaching. @Sam K… Read more »
The Bears are doing this search correctly. The Ravens looked at 14 candidates with 21 interviews before landing on Todd Monken. They already had Greg Roman, but moved on from him and the decision and search has had significant improvements on both Lamar Jackson AND the entire offensive production. I believe they have increased output by 10 points per game. The Bears may or may not have production that sends them deep into the playoffs, but looking at these candidates WILL show significant improvement in their offensive production. Even MORE importantly, it will signal to future hirings the seriousness of… Read more »
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On another note, it’s not like they are handing anyone the job by just talking to them. And it’s not like learning all you can about how people who played the game and have spent time in the coaching ranks see your future or what can improve your team.
LIghten up. Talking to someone isn’t hiring them and maybe not even an indication of your seriousness about hiring them. This is like a poker game where you learn when to hold ’em or when to fold ’em. In either case, you keep them close to the vest until you’re ready.
Here’s a slice of what if. What if they are simultaneously looking for guys who might fit as QB coach, passing game coord? Anyone you hire as OC will need coaches beneath them. You aren’t going to interest a guy in becoming a position coach at this stage of the interview process, but giving them an opportunity to speak to the OC position gives you INFO. Making suggestions to the man you choose as to who impressed you in other interviews is not a bad idea. If you pick a team-first OC, he won’t object to a list of guys… Read more »