The Chicago Bears have a major challenge ahead of them. While there will be interest in their head coaching job once the cycle begins next month, the trick is attracting interest from the right candidates. After what has happened this season with firing the offensive coordinator after nine games, firing the head coach midseason, and looking completely disorganized along the way, one would understand if certain coaches wouldn’t want to go near Halas Hall. That is especially true for the ones who have options like Ben Johnson or Mike Vrabel.
To make the right hire, team president Kevin Warren and GM Ryan Poles would have to craft the right message. Say the wrong things and any candidate they want could shy away, leaving the team with some less-than-desirable alternatives. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears have already communicated with coach agents and representatives. Their message throughout the early process has been surprisingly honest about their failures, along with a desire to change.
I don’t believe so. Are candidates going to have questions they want answered in the process? Absolutely. But the impression I am getting is that the Bears have been pretty forthright about their shortcomings. I am told, by sources outside the building, that the team’s top leadership, and this includes Warren and general manager Ryan Poles, have been reflective and have communicated the right message.
Does that mean they will be in line to get their top choice? There’s no way of telling that, but they’ve at least created a scenario where, I believe, the top candidates will be receptive to listening to the Bears’ pitch and hearing from them.
Nothing worse could’ve happened if they approached candidates with an air of denial. Sure, some things went wrong, but everything is fine. This roster is Super Bowl-ready. All we need is the right leader. That is both naive and dangerously arrogant. Warren and Poles seem to have done some necessary self-reflection on where this team is at. It is flawed in several ways. Yes, the coaching is a big part of it, but there are also roster issues that need serious correcting if the Bears are going to take a step forward.
The offensive line is a mess. They still lack a strong enough pass rush, and the running backs lack a legitimate workhorse. The wide receivers also lack a true vertical threat. These problems must be addressed. Any head coach who comes in cannot and should not be expected to wave a magic wand and make it go away. It is nice to see that the Chicago Bears have approached this process the right way. Here’s hoping they do enough research to make a good choice for once.
