Instead of just stringing together social media posts, I figure why not use my own website to collect all my thoughts concerning the head coaching searches in Chicago, and around the league.
- The whole “leader of men” cliche really needs to be retired. Men, football players, follow their leader when they win. That’s the long and short of it. If you show your program is successful, players will gravitate to your leadership. Do you think Bill Parcells and Bill Walsh had much in common besides their ability to win football games? Is anybody inspired by Bill Belichick’s personality? (The answer is no.) Find a winner. The players will follow him.
- The offensive options, as I see them:
- Ben Johnson is going to be the top choice. But Johnson is going to bring baggage to the interview process, including demands in the personnel department. Will the Bears view him worthy of those concessions?
- One source told me that Ryan Poles covets Johnson, while others in the building (Warren, especially) are looking for established program builders.
- Liam Coen is the wildcard in this process, and I think he’s been every bit as impressive as Johnson this season. Is he ready to be a head coach? Nobody knows, but Coen would be a quarterback-centric hire.
- Coen’s work with both the running game and tight ends in Tampa have been something of a revelation in 2024.
- Todd Monken would certainly be an interesting hire, and he has certainly paid his dues at both the NFL and collegiate levels. Monken is also an Illinois native, so it’s likely a job he’ll covet.
- Joe Brady. Beware of hiring coordinators of great quarterbacks. None of Peyton Manning’s or Tom Brady’s ever became a successful head coach in the league. Josh Allen is a great player but he’s also a unique one. Brady is going to be able to bring very little from Buffalo to Chicago.
- Kliff Kingsbury. Unless Caleb seriously goes to bat for him, Kingsbury would be a risky choice. Some guys are just coordinators. That’s how K.K. profiles.
- Drew Petzing is an interesting coach to interview, and he’s almost certainly going to be a head coach in the next five years. (He’s not an actual contender for this job.)
- Mike Kafka. I saw a lot of fans getting worked up over this interview. But sometimes personnel guys give their friends head coaching interviews to raise their profiles. That’s what is happening here.
- Ben Johnson is going to be the top choice. But Johnson is going to bring baggage to the interview process, including demands in the personnel department. Will the Bears view him worthy of those concessions?
- Defensive options, as I see them:
- Everybody will now be shocked if Mike Vrabel doesn’t end up in New England, but the job will likely have some appeal for Ben Johnson due to the presence of Drake Maye.
- Vance Joseph, Brian Flores, Aaron Glenn, and Anthony Weaver are all solid, well-respected coaches. But they will arrive will major questions on the offensive side of the ball, including how they’ll manage the quarterback position. If you’re the Bears, why not allow the coaching rotating door to move to the other side of the ball for once?
- Program builders, so to speak:
- Mike McCarthy is a good head coach. But this is not the time for the Chicago Bears to try and hit singles.
- David Shaw is a coach I desperately wanted the Bears to consider a cycle or two ago, but I worry about guys who have not actively coached in the league for a number of years.
Now, onto the other searches.
- The Jaguars deciding to keep Trent Baalke as their GM is a surprise, and his presence will hinder their potential candidate pool. I texted a league source about him and the response I received: “Fucking guy has nine lives.”
- Also, I would love to survey the league opinion on Trevor Lawrence. So many seem to believe Lawrence makes that job appealing but I’ve had several folks tell me they’d prefer a situation where they can start over at the position.
- Lou Anarumo and Robert Saleh are good defensive coaches. Their availability lessens the risk of going with a young offensive mind in the head coaching role. But if I were a young offensive mind, I’m doing everything I can to lure Wink Martindale off the Michigan sideline.
- What exactly was Ken Dorsey supposed to do with those quarterbacks in Cleveland? Don Coryell would not have scored points with Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
- There’s a problem facing John Mara and the New York Giants. The Joe Schoen/Brian Daboll collaboration has been a three-year failure, and the post-Coughlin Giants continue to be the worst club in the sport. Mara is tired of the instability but is he going to give his leadership the multiyear commitment required to develop a young quarterback? Can these two men survive another awful season?
- Matt Nagy getting interviewed this round is unsurprising. Nagy is a good coach, a good man, and will receive glowing recommendations from folks inside the Chicago Bears.
- A source inside the Saints tells me the organization loves their former coach, Aaron Glenn. (“He’s a stud” were the exact words.) But they’ll have competition, especially from the New York Jets, where Glenn played the best of his professional years and is beloved by the fan base.
- Speaking of the Jets, that roster is a good. I know, I predicted them to be playing on the final NFL Sunday this season. But that is not a team that should be starting over with a rookie quarterback. If you’re looking for a good landing spot for Mike McCarthy, Florham Park is one.
- Can’t believe Chris Ballard still has a job in Indianapolis. If Jim Irsay were in better health, there’s no chance that is the case.
Stay tuned to DaBearsBlog on Twitter for any updates.