The Chicago Bears can’t possibly screw this up.
Then again, if there’s a team that could, based on the past nearly two decades, it would be the Chicago Bears.
They’re in the unenviable position of needing a new head coach and being on the verge of missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. That would extend their streak of years without a playoff win to 14.
However, they have an ace in the hole. They have quarterback Caleb Williams. They have pass catchers DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and Cole Kmet. They have defensive standouts Montez Sweat, Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon.
The quarterback is in place. There’s a young nucleus. They have an extra second-round pick and a healthy salary-cap situation. The window to win is now, and that should appeal to head-coaching candidates.
But if chairman George McCaskey, president Kevin Warren and general manager Ryan Poles miss, then they’re wasting all of that. Thomas Brown might save them from wasting Williams’ rookie season, but the team that has wandered around looking for quarterbacks for decades appears to have one, and he’s on a rookie deal. There’s an incredible opportunity — but they have to get it right.
Since McCaskey took over in 2011, this will be his fifth head-coaching search. It will be the first for Warren in the president/CEO role. It’ll be the first time Poles goes through the process from the beginning.
Here are five suggestions ahead of the most important hire for this franchise in a long time.
1. No search firms, no ‘committees’
Warren and Poles shouldn’t need any counseling or guidance. They have more than enough connections in the league and should be plenty aware of what this team and this building needs. They shouldn’t need an Ernie Accorsi or Bill Polian.
While I did commend the makeup of the search committee the last go-around, that was before Warren was hired, and I simply appreciated that McCaskey was thinking outside the box and allowing other voices in the room. But the Bears are 14-32 since that committee oversaw the hiring process.
For Poles, if the head coach doesn’t work out, it’s rare for a GM to get a third choice. He must be incredibly convicted in the decision.
Now, by suggesting that Warren and Poles handle the search on their own, that doesn’t mean fans necessarily should have confidence they’ll get it right. There’s no example of a successful head coaching hire to go off. The Bears’ record on the field is what it is under Poles and since Warren arrived. But they don’t need a slew of outside voices. That hasn’t worked, either.
Speaking of consultants, the Bears should be weary of the optics that come with hiring another head coach repped by Trace Armstrong. The prominent coaching agent, who played for the Bears, reps Poles, Matt Nagy, Matt Eberflus, Shane Waldron and Luke Getsy, among others. If that tradition continues, they have to be ready for questions about the Armstrong connection.
2. Don’t be afraid of a big personality
A sentiment around the league, as expressed in this story by colleague Mike Sando, is that Warren and Poles would be reticent to hire the type of head coach who garners a lot of attention and might want a little extra power, too.
Those coaches are popular nowadays. Look at Dan Campbell in Detroit, and contrast that with what the Bears just experienced with Eberflus. Someone like Mike Vrabel should be welcomed. In six seasons coaching the Titans, Vrabel went to the playoffs three times, one more than Marc Trestman, John Fox, Nagy and Eberflus combined. His name will come up a lot, and his brashness shouldn’t be a turnoff.
Heck, if Bill Belichick or Pete Carroll shows interest but wants personnel control, that might be a difficult conversation, but it can’t be a deal-breaker when you’re talking about Super Bowl-winning coaches.
3. Patience is a virtue
First and foremost, the Bears need to hire the right candidate, whether that takes place tomorrow or after the Super Bowl.
But in recent hiring cycles, the team has moved quickly, and that hasn’t led to the desired results.
Once John Fox became available in 2015, the search shifted immediately and it didn’t take long before he was head coach. Nagy was an option sooner than expected after the Chiefs lost to the Titans in the wild-card round. Eberflus wasn’t in the playoffs last time. There were no scheduling conflicts to interview him.
The 49ers don’t regret having to wait until after the Super Bowl to introduce Kyle Shanahan as their head coach. For example, if one of the Lions’ coordinators is the best choice and the Bears have to wait, then they should wait.
4. Learn from Thomas Brown
Poles and Warren should be taking a lot of notes over the next five weeks, based on their observations and those of Bears players.
Not only does that allow them to consider Brown a serious candidate but also how his personality and X’s and O’s will figure in the next hire.
If Brown can galvanize the team, what trait of his allowed that to happen? That should be high on a priority list. If Brown keeps showing success working with Williams and the offense, what’s the reason for it? If the Bears believe they ultimately want someone who’s been a head coach before but won’t call plays, can they find a way to keep Brown in this role?
Based on conversations with team sources over the weekend, there is a little excitement about the next five weeks. There was deference for Eberflus but also intrigue in how Brown can lead them from here.
5. Understand the challenge of the Chicago market
The pressure of being an NFL head coach is high whether it’s in Chicago or Jacksonville. But there is a uniqueness to being Bears head coach. Yes, there’s the franchise’s deep history, and its recent futility, but the media market is massive.
Talking to sources around the league, Chicago is considered maybe the most difficult place for a head coach as far as the attention goes. New York is split between two teams. The same goes for Los Angeles.
The easiest way for a coach to handle the Chicago media market is to win. When the wins don’t come, the messaging is critical, too. The way the Bears have lost games during this streak has been brutal and unprecedented. But the aftermath wasn’t communicated well enough. A head coach has to be ready for the intense focus in Chicago.
(Top photos of Kevin Warren, left, and Ryan Poles: Quinn Harris / Getty Images)
