Windy City Gridiron
I recently asked my WCG and 2nd City Gridiron teammates four questions about the Chicago Bears’ ongoing head coaching search.
We got the obvious one out of the way first: Who is the one candidate that you’d be 100% pleased with the Bears hiring?
Yesterday, we all gave our number two choice if Ben Johnson doesn’t get the gig.
Today, I asked them to give the guy they do not want the Bears to hire no matter what. Or, as I put it in the email, Who is your — OMG, I can’t believe they hired this guy; now I have to question my Bears fandom — choice?
Jeff Berckes: I will have a bonfire to throw in my Bears paraphernalia if the Chicago Bears hire Matt Campbell. No offense to Matt Campbell; he’s a great coach, but I have expensive pieces of paper from the University of Northern Iowa and the University of Iowa. Hiring the Iowa State coach would probably kill me.
Mongo Peanut: As an Iowa State Cyclone, I resent Jeff’s answer about Matt Campbell - he knows a thing or two about culture building! Have an open mind, Jeff! With that said, Ron Rivera would really test my Bears fandom. I understand that he is a former Bear, a well-liked guy, and has had some success historically, but Rivera would signal a result that suggests that the Bears haven’t changed an ounce. If they are intent on hiring a coach with experience, I would much rather get an offensive mind like Carroll or McCarthy, despite having reservations. I am tired of having defensive coaches who run vanilla zone coverage schemes. Full stop.
Ryan Droste: Probably over half the list? Seriously. That said, I’d have to go with Matt Campbell. I don’t understand the interview. He’s turned around Iowa State’s program from being irrelevant to somewhat relevant during his time there. That’s about it. I don’t see him as a hot commodity, and we know the track record of Iowa State coaches in Chicago. Probably the most head-scratching interview request I’ve seen.
Mason West: There are a lot of answers here, but the biggest would be anyone from college. We just haven’t seen that work consistently. For every Jim Harbaugh, there is a Kliff Kingsberry, Nick Saban, or Steve Spurrier.
Sam Householder: Any of the candidates that aren’t on other teams’ lists. Anthony Weaver, Drew Petzig, Marcus Freeman. What are we doing here? Now is not the time for getting cute, getting clever, or thinking you’re smarter than the rest of the league.
Jacob Infante: Adam Stenavich, the Packers’ offensive coordinator. Not only does he not have previous NFL head coaching experience, but he isn’t an offensive play caller even. If you’re getting a first-time head coach, it should be someone who has at least proven they can manage a game at the highest level.
TJ Starman: I am tempted to say Arthur Smith after what we we saw from the Steelers offense down the stretch this...
