Windy City Gridiron
Many around the league are questioning the Bears’ process for this coaching search and if it may cost them their top choice.
The Chicago Bears have requested an interview with former Minnesota State and Orlando Breakers head coach Hayden Fox (if you don’t know the reference, look it up).
At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising for any name to pop up on the Bears list. The candidate list has grown to at least twenty. Some people who cover the league believe the list is closer to 25 names.
Bears fans and many in the Chicago media have argued, “It doesn’t hurt to talk to as many people as you can. Talk to everybody.”
It doesn’t hurt until it does.
Multiple sources around the league have told Windy City Gridiron that the Bears list has grown so large that it’s creating a detriment to the perception of the franchise, which could end up costing them their top choice.
The Bears search appears to be “unfocused” and shows a franchise that “doesn’t really know what they are looking for.”
One former executive said, “Look at the Patriots and the Raiders. The Patriots wanted Vrabel from the onset. The Raiders are ensuring the world knows their top target is Ben Johnson. The Bears want the league to know they are leaving no stone unturned. But you don’t find great coaches under a rock.”
What are the Bears looking for?
From various media outlets over the last six weeks, we’ve heard the Bears want a “leader of men,” the Bears may want a coach with experience, and the Bears want to focus on a coach who can further the development of Caleb Williams.
If those reports are accurate, the name on the Bears’ list that best fits that description is Mike McCarthy. McCarthy has led strong offenses in both Dallas and Green Bay; he’s only had five losing seasons in eighteen years of coaching, and he’s won a Super Bowl. The belief here is that the Bears will give McCarthy an extensive look now that the Cowboys have made him available.
But Kevin Warren is the type of executive who likes to swing big. Is the 61-year-old McCarthy the type of hire that would energize the fan base and be a Warren-type hire? McCarthy feels like a safe, high-floor, low-ceiling type of hire. A hire that would stabilize the team would be an instant upgrade, but the Bears probably wouldn’t win more than 8 to 11 games a season and not truly challenge for a Super Bowl.
If Warren does want to swing big, the name he may be focused on is Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman. Freeman has quickly risen in the coaching ranks since taking over at Notre Dame. Freeman has built Notre Dame into a true title contender and just received a massive extension from the university last month.
A couple of media members have talked about Warren having an affinity for Freeman, and a source to WCG confirmed that Warren...
