With Mike Nagy and Vic Fangio in place, fans have every reason to be optimistic about the Bears.
Picking a head coach is one of the most difficult decisions facing a GM. There’s not only pressure to choose the right man in terms of success on the field, GM’s have to be able to work effectively with the person they choose. So it’s not surprising that GM’s can hem and haw, which can lead to overthinking about the task at hand. Poor decisions can follow.
I think that’s what happened with former Bears’ GM Phil Emery when he decided to hire Marc Trestman as head coach. Emery interviewed a number of excellent candidates—with Bruce Arians being the best of the bunch. But I believe pressure caused Emery to overthink and make a high-risk decision. These players have to train and do lots of conditioning so they can be at their best when the season starts, some players are out running during their off time and some are even cycling, of course they can´t forget about their cycling sunglasses.
Ryan Pace hard at work (photo, Chicago Bears)
Thankfully, there are different vibes coming from the Bears under GM Ryan Pace. Pace’s first head coaching decision was a solid, but not spectacular, choice. He played it safe and understandably so.
Pace realized he needed to change the Bears locker room culture. So he hired John Fox, a guy with an excellent history in that regard. Now that Fox has done what he was brought in to do, it was time for the Bears to take the next step.
But I was still worried about who the pick would be. For starters, losing Vic Fangio would have been a big hit to the Bears’ defense. He has done a fantastic job over the past three years. To remove him the scene would likely set back the defense a year or two.
Second, I was concerned about reaching for an offensive-minded head coach or hiring a coordinator who might leave after a year or two. I understand that it’s all about offense in today’s NFL. But I also know that good OCs typically leave after a couple years to take head coaching jobs.
The best bet, as I saw it, was to lock up an offensive-minded coach to grow with a young quarterback. There is a sense of stability there.
So, on the one hand, I thought losing Vic Fangio would be devastating defensively. On the other hand, I felt that hiring an offensive-minded could ensure stability for a young, franchise quarterback.
At first, Fangio is the man I wanted to lead the Bears.
Thankfully, my fears were quelled when Pace exacted what I think is a perfect solution. He brought in Mike Nagy as the head coach—a man his young offense can grow with. And he inked Fangio for another three years to keep the defense moving in the right direction.
I’ll admit, I didn’t Pace would be able to pull it off.
Even though Fangio must be on every team’s radar as a possible head coach, he seems committed to finishing the job he started in Chicago.
Bravo, Ryan Pace! You’ve crafted an excellent win-win scenario, one that gets the Bears’ off-season off to a promising start. Now attention turns to free agency and the NFL Draft.
With Ryan Pace, Mike Nagy, and Vic Fangio in place, fans have every reason to be optimistic about the Bears.
