The Chicago Bears are at a crisis point. While the season is only three games old, it appears the team is trending in the wrong direction. Not only are they 1-2, but both of their losses were blowouts to clearly superior opponents. If that weren’t bad enough, promising rookie QB Justin Fields endured a brutal first start against Cleveland. A game where he went just 6-of-20 passing and was sacked nine times. While the calls for Matt Nagy to be fired were already loud. Now they’ve grown deafening. Presuming he is indeed gone, who could be his eventual replacement? Let us start with Brian Daboll.
If there is one candidate out there that you can call “ready” for the shot, it would be him. The Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator is 46-years old. Canadian by birth, he moved to New York where he attended both high school and college. He first broke into the coaching ranks in 1997 and worked his up with stops at William & Mary and Michigan State. After just three years, he was hired by Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots in 2000 as a defensive assistant.
Success quickly followed.
After winning their first Super Bowl in 2001, Daboll was promoted to wide receivers coach. Under his direction, receivers like Deion Branch and David Givens became reliable targets for Tom Brady as the team won two more championships in 2003 and 2004. That success led to Daboll getting an opportunity back in his home state with the New York Jets as their quarterbacks coach. After two years there, the Cleveland Browns came calling with their offensive coordinator job.
This is where the man learned his toughest lessons about the NFL. The situation in Cleveland was rough. Daboll was saddled with quarterbacks like Colt McCoy, Derek Anderson, and Brady Quinn. Combined with a list of no-name wide receivers, the offense never had a chance, finishing 32nd and 28th during two seasons with the team. The coach wasn’t deterred though. He took another coordinator job in 2011 in Miami.
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It was there people got a first glimpse of how good the man could be.
Despite being saddled with career backup Matt Moore as his quarterback most of that season, the coach still managed to get decent results. Reggie Bush rushed for over 1,000 yards. Brandon Marshall had over 1200 receiving. Moore had an 87.1 passer rating for the season. While not great it was around the league average. Sadly it didn’t save the coaching staff from being fired.
Still, Brian Daboll did enough to get noticed by another team. The Kansas City Chiefs. Eager for the opportunity, he accepted their offensive coordinator position. He couldn’t have known the toxic situation he was walking into at the time. Their own head coach Todd Haley was on the hot seat and notorious for being domineering in regards to the offense. Despite this, Daboll did his best to make it work. He even got 1,509 yards rushing from Jamaal Charles, the best of his career. Again though, the coach was fired after the season.
Discouraged, he decided to return to New England where he spent the next four seasons as their tight ends coach.
Rob Gronkowski 2016 AFCCG in Denver vs. a historic defense.
An absolute machine. pic.twitter.com/VckjjENPkW
— 🅰️ndrew (@awTide) August 13, 2019
Brian Daboll proved one thing. He is persistent
After two more championships with the Patriots, the young assistant decided he would give coordinating another go. This time though he chose a different platform. One far more stable under an old acquaintance in Nick Saban, head coach at Alabama. The two had first worked together at Michigan State years ago. The Crimson Tide needed a new man to lead their offense and Daboll got the opportunity.
This time he was able to prove what he could do. Alabama had the 15th ranked offense in the country that 2017 season. Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa combined for 28 TDs passing and just three interceptions. The team racked up almost 3,000 yards rushing and the program won the national championship in a thrilling comeback over Georgia where they trailed at one point 20-7. It was vindication for Daboll and proved to be the greatest blessing of his career. The NFL came calling again in 2018 with an offensive coordinator job back in his home state of Buffalo.
He took it.
QB Josh Allen —
The pocket movement jumps on the tape vs. WASH.
Saw the ability to climb/slide + work to the edge/escape (with his eyes down the field).
Moving to throw. @NFLMatchup #Bills pic.twitter.com/pCrMjGoqkz
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) September 28, 2021
The timing was perfect. That same year, the Bills drafted young quarterback Josh Allen 7th overall. Most considered the Wyoming product unbelievably gifted with size, mobility, and a rocket right arm. The problem? He was raw. Really saw. Too much of his game was backyard mentality. Getting him to play more under control was going to be a huge challenge and that responsibility fell to one man. Brian Daboll.
It wasn’t easy. Allen had a lot of growing up to do. As a rookie, he threw more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (10). He barely completed 52% of his passes. His coordinator though was undeterred. He kept working with the kid, refining his game. Since the start of 2019, Allen has played 35 games. He has thrown for 8,440 yards, 64 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions. He made his first Pro Bowl in 2020.
That success is what undoubtedly should interest the Bears.
If Daboll could round such a talent like Allen into form, it stands to reason he could do the same for Justin Fields. He and the Bills star QB have many of the same traits. Daboll certainly got a tremendous education in coaching from the likes of Saban, Bill Belichick, and Sean McDermott. He’s been a coordinator now for eight years, well-traveled and battle-tested. The man is ready for his shot.
