Marc Trestman is the coaching equivalent of the boogeyman for Chicago Bears fans these days. He’s seen as the architect of the franchise’s downfall from legitimate contender to NFC bottom dweller. In a matter of two seasons, he took a team that was 10-6 to one of the worst in football through roster mismanagement, poor staff-building, and a clear lack of leadership. Nothing summed it up better than his rift with quarterback Jay Cutler, which manifested in the worst possible ways, including one of his assistant coaches leaking derogatory remarks to the press.
A decade later, one would think there aren’t any more Trestman stories to tell. Somehow, that is not the case. Zach Zaidman covered the Bears as a beat writer throughout most of the 2010s before moving over to the Cubs. He was never known for revealing sensitive information, but that didn’t mean he had none. He proved that during a segment on Mully & Haugh for 670 The Score where he told a Trestman story that should’ve be surprising, but somehow still is.
Marc Trestman waved the white flag.
The New England game was bad enough. That apocalyptic night in Green Bay was easily the darkest period of the past 25 years for the Bears. It was confirmation that the high period was over. The old guard was gone. This new version of the team was weak, mentally and physically. Nobody exemplified it more than Marc Trestman. He may have been a solid offensive coach, but he had no charisma to speak of. His ability to command a locker room had been limited to his time in Canada. The CFL is nowhere near the NFL in that regard. If players in this league sense weakness, they won’t respect you. That is precisely what happened with Trestman. Once it was clear to Brandon Marshall, Martellus Bennett, and others that he was a pushover, anarchy followed.
