One championship in 53 years. At present 11 different NFL teams have won more over that same span. That just isn’t right and many blame the Chicago Bears QB legacy for the problems. Every since Sid Luckman retired in the early 1950s, the franchise has experienced a wealth of misfires and underachievers at the most important position in football. They’ve had two Pro Bowlers since 1960 and neither made it more than once.
However, the blame can’t just be directed there. That’s too easy. Truth be told there’s another string of woeful decisions this organization has to answer for. That being the head coaching job. George Halas was of course an all-time great, but the hit-miss ratio outside of Papa Bear himself has been less than stellar over the decades.
Let’s run down the list shall we?
Chicago Bears QB legacy was hampered by poor head coaching
In order to get a proper idea for who the Bears have hired to run their organization, it’s important to set some parameters. This list will include only the men who follow Halas after his final retirement from coaching in 1967. The exploration will include what the men accomplished in Chicago and then what they did after. Why that second part? It’s important to use success or failure after to provide a proper picture of whether that coach was actually good or not.
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Jim Dooley (1968-1971)
- Went 20-36
- Never made the playoffs
- Joined the World Football League and was out of work after a year
- Became an account sales manager in 1975
Abe Gibron (1972-1974)
- Went 11-30-1
- Never made the playoffs
- Also joined the World Football League for a year
- Joined Tampa Bay as their defensive line coach in 1976
- Ended NFL career as a scout
Jack Pardee (1975-1977)
- Went 20-22
- Made playoffs in ’77
- Resigned in 1978 to take Washington Redskins head coaching job (no playoffs)
- Joined USFL in 1984 as head coach of Houston Gamblers (went 23-15)
- Returned to NFL as head coach of Houston Oilers (went 43-22)
- Made playoffs four-straight years but just one win
Neil Armstrong (1978-1981)
- Went 30-34
- Made playoffs in ’79
- Hired by Dallas Cowboys as an assistant in 1982
- Retired in 1990
Mike Ditka (1982-1992)
- Went 106-62
- Made playoffs seven times
- Won Super Bowl XX
- Returned to coach New Orleans Saints in 1997 (went 15-33)
Dave Wannstedt (1993-1998)
- Went 40-56
- Made playoffs in ’94
- Became head coach of Miami Dolphins in 2000 (went 42-31)
- Made playoffs twice with one win
Dick Jauron (1999-2003)
- Went 35-45
- Made playoffs in ’01
- Became head coach of Buffalo Bills in 2006 (went 24-33)
- Retired as a defensive coordinator for the Browns in 2013
Lovie Smith (2004-2012)
- Went 81-63
- Made playoffs three times
- Lost Super Bowl XLI
- Became head coach of Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014 (went 8-24)
- Now head coach at Illinois
Marc Trestman (2013-2014)
- Went 13-19
- Never made the playoffs
- Hired as Ravens offensive coordinator in 2015
- Fired midway through 2016 season
- Back in the CFL as head coach of Toronto Argonauts
Then there’s John Fox. At 60-years old he took over the team in 2015 and has gone 10-26 so far. It’s clear enough that this franchise is almost as bad at locating quality coaches as they are quarterbacks. Only two men out of nine total produced a winning record during their run with the team. It’s safe to argue both of them underachieved.
Smith failed to win his lone shot at the Super Bowl. Ditka? Yes even he isn’t free from blame. He won the Super Bowl in 1985 but many argue to this day he left two or three out there unfilled given the loaded roster he took over. His lack of success during his brief New Orleans stint further makes that argument. Safe to say neither he nor any of the others are sniffing the Hall of Fame.
People keep talking about the quarterback problem. That’s fair. It is the most important position on the field. Thing is the positions on the sideline matter just as much. Chicago has whiffed almost as often there as well. Could Mitch Trubisky be the solution to the former? We’re about to find out. Unfortunately that still loves the latter to deal with.
Success in the NFL isn’t only decided by QBs. It’s decided by QBs and the head coaches they team with. Lombardi-Starr, Shula-Griese, Noll-Bradshaw, Montana-Walsh and Belichick-Brady all achieved greatness because both men involved were great at what they did.
This is the formula the current regime has yet to solve.
