SM has reported for the past couple of weeks that head coach Matt Nagy is in serious hot water. Chicago Bears chairman George McCaskey is furious with the state of the team. Especially its listless offense. After watching what happened last Sunday night where the Bears looked completely outclassed and even somewhat disinterested in Green Bay? It’s felt that proved to be the breaking point.
Unless the Bears go on some sort of miracle run down the stretch to reach the playoffs, the belief is both Nagy and GM Ryan Pace will be gone. At that point, the question shifts to who will replace them. There’s plenty of speculation on that front as well. Yet one rumor has continued to steadily pick up steam during this latest sequence.
One that could see the team hire a college head coach for the first time ever.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports confirmed the report that Nagy is likely on his way out. He also had some additional information on a possible replacement. That being Northwestern standout head coach Pat Fitzgerald.
“If the Chicago Bears conduct a coaching search next month — and numerous league sources have indicated it is far more likely than not that will be the case — Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald will be at the top of their wish list.
Frustration is mounting within ownership about the performance of coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace, sources said, and Fitzgerald has long had the attention of ownership.”
Now it must be made clear that La Canfora doesn’t exactly have a stellar history of accurate insider info. Especially when the Bears are involved. That said, he’s not the only one who has connected Fitzgerald to Chicago. Other insiders have indicated if the head coach were to make the jump to the pros, it would only be for the Bears’ job. Remember he’s a Chicago-area native. He grew up watching the team. It would be a dream position.
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Chicago Bears would be taking a calculated risk on Fitzgerald
Northwestern was a second-rate program when Fitzgerald took over in 2006. Through his tireless efforts and motivational skills, he steadily built it into one of the better teams in the Big Ten. Five times they’ve finished with at least nine wins in a season. They’ve also won four of their last five bowl games they’ve played in. It’s clear despite not having access to elite talent like an Ohio State that he gets the most out of his players. Their 5-1 start this season is the best they’ve ever had.
What is crazy is Fitzgerald is only 46-years old. Still relatively young and yet he’s finishing up his 15th season as a head coach. So one wouldn’t have to worry about age or experience. At the same time, people like him always come with a degree of concern. One problem college coaches have is they don’t know who to communicate with NFL players. Their style of coaching works great for young kids becoming adults. Most pros are grown men who don’t always buy into that rah-rah stuff.
Fitzgerald never played or coached in the NFL. Can he make that adjustment?
All that being said, the man has qualifications. He understands how to build a program and establish an identity. He can motivate players as well as anybody. What could he do if given access to top-tier talent every year via the draft and free agency? This is what can get you excited about somebody like him. To say nothing of the added personal motivation of coaching his hometown team.
The Chicago Bears have tried finding solutions from the NFL. They’ve tried finding them from the CFL. It just hasn’t worked. So maybe it’s finally time to go the college route and see what happens.