The Chicago Bears reached their zenith in 1985 and have been trying to score that elusive second Super Bowl trophy ever since. They came so close in 2006 but haven’t been able to recapture that magic. This despite multiple changes at GM and head coach. It begs the question. Should the organization consider bringing back some familiar faces from that era? Guys who saw the blueprint and have bled Bears navy blue before.
It wouldn’t be the first time teams have done that. Bring back an old friend to fix what is broken. The obvious question for the Bears is who could that be for them? Some have championed the idea of bringing back Lovie Smith. That doesn’t seem plausible. Smith is 63-years old and has a long track record of not being able to adequately develop quarterbacks. No, a more intriguing choice would be the man who guided his special teams for several years.
Dave Toub.
The 59-year old has consistently been one of the best special teams coordinators in the NFL for well over a decade. He fostered the soon-to-be Hall of Famer Devin Hester and helped them unearth franchise scoring leader Robbie Gould. Now he is in Kansas City where he helped them reach back-to-back Super Bowls and win the championship in 2019. The man is a master at handling a constantly shifting roster and has learned from some excellent coaches over the years.
He would not be tied to any one side of the ball. Toub would instead act as more of a CEO-type head coach. His job is to build a good staff to handle all three phases while he directs the team. It would be a departure from the norm. Special teams coaches don’t get near the same attention as offensive and defensive coordinators. Still, if anybody would have a plan for how to attack this job, it would be Toub.
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So who would the Chicago Bears pair with him?
This would require finding a GM he is familiar with and perhaps has a background in Chicago as well. One overlooked name that would make sense is Dwayne Joseph. Older fans might remember him somewhat. He was an undrafted free agent out of Syracuse that spent three seasons in Chicago as a defensive back. His career highlight was probably picking off Warren Moon in the 1995 season opener.
After that he retired and joined the organization as a scout, rising to become their Director of Player Development from 2001 to 2003. Miami soon gave him a bigger opportunity and he spent the next few years with the Dolphins. Then in 2012, he returned to Chicago as their Assistant Director of College Scouting before being shifted to Assistant Director of Pro Personnel for the next three seasons.
Joseph really started to gain traction after leaving in 2015.
Philadelphia made him their Director of Pro Personnel and he was instrumental in helping them build their eventual Super Bowl championship team in 2017. Additions like Brandon Brooks, Rodney McLeod, Alshon Jeffery, Chris Long, and Nick Foles were spearheaded by him. He has spent the past three seasons working for the Las Vegas Raiders. Joseph and Toub are familiar with each other. Both have deep ties to the Chicago Bears and proven track records.
If the McCaskeys wanted to “keep it in the family” this time around? That combination could work.
