Everybody has broached the topic at least once over the past few weeks. The Chicago Bears don’t appear to have a resolution at head coach. Matt Eberflus is 6-21 in his tenure, by far the worst of any in franchise history. The following slate of games coming up is probably the toughest on the entire schedule, so that winning percentage is fixing to drop even further. It is why discussions are happening about whether the Bears will make a change next offseason. The bigger surprise is that Bill Belichick keeps coming up as a potential option.
A couple of insiders have already connected the future Hall of Famer to Chicago. Anybody who has followed what is happening in New England can tell his incredible run is nearing its end. The Patriots are in shambles. Their roster needs serious rebuilding. Belichick’s magic touch isn’t working anymore. If he is out, the belief is he’ll wish to keep coaching. The obvious question is where. Peter King of NBC Sports is the latest to mention Chicago as one of the most likely destinations. However, the odds are long for two key reasons.
I think, just to throw it out there, here are my best Bill Belichick-on-the-free-market options, if indeed, Robert Kraft “parts ways” with Belichick (2-8 this year, 27-34 post-Brady) after the season:
d. Chicago. Makes no sense if ownership and Ryan Poles believe they want to get the quarterback and offense right to commit to Belichick, 72 next year. So this one seems a longshot.
Bill Belichick would be a temporary fix at best.
As King said, he’s in his 70s. No coach in NFL history has ever made it past 73 on the sidelines. It’s hard not to say Belichick has lost his energy and drive for such a demanding job. Unless the Bears can land him a ready-man top quarterback, the odds of him instantly getting them into the Super Bowl picture are remote. Everything points to Ryan Poles drafting Justin Fields’ replacement next April. Belichick doesn’t seem to have the time or the energy to take on such a challenging task.
The only way he might be able to sell it to the Bears is if he can convince them he’ll find an assistant that can take over once he’s ready to retire. Yet that doesn’t seem like a great idea, considering how awful his former assistants have been as head coaches elsewhere. Bill Belichick would’ve been a no-brainer target six or seven years ago. He still showed the same mastery that had won him six Super Bowls. Now, he might still be a good coach, but one that needs a strong roster right from the jump.
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The Bears aren’t there yet.
