When venturing into the head coaching market once again, everybody keeps saying the Chicago Bears shouldn’t be picky about which side of the ball the guy comes from. Offense. Defense. It doesn’t matter. Just find the best leader. That sounds good in theory, but there are still reasons a team often favors an offensive head coach. They usually have a young quarterback that needs developing. A defensive coach could hire a great offensive coordinator only to see said coordinator leave for a head coaching job.
That wouldn’t happen with an offensive head coach. With Justin Fields in place for the Bears, it still makes sense to go that route again. Even if the Matt Nagy experiment didn’t work out. However, there is another reason why they might want to consider this direction. A sudden influx of outstanding defensive coordinator options onto the market. Already names like Vic Fangio, Patrick Graham, and Mike Zimmer are available. Now the Baltimore Ravens have dropped a bomb of their own.
They will be parting ways with Don Martindale.
Statement from Head Coach John Harbaugh on Don Martindale. pic.twitter.com/j0zkpgmX1I
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 21, 2022
This is a genuine shock. From 2018 to 2020, Martindale had the Ravens defense ranked in the top 3 for points allowed every year. Consistently one of the best in the NFL. Things took a step back in 2021, but that can’t be attributed to him. Baltimore suffered an incredible string of injuries on defense. The fact they still finished 19th in points allowed should be considered a minor miracle. It was that bad.
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Any team that brings him in as a defensive coordinator would be getting one of the best. A man that is detailed, disciplined, and has an attacking mindset. Few love to blitz more than him. The Chicago Bears aren’t going to rush their decision at head coach. If they end up with a defensive-minded guy, then so be it. Still, the incentives continue to lean towards finding the best offensive option available and pairing him with an outstanding coordinator. This could lead to instant success next season.
