The Chicago Bears are six games away from the end of the regular season. At that point, if not sooner, they will begin their hunt for a new head coach. It is evident more than ever that Matt Nagy is playing out the remainder of his string. One lots of people felt should’ve ended after the 2020 season. George McCaskey though wanted to give him another chance to get the organization back on the winning track.
Instead, the team is 4-7, banged up, lifeless on offense, and staring down the two best teams in the NFC these next two games. Nagy is done and it’s only a matter of letting the movie reach a merciful ending. At that point, the Bears will become more active in the search for his successor. Already the organization has been compiling a list of potential candidates they may want to meet with when the time comes.
One buzzword that keeps coming up in their priorities? Experience.
George McCaskey is hoping to land somebody with a proven track record already established as a head coach. He is wary of going with another first-timer as it hasn’t usually worked out for his team. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, there is one name that is gaining a lot of steam in NFL circles over the past 12 months. That being Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell.
“Luke Fickell has taken the University of Cincinnati to the verge of the College Football Playoff. He also has placed himself squarely on the radar of NFL teams — even before this year.
The Detroit Lions quietly spoke with Fickell about their head coaching vacancy last year before they hired Dan Campbell, sources say, and the expectation within the league is Fickell will be in the mix for NFL jobs again in the upcoming hiring cycle, if he’s interested.”
Fickell has fast become one of the hottest coaching stars in college football. A former assistant from Ohio State, he inherited a completely downtrodden program at Cincinnati. Within a year he had them winning 11 games in 2018, then again in 2019. Last season they went 9-1, finishing with their highest ranking in program history at 8th. Now they’re 13-0 and poised to play in their first-ever College Football Playoff.
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Chicago Bears certainly have reasons to be intrigued by Fickell
Among the biggest is his ability to identify and develop talented quarterbacks. A huge key to Cincinnati’s emergence over the past two years is the rise of Desmond Ridder. After throwing for 19 touchdowns and six interceptions in 10 games last season, the senior improved in every facet with 30 touchdowns and just eight interceptions this season. This includes a big-time win over Notre Dame back in October.
People might be concerned that Fickell has a defensive background but that doesn’t seem to matter. He knows what must be done to cultivate successful offenses. It starts at quarterback. His track record as a winner speaks for itself. Prior to arriving in Cincinnati, he helped Ohio State win a national championship in 2014. If the Chicago Bears wanted somebody who will establish that level of expectation? This is the guy.
Would he be interested in the NFL is the bigger question.
Fickell has never coached at the pro level. He started as an assistant for the Buckeyes back in 1999 and hasn’t moved out of the college ranks since. With a strong likelihood that other top programs will seek to poach him with massive contract offers, the Bears would need to make quite a sales pitch in order to entice him. That includes a significant contract offer of their own. Is McCaskey prepared to do that?
