People can criticize former Chicago Bears GM Jerry Angelo a lot these day. Yet facts are facts. He’s been the most successful general manager this franchise has had in over 30 years. He took the team to a Super Bowl. So maybe it’s okay to think he knows what he’s talking about. That’s why his recent comments regarding the Bears coaching search are so interesting.
Angelo himself found success in the hiring market back in 2004. That was the year he brought in Lovie Smith. People weren’t sure about the hire at the time. Not only was Smith a defensive specialist, he wasn’t widely considered one of the best at the time. Angelo didn’t care. He hired Smith anyways. The Bears soon began their second-most successful run of the Super Bowl era.
It was never made entirely clear what drove Angelo towards that hire. Sure he and Smith had some history, both having worked together in Tampa Bay. At the same time it was an unorthodox hire, especially after the Bears had just drafted a young quarterback (Rex Grossman the year before. What went into the decision?
Angelo finally got a chance to explain, and also hinted at the mistake the Bears might be making in their current search.
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Jerry Angelo warns Bears coaching search can’t be about background
Through the first few days it’s become apparent the Bears are showing favoritism in their interview process. Most of the early candidates come from an offensive background. Angelo completely understands the logic. Mitch Trubisky is the future of the franchise. Hiring an offensive head coach makes total sense. However, it also isn’t without serious risk as he told Dan Pompei of The Athletic recently.
“I agree with you to a point, yes, in a perfect world you would like your new head coach to be offensive-minded given the Bears have invested a lot in their young quarterback. But we only have to look at the prior hire before John Fox and saw how that worked. First and foremost, you have to hire a leader — someone who can command the respect and trust of his coaches and players while holding them accountable.
You look at what Mike Zimmer is doing in Minnesota. Pete Carroll in Seattle. Dan Quinn in Atlanta. Ron Rivera in Carolina. Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh. If you had a chance to hire anyone of them, you’d be foolish not to. So let’s not overrate the offensive gurus. The Giants, the Browns and the Lions all found out it’s not a fail-proof plan to hire an offensive guru. Remember how hot Chip Kelly was? They were lining up to hire him, kind of like they’ve been doing with Jon Gruden. We’ll see.”
The Trestman disaster is proof positive the Bears must keep options open
Angelo is of course referring to the hire of Marc Trestman back in 2013. As before the idea was to get an offensive guru in place to help Jay Cutler thrive. For a time it seemed to work. It soon became apparent though that the head coach was incapable of commanding respect in a veteran NFL locker room. The team soon fell apart and Trestman was fired after just two seasons.
It was proof that prowess with Xs and Os isn’t what ultimately makes a great head coach. It’s the ability to motivate, discipline and teach players to become their absolute best. That’s what separated Smith from others in 2004 and Angelo recognized it. Is Ryan Pace capable of doing the same thing in 2018?
