Matt Eberflus was the first coaching candidate to earn a second interview with the Chicago Bears last week. Now it seems he’s learned who his competition will be. According to Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, former head coaches Dan Quinn and Jim Caldwell will be getting second looks as well. A surefire sign that it seems ownership is placing a heavy emphasis on previous experience in their current search.
I reported on Sunday that Quinn made a strong impression in his first interview. The fact Chicago made sure to line up a second so quickly indicates how much momentum he is gaining. Both Quinn and Caldwell went to a Super Bowl at previous coaching stops. Quinn in Atlanta and Caldwell in Indianapolis. Both also have strong track records when it comes to coaching up the quarterback position.
Yet it’s difficult not to feel the Bill Polian influence here.
The #Bears are set to request 2nd interviews with 2 more candidates — #Cowboys DC Dan Quinn & ex-#Lions coach Jim Caldwell, per me and @MikeGarafolo. #Colts DC Matt Eberflus has his 2nd interview on Wednesday, per @TomPelissero. #Saints DC Dennis Allen is interviewing tomorrow.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 24, 2022
Matt Eberflus has felt like the leading candidate for the #Bears’ job for some time now, but he’ll have to fend off a group of candidates with previous head-coaching experience. https://t.co/G5phRr3aV8
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 24, 2022
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McCaskey stated from the beginning that the Chicago Bears would lean heavily on the Hall of Fame GM for his expertise at finding a new regime to turn things around. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that two of the candidates have close ties to him. Caldwell worked under him in Indianapolis when he was still running the Colts and Eberflus is their current defensive coordinator. Quinn appears to be the wild card in the mix, having made a strong enough impression to challenge for the job.
Remember, those three second interviews are specifically requested by the 5-person committee. A new GM will likely add to that list. (But Ryan Poles is very pro-Quinn.)
— DaBearsBlog (@dabearsblog) January 24, 2022
Is Dan Quinn exciting? No. But he’s wowed in his interviews at multiple locations. He’s coming prepared with what’s reportedly a killer staff. And he’s got brilliant answers to the “what will you do differently this time around” questions.
— DaBearsBlog (@dabearsblog) January 24, 2022
What makes this process more confusing is the Bears still don’t have a new GM. As of right now, only Chiefs director of player personnel Ryan Poles is getting a second interview this Tuesday. Apparently he is a big back of Quinn. It’s worth mentioning that Colts director of college scouting Morocco Brown gets his first on Monday and Garafolo has said he is also favored by Polian. These decisions are sure to anger plenty of fans.
They won’t see any of these three candidates as quality hires. Caldwell is 67-years old. Quinn failed to build on his early success in Atlanta. Eberflus is untried as a head coach and comes from a defensive background. If one of them ends up being the choice, it will be a tough sell.
