Sunday, April 26, 2026
✶ Untold Chicago Stories ✶ Amazon Music
Home Blog Page 2974

17 Thoughts On The Bears’ Garbage Loss To The Lions

By
Dhruv Koul
-
(Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune) Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky (10) looks for an open receiver during the first half.

After the Chicago Bears’ uninspired, inexcusable and unacceptable loss to the Green Bay Packers last Sunday that effectively ended their season, I wrote in my Thoughts column following the game that that loss sealed John Fox’s fate: He would be fired at the end of the season.

The reasons why are well documented and have been harped on repeatedly all year long. The only objective remaining for this season is developing Mitch Trubisky and the rest of the Bears’ young core. And their first shot to see (hopefully) better results was today against the Detroit Lions.

Now that the actual game outcomes mean very little consequentially (unless you love draft positioning for whatever reason), I wanted to see a few things from today’s game. I wanted the defense to step up and atone for last week’s embarrassment against Brett Hundley (!) and get back to looking like a Top 10 unit. I wanted Dowell Loggains to learn a thing or two and start throwing the ball more on first and second down, and start scheming his players open a bit better. And I wanted to see Trubisky take yet another step in his upward trajectory and put together a few touchdown drives, considering the Bears offense had scored just two touchdowns in their last 13 quarters entering this game. No, that’s not a typo.

And of course, as a fan, I wanted to see them beat a divisional foe, given their 0-3 record so far this year against the NFC North. Yet, the Bears squandered a big opportunity to get back on track with a third consecutive frustrating-as-hell loss. Here are my thoughts and observations from this game:

0. Pre-game Thought: Danny Trevathan being out again with a calf injury after having not practiced since the New Orleans Saints game is majorly concerning, but also fascinating. He finished that game with seemingly no issues, and then the Bears went on their bye week. And Trevathan hasn’t practiced since. The Bears clearly missed his presence last week against the Packers run game. Though the Lions don’t have a good running game, I still expected that the Bears would miss him again against Ameer Abdullah. He needs to get healthy quickly to boost this defense back to what it was before the bye.

1. The Bears started throwing (!) on their first possession. Finally! They dropped back on their first three snaps, going incomplete on the first two, before a pass to Daniel Brown picked up a first down. We saw some zone-read, moving pockets, jet sweeps — stuff we had not seen all year. The drive ended with a field goal — the first points Chicago had scored on its opening possession all year. It seems John Fox and Dowell Loggains are finally willing to mix it up and open it up. At last!

2. The Lions were driving on their opening possession, thanks in part to a bad missed tackle from Kyle Fuller on a play he read perfectly. But the Bears got to Matthew Stafford on a 3rd-and-8 — Stafford lost the ball and Akiem Hicks recovered. Great to see a takeaway forced early on from this defense.

3. Jordan Howard — what a beast. Varied play-calling on the opening possession surely opened up that draw play for a 50-yard run on first down. Great burst by Howard, too. Two plays later, Trubisky threw a beautiful pass to Adam Shaheen to put Chicago up 10-0. Dowell Loggains was on his game, and it’s great to see the Bears take advantage of a turnover from the defense and actually punch in a touchdown.

4. I think last week’s all-timer challenge failure made John Fox gun shy. On the Lions’ second possession, Stafford “completed” a pass for a first down on a comeback route to TJ Jones, but replays showed the ball hit the ground and bounced up into Jones’s lap. It was an obvious challenge, but Fox didn’t throw the flag. I get his hesitation from last week, but don’t agree with it whatsoever.

5. After the Bears’ best first quarter of the season, they opened the second quarter disastrously. Kyle Long committed an unnecessary roughness penalty to bring back a Trubisky run for a first down, and then Trubisky fumbled the ensuing snap that was returned for a touchdown by the Lions defense. Just like that, a 10-0 lead with a chance to take true control of the game became a 10-7 lead. The Bears aren’t good enough to overcome mistakes like this. The Bears seem unable to play a complete, disciplined game. Again, a coaching issue. Rinse, lather, repeat.

6. I am still in shock by this play-calling and creativity from Dowell Loggains in the first half. Where the hell was this last week? Or all year, for that matter? We know he’s capable because he got a lot of production last year from nobodies!

7. The Bears are awful at third-and-long defense. Why? Why is it hard to defend 3rd-and-15? This really needs to be cleaned up for next year. It’s inexcusable. Pass defense has been brutal. Marcus Cooper, especially, has been awful.

8. Bears had a 10-0, and then a 17-7 lead in the first half, and both times those leads were wiped out by stupidity. The first one thanks to the offense, and the second one thanks to the defense. All of a sudden, Bears found themselves losing at halftime and going back on defense to start the second half. Shooting themselves in the foot and being unable to take control of games — something we’ve gotten all too familiar with these last three years.

9. The Bears defense forced a punt on the opening possession of the second half, and the Bears got the ball at midfield to start. And they went three-and-out. Wasting that kind of field position is inexcusable. Trubisky struggled with accuracy on a couple throws on that possession, but it had more to do with his footwork. I’m not worried about it. As he continues to get the footwork down, the accuracy will come. That’s his strength.

10. Adam Shaheen is emerging. After flashing last week in the first quarter and then not being targeted again all game (thanks, coaches), Shaheen established himself as a pass-catching target for Trubisky going forward. His play-making ability is apparent, and I’m excited to watch him continue growing the rest of this season. It’s clear Trubisky trusts him, and that’s huge.

11. Two dropped interceptions from the Bears defense, after Kyle Fuller dropped an early chance against Brett Hundley last week, which then set the (bad) tone for the rest of the game. They need to take advantage of their opportunities, especially against a quarterback like Stafford.

12. I guess I should have added “staying healthy” to the list above of what all I wanted to see. Leonard Floyd is likely lost for the season after that awful collision between him and Kyle Fuller — it was reminiscent of Cam Meredith’s injury in the preseason. This team is snake bitten. One of their young building blocks will have to fight to be healthy for next season now. Just awful. I wonder what’s going on in Ryan Pace’s mind right now.

13. Why does Tarik Cohen keep taking returns out from deep in the end zone? I understand he’s an explosive playmaker and wants to make plays, but be smart. Field position matters for a team like the Bears. You can’t start behind the eight ball every time.

14. If that Lions rookie pass rusher would’ve injured Trubisky on that cheap shot low hit that was flagged for roughing … oh man. I think I’d have launched a campaign to throw him out of the league. Hey if the owners can do that to Jerry Jones … OK, yes, overreacting to the Leonard Floyd injury. But that was ridiculously scary.

15. It’s clear the Bears will need to double, maybe even triple dip in the OLB position this offseason. It was already a big need, with Pernell McPhee clearly a shell of himself, Willie Young’s injury, and Sam Acho not much of a pass-rushing threat. And the injury to Floyd makes it even more of a pressing need.

16. Trubisky led two fourth-quarter game tying drives. Until Connor Barth kicked his way to the street come next week. The Bears have their quarterback, but they don’t have a kicker. Barth has one job. One god damn job. Bears deserved better.

17. This was a very frustrating loss. The Bears had control of this game early, had a chance to stomp on the Lions’ throats, and choked it away. The Packers, after stunning the Bears last week, got destroyed on their home field by the Ravens, whom the Bears beat on the road. Just a poor coaching job after the bye so far from John Fox has this team on the cusp of another Top 10 finish in draft positioning. Add to it the sobering loss of Leonard Floyd, and the Bears lost way more than just the game today.

Bonus Thought: Check out the GIF quoted in my Tweet that I’ve shared below. This is absolutely hilarious and well worth your time.

Leonard Floyd Carted Off The Field vs. Lions With Leg Injury

By
Erik Lambert
-

The Chicago Bears defense is already thin in a number of areas. The last thing they needed was to lose one of their best players. That’s exactly what happened when Leonard Floyd got into a collision with teammate Kyle Fuller while attempting to make a tackle against the Detroit Lions. It appears to be a lower right leg injury of some time.

The injury misfortunes are long and star-studded for the Bears over the past two years. Floyd was in the midst of having a good year and looked like he was getting better. To get taken out by his own teammate makes this far more bittersweet. Time will tell how severe an injury it is, but typically when a cart is involved it’s never good.

Chance The Rapper Covers Hockey For SNL With As Much Knowledge As Lazlow Jones From GTA

By
Matthew Milakovich
-

Ya’ll remember Lazlow Jones? The crude, obnoxious, sometimes “laugh with you,” but more often “laugh at you” funny DJ from Grand Theft Auto?

He was not only the longest running character of the GTA franchise, but despite his cringe worthiness, in general a blast to listen to.

Last night on Saturday Night Live, Chicago’s own Chance the Rapper took a stab at covering hockey in a skit as sideline reporter “Lazlow Holmes” for MSG Network. And much the same as Lazlow Jones, Chance was totally cringe worthy, but also pretty fuckin’ hilarious.

Some of the funnier moments of the skit will definitely connect with all you anti-hockey fans.

From names that are impossible to spell, to awkward references and penalties you’ve never heard of– Chance covers it all.

Just look at that face, lost and cold; out of his element yet so charming. How can you not just love ya boy Chance? You gotta watch it.

Kyle Long Claims He’s Never Seen Anyone Like Trubisky

By
Erik Lambert
-
kyle long

Kyle Long has gone through quite the rainbow of quarterbacks over his short career. In 2013 he split time between Jay Cutler and Josh McCown. A year later he got a brief taste of Jimmy Clausen. Last year Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley each got turns when Cutler was hurt. This season it was four games of Mike Glennon before the team turned to rookie Mitch Trubisky.

One would think Long has pretty much seen or heard every different way a quarterback can act in and out of the huddle. As it turns out he freely admitted this isn’t the case. Trubisky is not like the others. He’s…different. Long went into detail about what makes the rookie unique, and special.

“He doesn’t seem like a rookie to us anymore,” said Kyle Long. “He just takes command of the huddle. I’ve never played with a guy who does it like he does. The attention to detail, the ability to be very straight-forward with the offensive line and communicate any issues we may have. Mitch is a guy who has no issue with being open with his communications.”

Kyle Long isn’t only Bears teammate impressed by Trubisky

Josh Sitton was actually the first player to speak up on Trubisky. Last week while talking to Packers media he stated how the rookie would yell at guys for breaking the huddle too soon. Nobody steps out until he breaks it himself. It was a level of command not usually seen in a 23-year old starting the first games of his professional career.

It’s clear by both these accounts that Trubisky takes this job seriously. Not just the Xs and Os either. He doesn’t take the responsibilities as a leader for granted. Every little thing he can do to ensure teammates can and should listen to him, he takes it. He gets into practice before everybody, leaves after everybody, helps them with taking off pads and grinds on film constantly.

The results haven’t all been spectacular yet, but they have been improving. Trubisky had the best game of his young career against Green Bay with 297 yards and a touchdown. There are still kinks to work out, but the progress is hard to miss. Based on comments like the one from Long? Several Bears are anxious to see where this goes.

They’ll get their chance with seven games left to play. Then things get really interesting next offseason.

Ryan Pace Is Following Saints Blueprint Closer Than You Thought

By
Erik Lambert
-
ryan pace

Following the 2017 NFL draft, it suddenly dawned on people what Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace was doing. He was building a roster that was almost a mirror image of the New Orleans Saints teams he was part of as a scout and executive. The similarities in skill sets between the players was almost impossible to ignore.

  • An accurate and charismatic quarterback (Mitch Trubisky)
  • A cat quick, fast and undersized running back (Tarik Cohen)
  • The big, athletic tight end who excels in passing game (Adam Shaheen)
  • An aggressive and physical defensive front seven
  • An offensive line built with a strong interior trio
  • Free safety with a history at cornerback (Eddie Jackson)
  • Underappreciated inside linebacker who just makes plays (Danny Trevathan)

Of course the winning part of those similarities hasn’t shown up yet. Still it’s at least clear Pace is following the blueprint that he saw have success. That makes it easy to miss how deep the GM has taken it. Talking about the roster is one thing, but believe it or not Pace also is doing it with his coaching staff too.

Ryan Pace is remarkably like Mickey Loomis in approach

People don’t know how similar Pace is to his former mentor, Saints GM Mickey Loomis. Pace took over the Bears when he was 38-years old in 2015. Turns out that was the exact same age Loomis was when he became GM. Like Pace he was faced with a choice. Does he go with a fresh head coach or stick with one who had experience?

Such was the case in 2002. Jim Haslett has been the coach for two seasons in New Orleans. During that time he went 10-6 and 7-9 respectively. Thus it’s not hard to see why Loomis stuck with him. Being a rookie general manager, it was preferable to have a head coach already in place. Somebody with experience and a conservative approach to the game per his defensive background.

Sounds just like the approach Pace took when he hired John Fox.

Loomis stuck with Haslett for the next few seasons as he acclimated to the job. By 2006 though he was ready for a change. Haslett had failed to lift the team to the playoffs during that time and crashed to earth at 3-13 the year before. This was coincided by the loss of offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy to San Francisco. Is any coincidence the same happened to Fox after losing Adam Gase?

Loomis realized the team needed an overhaul on that side of the ball. So he hired Cowboys assistant head coach Sean Payton. As luck would have it a few months later they signed Drew Brees.

Pace has his window to get the final puzzle piece

Part of the reason Loomis clung to Haslett for so long was reasonable success. The Saints went 9-7, 8-8 and 8-8 the first three years together. Nobody criticized it. Pace doesn’t have to worry about such a conundrum. Barring a drastic turnaround Fox won’t even sniff 8-8 this season, marking the third-straight time he’ll have a losing record in Chicago.

Like Loomis, Pace has had time to find his identity as a GM. He’s far more sure of himself and his actions than he was in 2015. That is proven by his quality drafting and his string of overhauls to the Bears organizational structure. He also believes he’s found his Brees in Trubisky. Given how close he’s stuck to the blueprint to this point, there’s only one mission left to accomplish.

He has to find his Payton. Like Haslett in New Orleans, Fox’s usefulness to the organization has come to an end. The locker room is strong. The defense and running game are rebuilt. It’s time to throw the weight of the organization behind their young QB. That starts with the man at the top.

Bears Ownership Keeps Ignoring Vital Lesson Blackhawks and Cubs Taught

By
Erik Lambert
-
bears ownership

Fans have loved to hammer Chicago Bears ownership for the past three decades. Ever since their mismanagement of that great team in the 1980s to the persistent dumpster fire seen over the past couple years, its been one long string of disappointments. Virginia McCaskey and her sons may mean well and insist they want win. Problem is they’ve consistently shown they don’t understand how.

One Super Bowl appearance in the past 31 years? Four playoff appearances since the year 2000? That is unbecoming of a charter NFL franchise. As a result the McCaskeys have taken a beating in the media for a long time. More vocal fans are pleading with them to sell the team. Why? It’s not because they refuse to spend money, which is a persistent myth. The truth is they don’t truly understand football.

Virginia obviously never played or coached the game. Her sons Michael and George, who have traded the chairman job since they inherited the team, had no football backgrounds either. Michael served in the Peace Corps and taught business at major colleges. George split time between being an attorney and working in television.

These people didn’t pursue football out of love. It sort of fell in their laps.

Bears ownership proving to have loyalty in the wrong people

Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun-Times brought up a great point about the situation facing the McCaskeys. Sure they want to win, but the state of the NFL doesn’t make this an urgent matter. Why? They make money regardless if they win or lose.

“The NFL offers a mixed message to its owners. Winning is supposed to be everything, but the truth is that there is no punitive cost to losing. Because NFL teams share revenue from massive national TV contracts, there are only varying levels of ungodly wealth. The Bears went 3-13 last season, yet their value grew 6 percent to $2.85 billion this year, according to Forbes magazine. That makes them the seventh-most valuable team in the NFL. When in the last three decades were they among the top seven football teams in the league?”

It goes beyond that though. For years the team has insisted their hires at GM represent the absolute peak of decision-making in the organization. Problem is that’s not true. The buck doesn’t stop with the GM, it stops with team president Ted Phillips. That much has been made clear with Phillips’ constant presence around every major decision regarding the organization from a football perspective, and that’s a huge issue.

Phillips had no football background

The two franchises most revered in Chicago these days are the Cubs and Blackhawks. Both are perennial playoff contenders who have each won a championship since 2015. How did they get to this point? Their owners were smart enough to do one key thing. They put sports guys in charge at the top.

Rocky Wirtz pursued John McDonough to become Blackhawks team president in 2007. McDonough had spent the previous 30+ years working in various front offices. He was part of a semi-pro soccer league in the early 1980s before finding work with the Chicago Cubs in 1983. His efforts helped the organization produce some quality teams in 1984 and 2003. So when Wirtz hired him he was already well-versed in what it takes to manage a successful sports franchise.

Cubs owner Tom Ricketts did much the same thing. He pursued Theo Epstein and made him team president. Epstein played baseball in high school and edited his colleges’ sports news column. He had a burning passion for the game. Eventually he worked his way up to becoming GM of the Boston Red Sox and they won the World Series in 2004, 2007 and 2011. He was a proven baseball mind.

Phillips? He was a tax accountant in his early life with no significant background in football. He didn’t even get involved with the game until the McCaskeys took over following the death of George Halas in 1983. Ten years later he was Vice President of Operations and six years after that he was President. The Bears have made the playoffs four times during his run at the job. Does his lack of background in football (or any sport) play a part?

Top NFL teams have “football guys” at the top

This shouldn’t be a hard example to follow. One merely has to look around the NFL and the most successful organizations have a football guy in charge. Patriots owner Robert Kraft played the game in college and was a lifelong fan. He also had experience owning a sports franchise prior to buying New England. Dick Cass, team president for the Baltimore Ravens, captained his football team in high school and worked for years helping NFL teams with their various operations before getting his current job.

Last but not least? Green Bay Packers team president Mark Murphy played for eight years with the Washington Redskins. So ask this question. If you owned a football franchise and you had to choose between a career accountant who never played the game and a former player who has a business degree to run it, who would you choose?

Well the McCaskeys chose wrong. Therein lay the great conundrum.

RUMOR: Cubs Interested In 2x Gold Glove Winning Center Fielder

By
Aldo Soto
-

The Chicago Cubs have seemingly been in trade talks with the Tampa Bay Rays since 2015, and the rumors aren’t slowing down at all. The latest has the Cubs having interest in their gold glove center fielder.

During Friday’s Bernstein and Goff Show on 670 The Score, Dan Bernstein shared what his Cubs sources recently told him. First, he stated the obvious, saying the Cubs are interested in free agent starting pitcher Alex Cobb, who wants to be reunited with pitching coach Jim Hickey and the other big offseason buzz of a possible Chris Archer trade. Bernstein also reiterated how the Cubs want to find a buyer for Jason Heyward, but there simply isn’t a market for him. OK, so nothing new, until he dropped this bomb.

The Cubs are interested in center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, according to Bernstein. You can listen to that conversation here, the discussion starts at 30:32.

Kiermaier, 27, is regarded as one of the top defensive center fielders in the game. He won back-to-back gold gloves in 2015 and 2016, respectively, while also receiving the platinum glove award in 2015. That award is given to the best overall defender in each league every year. He’s crazy good in the outfield and is coming off a career high in home runs with 15 in 2017, despite only playing in 98 games, the fewest amount during his four-year career.

The two-time gold glove winner is signed through 2022, after agreeing to a six-year, $53.5 million contract extension. The deal also has a club option for 2023. Anyway, the supposed interest was met with immediate skepticism, but also some excitement.

I’m not going to attempt to construct a possible trade proposal that could lure Kiermaier away from the Rays, but could you image the outfield defense of Albert Almora Jr., Kiermaier and Jason Heyward for the Cubs? Again, just thinking out loud with no sense of what the Rays would ask for, but Almora platooning with Kiermaier or Kyle Schwarber would be great offensively, too.

Kiermaier has a career slash line of .262/.319/.431, but against right-handed pitching, his OPS jumps 35 points to .785. The Cubs could easily plug him in at center, have an amazing outfield defense and a new leadoff hitter. Obviously, whatever trade happens the Cubs are going to have to let go of a big name, but what if they’re potentially looking at a mega deal with the Rays?

Theo Epstein made it clear after the Cubs were eliminated from the 2017 playoffs that they’d be exploring trades for pitching and would be prepared to deal away some of their young MLB talent. Well, we know Tampa Bay is listening to offers for Chris Archer, and what if the Kiermaier interest is real? The Cubs have to dangle one of their big names and Bernstein suggests it could be Addison Russell, according to his sources.

Russell’s off field issues were pointed to as the main reason why the Cubs may be willing to deal the young shortstop. That conversation starts at 32:30, click here to listen.

So, I think it’s kind of interesting. Not sure why the Rays would want to trade Kiermaier, but at the end it comes down to what’s offered and how much the Cubs truly are interested in him. The other stuff though, Cobb and Archer, is going to have more legs. Especially Cobb, who’s made it pretty clear that he’d love to pitch for the Cubs. 

Ahhh, it’s getting colder outside but the MLB hot stove keeps getting warmer.

New Bears Development Inadvertently Hints at Ryan Pace’s Future

By
Erik Lambert
-
ryan pace

The Chicago Bears go out of their way to make sure they never divulge any information pertaining to the futures their employees. Amidst the swirling debates over head coach John Fox, the team has not let a single bit of information leak reflecting one plan or another. All people can do is speculate. Still nobody is perfect. Some have wondered whether the team has lost any faith in GM Ryan Pace given the string of difficult seasons since 2015.

Based on a recent announcement by the organization, his fans have nothing to worry about. It was widely believed Pace was secure in his job. Aside from a handful of missteps he actually done a fine job steadily reloaded the Bears roster with intriguing young talent. Still, facts are facts. The Bears are 12-29 during his tenure.

It seems that hasn’t soured him on ownership. That much was clear based on the announcement that the organization would undertake a massive expansion of Halas Hall to be completed by 2019.

Ryan Pace is at the front of renovation plans

What does this have to do with Pace’s future? The changes to the complex are largely led by his initiatives. This is part of an ongoing effort by him to complete modernize the organization. He already did it with the scouting and medical practices. Now he’s set to take a big cut at the training and practice areas as well.

The point of this? It’s hard to imagine the Bears allowing Pace this much leeway with changing their mode of operation. At least if there was any inkling at all that his job status was in jeopardy. True to form Pace applied his usual thorough research to the project. Every notable NFL and college complex was examined. The idea being that he’s intent on making Chicago a cutting edge franchise.

After years of living by tradition, it’s refreshing to finally have a GM who thinks forward. Seems the ownership is seeing things the same way. Embracing new medical ideas. Seeking to make players better through technology. A thorough investment at the quarterback position. Pace is the first at his position to make a serious sweeping effort in all those areas.

Sure it’s not showing up in the win column yet. However, Pace is a man who has always thought long-term. It might make for early headaches, but down the road it will all pay off.  He’s stuck to this message and the Bears are still buying in.

John Fox Hasn’t Been the Same Since His Heart Incident

By
Erik Lambert
-
john fox

Make no mistake. The NFL is an unforgiving business. The demand to win is constant and pressing. It can have a serious impact on physical and mental health for those who’ve gone through the grind for a long period of time. Especially as they get older. Gary Kubiak, the former head coach of the Broncos and Texans retired because of persistent health issues. What many may forget is Chicago Bears head coach John Fox had one as well.

The difference is it happened on a golf course instead of the football field.

Back in 2013 Fox was told by doctors he had a problem with the aortic valve in his heart. At some point he’d have to get it fixed. Doing so during the season didn’t seem prudent though. His wife pushed him constantly to see the doctor. It wasn’t until he suffered an episode that really brought home how close he was to things getting serious.

Wife of John Fox always knew the problem was coming

Her description of what happened when action was finally taken is rather frightening. She put it in her own words thanks to collaboration with Sports Illustrated.

“That day, he went out golfing with his buddies. A bunch of the wives, we all met for lunch together with the guys after nine holes, and then they left to play the back nine. A friend and I were heading out to run some errands, and we might have been two miles from the house, and here comes a fire truck and an ambulance. We had no idea who it was for.

We pulled over to the side, let them go by, and no sooner did we pull into the parking lot of where we were going that I got a phone call. It was a friend of his. “Hey, listen, we think it’s John’s heart. You better get back here. It’s not good.”

I turned the car around. I flew back. When I got there, he was in the golf cart, and he had oxygen, with paramedics around him. He was feeling really good at that point, with the oxygen, but they went to take the oxygen off he started getting woozy again. He knew he had to go to the hospital.”

Fox was admitted shortly after and underwent surgery to repair the valve. He ended up missing four games for the Broncos that season, during which they went 3-1. When he finally returned things continued on track and Denver reached the Super Bowl. Unfortunately they were trounced 43-8 by the Seahawks.

Did the episode change Fox?

It’s fair to wonder if that brush with death might’ve altered perspective for Fox. He was 58-years old at the time. It’s not a shock to think that maybe it crept into his head that he might die if he kept pushing himself too hard. One could say the cracks started to show after that. The loss to Seattle was bad enough. In 2014, even though the Broncos went 12-4 there were warning signs.

Getting blown out by the 3-6 Rams was bad, as was failing to give their rival Patriots a challenge in their rematch from the AFC championship game. Yet things came to a head in the playoffs when Denver was soundly beaten at Mile High 24-13 by the Indianapolis Colts. That was the loss that compelled John Elway to fire Fox.

None of that stopped the Bears from scooping him up almost immediately. Fox took over and not much has changed. He’s 12-29 with seven games left in his third season. The persistent issue? His players aren’t executing with enough discipline. This speaks to a head coach who isn’t paying attention to the details.

How did the man who got Jake Delhomme to the Super Bowl and Tim Tebow to the playoffs fall to this point?

Ditka would understand his pain

One man who might understand this reality is Mike Ditka himself. In 1988 the thought-to-be invincible Bears head coach suffered a heart attack during the season. Like Fox he came back and led the team on an inspired deep playoff run. Also like Fox it ended in dismal fashion, a 28-3 blowout at home to 49ers.

It was felt by some that Ditka wasn’t quite the same after that. He didn’t have the same edge, the same relentless drive. It certainly showed on the field. In seasons before the heart attack he was 73-31 and 4-3 in the playoffs. After it he was 33-31 and 2-3 in the playoffs. Still decent but not what he once was. Keep in mind Ditka was only 49 when that happened. Almost a decade younger than Fox.

Dan Reeves too. He suffered a heart condition in 1998, came back and went to the Super Bowl. After that he had just one winning season over the final five years of his career.

Chicago wanted to believe that they were getting the master of team turnarounds when he was hired in 2015. It may be instead they got a shadow of who the man once was. Brushes with death are fairly unforgiving that way. This isn’t a crime or a knock on Fox. It’s merely a reality the Bears must face, and another reason it’s time for a change.

Possible Staffs Every Bears Head Coach Candidate Could Build

By
Erik Lambert
-
bears head coach

No matter who the next Chicago Bears head coach is, few things are more important than whether or not he’ll be able to build a strong enough staff. Make no mistake that the choices of offensive and defensive coordinator can prove vital to success. Ask John Fox. He got it right with Adam Gase in 2015 but blundered with his promotion of Dowell Loggains in 2016. Sometimes it’s little decisions like that which can turn a tenure south quick.

So what about the top potential candidates of 2018? What sort of staffs could they put together were the Bears to hire one of them. Here’s an overview of the biggest names and who their choices could end up being. Keep in mind we’re keeping this just to the offensive and defensive coordinator positions.

Jim Harbaugh

OC:  Freddie Kitchens

One of the great things about Harbaugh is he always has an eye out for coaching talent from other teams, including regular opponents. He will no doubt have noticed the work done by Freddie Kitchens when his San Francisco 49ers played the Arizona Cardinals twice a year. Since 2007 Kitchens has served as tight ends, quarterbacks and running backs coach for them. The fact he was retained in 2013 when the Cardinals changed head coaches says a lot. Under his guidance Carson Palmer was reborn, having two of the best seasons of his career in 2015 and 2016. Kitchens is ready for the next step.

DC:  Vic Fangio

The hiring of Harbaugh has plenty of caveats but the biggest by far would be the likely chance to retain current Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. The two have a long history dating back to 2010 when they worked together at Stanford before going up to San Francisco and having an outstanding run there. Fangio has said he likes offensive coaches who take an interest in defense and few do that more than Harbaugh.

Josh McDaniels

OC:  Chad O’Shea

Given the fact McDaniels will likely direct the offense himself, the odds say he’ll bring a young assistant with him from New England. Somebody he trusts. Chad O’Shea has been the Patriots wide receivers coach since 2009. In that time he’s done a phenomenal job developing weapons for Tom Brady including Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, and Chris Hogan. He also got career years out of Wes Welker and Brandon LaFell. Given the Bears’ issues at wide receiver, this hire would make plenty of sense.

DC:  Mike Pettine

It’s curious why Pettine hasn’t coached since 2015. Sure his run with the Cleveland Browns as head coach was a disaster, but that’s true of most men these days. As an assistant, particularly a defensive coordinator Pettine is actually quite good. In his five years on the job between the Jets and Bills from 2009 to 2013, his unit never ranked lower than 10th in total defense. McDaniels went against him a number of times so there is plenty of familiarity.

Matt Lafleur

OC:  Greg Olson

This will be an easy decision for Lafleur. He’s currently working with Olson in Los Angeles who is the Rams quarterbacks coach. Olson is among the most experienced offensive coordinators in the NFL. He’s actually held that job for five different teams across an 11-year span. During that time he had some success, most notably with the quarterbacks. Marc Bulger went to a Pro Bowl in 2006. Josh Freeman threw 25 TDs in 2010 and 35 TDs from Blake Bortles in 2015. He even had a hand in the early development of Derek Carr with the Raiders.

DC:  Raheem Morris

Lafleur and Morris go way back. They both were on the Washington Redskins coaching staff from 2012 to 2013 and reunited from 2015 to 2016 with the Atlanta Falcons. Morris was a former head coach in Tampa Bay and brings a history of success as an assistant dating back years. He’s known for his high energy and ability to communicate with players. Every defense he has coached for excelled with him on the staff.

Matt Patricia

OC: Gary Kubiak 

Patricia knows Kubiak well. The two went head-to-head several times in high stakes games when the latter was head coach at Houston, offensive coordinator in Baltimore and head coach again in Denver. Each time Kubiak found a way to test and fluster Patricia. In fact his defense allowed 28 or more points five times when going against Kubiak. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist (which Patricia is) to know that kind of coach is a must-have.

DC: Josh Boyer

Few position groups have been overturned more during the Bill Belichick era in New England than the cornerbacks. Yet it seems like every year they have news faces who are becoming stars. Josh Boyer became defensive backs coach for the team in 2009 and was moved to cornerbacks in 2012. Every year it seemed like he was getting great seasons from improbable names:  Brandon Meriweather, Kyle Arrington, Logan Ryan, Malcolm Butler, and Duron Harmon. He’s young and ascending.

Dave Toub

OC:  Brad Childress

Bears fans will remember Childress as head coach of the Vikings from 2006 to 2010. During that time he had considerable success. Before that he was offensive coordinator in Philadelphia and after he took up an assistant position in Kansas City. With his help Alex Smith has gone on to the best stretch of his career, Childress helping to alter the scheme to fit what he does best. One thing is clear. Whenever he had a decent quarterback as a coordinator, his offenses ranked 13th or higher in points scored.

DC:  John Pagano

Toub should be familiar with the work of Pagano, having seen him up close for five seasons when he was defensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers. Despite some talent deficiencies at times, Pagano had success. They finished top 10 in total defense in 2012 and 2014 and fourth in takeaways in 2016. His 3-4 leanings make him an obvious to maintain scheme continuity should Fangio leave.

Frank Reich

OC:  John DeFilippo

There is no doubt that Reich may seek to bring DeFilippo with him from Philadelphia. His work as a quarterbacks coach is fairly extensive. He helped Mark Sanchez to an AFC championship as a rookie in 2009. He coached up Derek Carr as a rookie in 2014 and has since done a phenomenal job with Carson Wentz over the past two years. Some rumblings say he may even get head coaching looks next year. Odds are though that will wait until he gets coordinating experience.

DC:  Ray Horton

It’s amazing the raw deal that Ray Horton has gotten over the past few years. The guy was asked to work miracles in places like Arizona, Cleveland and Tennessee and never given enough time to see it through. His first runs as a coordinator with Arizona, his unit ranked 18th the first year and 12th the next. The first lone season he had with the Browns in 2013 they ranked ninth. He took the Titans from 29th to 12th his two years in Tennessee after that. The man has never been given a fair shake to fully implement his defense. He and Reich worked together in Arizona, so there’s a connection.

Teryl Austin

OC:  James Urban

Urban and Austin have a competitive history together. For three seasons they went head-to-head, Urban’s wide receivers in Cincinnati against Austin’s secondary in Baltimore. It was a battle each and every time. Urban was a favorite among Bengals players to become offensive coordinator this past year but was overlooked in favor of Bill Lazor. Many in the league feel he’s overdue for a shot at the job. Austin knows his work well. This would be an intriguing marriage.

DC:  Chuck Pagano

The fate of Pagano remains unclear but there is a growing belief the Indianapolis Colts head coach will be replaced at the end of this season by new GM Chris Ballard. If so Austin, who worked with him in Baltimore could pounce. Pagano is a 3-4 defensive specialist who was outstanding in his lone year as a coordinator in 2011 for the Ravens. His units in Indianapolis have also been solid despite a clear lack of front line talent. He’s a motivator with a great attention to detail.

1...2,9732,9742,975...3,213Page 2,974 of 3,213

Subscribe to our Newsletter

✶ An Unfiltered Voice For Chicago Sports Fans ✶

Chicago Sports News

About Us

© Sports Mockery, Inc. 2026