The Chicago Bears appear set to hire John Fox as the storied franchise’s 15th head coach. After an interview with newbie GM Ryan Pace, there were concerns about Fox slipping through the cracks as he flew back to Denver. I suppose it was just to get his favorite orange and blue tie, because Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole was first with the news:
#NFL exec source says John Fox is getting the #Bears job.
— Jason Cole (@JasonCole62) January 15, 2015
Fox brings with him instant credibility and supplants Paddy Driscoll as the last head coach the Bears hired who had previous NFL head coaching experience when Papa Bears Halas hired him back in 1958. Fox mutually parted ways with Denver, but there’s been some speculation that this was in the works via back channels even when Fox was still with the Broncos.
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Fox may not be “the guy” but he very well could be the guy who gets you to the guy if you know what I mean. I think Fox is the safest pick and right guy for the Chicago Bears at this time. As Ryan Pace is still learning on the job and a ton of variables, Fox presents an all important known. When you’re trying to solve an equation, the more knowns or the more constants you can get, the better your chances of solving it.
According to various reports, the frontrunners to fill out the key coordinator posts would be Kyle Shanahan as OC and Dennis Allen as DC. Fox is a defensive guy and he’ll bring the focus back to running the ball and playing defense. It may remind us more of Lovie-ball than we care to think. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Of course, nothing is done until it’s done. As long time Bears fans will recall, Dave McGinnis was supposedly hired as the Bears head coach, but then he wasn’t. Here’s how WSCR recounted the events of January 22, 1999:
"Early in the search, it was widely speculated that McGinnis was the favorite, as he was the last to interview.Shortly after McGinnis interviewed, he received a phone call from Bears president Michael McCaskey regarding contract terms. McGinnis said he needed some time and he would think about it.The next morning, McCaskey inexplicably notified the Bear’s PR department to call a 1:00 press conference to announce the hiring of Dave McGinnis as the 11th head coach of the Chicago Bears. Wannstedt’s voicemail was even changed at Halas Hall to “Dave McGinnis, Head Coach.” The only problem with this scenario was that McGinnis had never officially accepted the position.McGinnis was furious that the team would do this before he had agreed to the contract terms. The press conference was postponed all afternoon, and finally canceled at the end of the day."
So take the report with a grain of salt and await official confirmation on Fox’s hiring. In the meantime…
BEAR DOWN!!!
Next: Fox Flies To Denver After Interview