John Fox Introduced as Chicago Bears Head Coach
Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
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The John Fox introductory press conference was short and sweet. Ryan Pace was brief in his remarks and handed it off to John Fox. Fox made a short statement, said his “thank you’s” and jumped right in to face questions. It was a polar opposite to a Phil Emery press conference. Emery would still be talking about a dusty car or riding into an oil patch. The Chicago Bears organization won the press conference by keeping it simple and keeping it to football. We’ve had the wordy, nerdy press conferences. Ryan Pace and John Fox were about the basics of football.
Let’s look at some of the highlights of the press conference:
Pace led off, calling Fox a “game changer.”
Ryan Pace on new #Bears coach John Fox: "When he became available, honestly, the game changed."
— Zach Zaidman (@ZachZaidman) January 19, 2015
Part of Fox’s opening statement:
"To be standing in the same role as George Halas is pretty remarkable." -- #Bears coach John Fox
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) January 19, 2015
Fox on Cutler:
John Fox says Jay Cutler texted him to welcome him to Chicago. Fox texted back "it's only fun when we win and we will." #ChiBearsLive
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 19, 2015
Fox on what he looks for in a quarterback: "One that wins."
— Rich Campbell (@Rich_Campbell) January 19, 2015
Should have followed up with his definition of an “elite” quarterback. Phil Emery called Cutler “elite” since he had a winning record.
@peggykusinski to John Fox: "can you win with Jay Cutler?" Fox: "I'm looking forward to sitting down with Jay...I'm not there yet."
— Anthony Ponce (@anthonyponceTV) January 19, 2015
How’s that for a non-committed answer out there. I hope Jay is renting month to month.
Fox is eager to get #humantalent into the building.
John Fox on coaches: "We're going to try to locate the best human talent." #HumanTalent
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) January 19, 2015
Fox on filling out his staff:
John Fox on his style:
#Bears coach John Fox: "I'm brutally honest. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."
— Bob LeGere (@BobLeGere) January 19, 2015
Fox also said he is skipping the Senior Bowl to focus on filling out his coaching staff. He has met with and/or spoken to all of the holdovers from the Marc Trestman era. He noted that there are good coaches in the building, but he needs to get to know everyone.
Fox: "I can't make any promises except I'm going to give you everything I've got...Plus, that trophy looks pretty lonely out there.''
— David Haugh (@DavidHaugh) January 19, 2015
Fox came across as confident but certainly not arrogant. He looked like he’d been there before, very at ease addressing the media. He knows it’s not going to be an easy job:
Fox: "It's like holding Jello. It's a tough job."
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) January 19, 2015
What did you think of the presser? What was your first impression of John Fox? What are your expectations for the Bears under Fox?