John Fox: The Right Coach at the Right Time

John Fox wears a lot of labels as head coach. Too conservative, poor game clock management and can’t win the big one. The one label that most forget about is that John Fox is a winner. Currently he is at 124-97 with a winning percentage of 56%. That is exactly the type of head coach the Bears needed when he was hired. Even with the Bears sitting at 5-8 he has already proven he is the right coach at the right time for the Chicago Bears.

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Fans and the media will always question a head coach’s clock management, game plan as regards to being conservative or too aggressive. The fact is head coaches can’t win that perception, and in truth it doesn’t really matter what the media or fans think. It’s about winning, and winning is about execution. Any coach will tell you there is no such thing as a bad game plan. If everyone does what they are supposed to do, most plays will be successful. Sure there will be times the defense will guess right and stifle a play but that is what football is all about. It’s a chess match and each play is like moving over a chessboard.

Pushing all that misguided perception to the side, what John Fox has brought to the Bears is something special. Not even Lovie Smith had it, and certainly not Marc Trestman, that is the will to win. Fox is slowly building a team that fights for each other, develops strong leadership and holds all players accountable to each other. Either it by having players speak before each game to the team. A leadership council or players telling other players what the expectations are, he has fostered an environment that no matter the situation, they can still win.

We have seen this time and again this season. After the first three games (which were not horrible) the Bears are 5-5 and if Robbie Gould had not been struggling it would have been 7-3. I don’t include the Redskins game where Gould FG is made it would have tied the game. The key take away is that no matter the opponent, the injuries, the quality of the roster the Bears play hard and know they can win. That is what makes John Fox the right coach at the right time for the Chicago Bears.

Other news:

Today at 3 p.m. CST the Bears must decide to activate first round selection Kevin White or IR him for the season.

Antrel Rolle has been placed on IR due to a chronic knee injury. Tackle Tayo Fabuluje takes his place on the roster.