When we look at the head coaching candidates throughout the NFL, the majority of the time it has to do with the top offensive and defensive coordinators. At times, teams will bring back former NFL head coaches and other times teams will bring in the top college coaches. We have already seen two college coaches take jobs with different schools and will no longer be an option for the Chicago Bears should they move on from Matt Nagy.
Is anyone else frustrated by the fact that Matt Nagy is still coaching this team? Personally, you should know by now that Matt Nagy is not going anywhere with six games left in the season and the team being one game out of the playoffs. That’s right…if you missed it, the Chicago Bears are still “in the hunt.”
https://twitter.com/BrendanSugrue/status/1465155265335025671?s=20
I know, I know. What a ridiculous notion. Here was my response to the same post on Twitter:
Imagine if the #Bears weren’t screwed by the refs vs Steelers and they didn’t shit the bed vs a Lamar Jackson-less Ravens team.
— Rob Schwarz Jr. (@ChiRuxinBGO) November 29, 2021
No need…they’d still fall short 😉 https://t.co/KFtucCdPHg
Now, excuse the language, that was not very professional of me. That said, at this point in the year, despite not having high expectations for this team, I still get upset when they lose. I still get upset when they make boneheaded decisions. I still get upset, even though I love Brendan Sugrue and I know his post was based on sarcasm, when fans say nonsense like “the Chicago Bears are still in the hunt” despite not having a chance of making the playoffs.
The Chicago Bears need to keep all options open to replace Matt Nagy
Well, I am going to be very upset if Matt Nagy is not gone by the end of the year (preferably within the last two weeks of the season) and if Ryan Pace is just magically safe. For those of you who read my content consistently, I am obviously not as hard on Pace as others. That does not mean that I think he deserves to remain as the Chicago Bears general manager come 2022.
How is it that there have been leaks regarding Nagy’s seat being hot but not Pace’s seat? Simple, the leaks are probably from Pace’s camp as he tries to distance himself from Nagy. Well, no matter who is choosing the next head coach of the Chicago Bears, it appears that this one name is hardly mentioned if mentioned at all.
The Chicago Bears should consider giving Dave Toub a shot at being a head coach
Remember when I brought up how most teams are always looking at the top offensive and defensive coordinators? Well, the Chicago Bears should consider a different approach. Why not give their former special teams coordinator, Dave Toub a shot?
For those of you who have a short memory, Dave Toub was with the Chicago Bears from 2004 to 2012. This is the entirety of the Lovie Smith era. He moved on from the Bears and headed over to work under Andy Reid with the Kansas City Chiefs. Toub has held the same position with the Chiefs from 2013 through the present day, however, the Chiefs also promoted him to Assistant Head Coach in 2018 — a position he still holds today.
Prior to his stint with Lovie Smith and the Chicago Bears, Dave Toub coached for three years with the Philadelphia Eagles. His head coach was once again Andy Reid. Normally, I prefer my head coaches to have experience under multiple great minds. Toub somewhat falls into that category, despite that Lovie Smith wasn’t the best head coach. That said, Smith was definitely a good head coach.
Throughout Toub’s 20-year NFL coaching career, he has only been a part of a team that had less than 10 wins six times. Although he doesn’t deserve all of the credit as a special teams coordinator, it should be pointed out that he knows what a winning culture looks like. However, why should the Chicago Bears even consider Toub, a special teams coordinator, for the job?
Dave Toub would have plenty to offer the Chicago Bears
Let’s get the first point out of the way. John Harbaugh is a perfect example of how a special teams coordinator can handle running a football team. What is interesting here is that Dave Toub was a special teams coach under John Harbaugh (special teams coordinator) while in Philadelphia. This also means that Harbaugh is technically a part of the Andy Reid tree as well.
John Harbaugh was the Eagles special teams coordinator from 1998 to 2007. In 2007, Harbaugh was also the team’s defensive backs coach. The Ravens hired Harbaugh as their head coach the following season and the rest is history.
Harbaugh is in his 14th season with one Super Bowl victory and nine playoff appearances. It will be 10 playoff appearances though once the 2021 regular season comes to an end. Harbaugh is the most successful case, but Joe Judge is now coaching the New York Giants (time will tell with him) and although he didn’t go from a special teams coordinator to the Patriots’ head coach, Bill Belichick was a special teams coordinator before taking on the roll of linebackers coach and then defensive coordinator for six years before getting his first head coaching gig with the Browns.
One thing that sets special teams coordinators apart from offensive and defensive coordinators is the fact they work with the entire team, all the coaches and even the staff. It’s like an inside-track to running an entire team — also known as becoming a head coach.
According to Prime Time Sports Talk, heading into the 2020 season, there have been 500 head coaches to date to coach at least one game. Only 20 percent (100) have coached 100 games and only three percent (3) of those 100 were special teams coordinators before becoming head coaches in the NFL. John Harbaugh is one, but do you know one of the other three? His name is Mike Ditka.
Could bringing in Dave Toub as the Chicago Bears’ next head coach be the change this team needs?