Why Byron Leftwich should be the next Bears Head Coach

Why Byron Leftwich would be better for the Chicago Bears than Matt Nagy

Most WCO practitioners get stuck in “play it safe” mode” which is not how you win the difficult important games. It is folly to always take big risks and to always play it safe. Most WCO guys like Matt Nagy are far too obsessed with calling plays that mitigate risk. So they look for the in-between move of throwing to a pass target who needs to break a tackle to gain more than ten yards. An over-dependence on this is called being too clever by half.

This risk-averse play calling can often lead a play-caller running what I call the coward’s version of the WCO. This is what I saw with Matt Nagy’s offense. Nagy’s problems highlighted the dangers of running the WCO with his extremes in play calling. The vast majority of his play calls were safe and therefore very predictable. However, the few times he tried to go away from this, his instincts were seemingly so fouled up by the extreme conservatism that he made many idiotic choices.

Identifying a head coach candidate starts for me with the championship profile. However, this is only a start. Then you look for strong evidence of the three most important traits needed for a successful head coach. Number one they have to be strong leaders who command accountability and respect. This is an absolute must. The other 2 key traits are intelligence and courage.

However, a note of caution needs to be added. There have been head coaches from defense who command respect. For example, former Bears head coach, Lovie Smith, and most recently of the Vikings, Mike Zimmer, could both lead NFL players. However, they failed as head coaches because of their inadequacies overseeing an NFL offense. History has shown that having strong leadership skills is not nearly enough to guarantee someone will be a successful head coach.

I suspect the pitfall for head coaches from defense is this. They put limits on risks their offense will take as a way to protect their defense, their baby if you will from having to bear too much of a burden if things go badly. When a calculated risk is most called for in a critical situation, a head coach from offense is likely better able to assess this risk/reward value and believe his offense will deliver in this key moment of a game.