The start of this NFL postseason is no different from the
start of any other NFL postseason. Coaches being let go and organizations
heading in different directions. One coaching change I feel the need to address
is the Chicago Bears coaching change. John Fox was relieved of his duties after
a 5-11 season in his 3rd year as head coach. His total record with
the Bears was an under performing 14-34. As bad as that record looks its more
truth behind that record and I feel the need to address the issues. The answer to
the question is No, John Fox shouldn’t have been fired.
Reason #1 The roster is in a state of transition. The Chicago
Bears locker room over the past few seasons has been a revolving door. Losing
key guys such as Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall, Jay Cutler, Martellus Bennett,
Alshon Jeffery. The roster is a very young roster now with the transition at QB
with Mitch Trubisky. Let’s just be honest it’s not a ton of talent on this
Bears roster as it stands right now. With very little help at the WR position,
a very young secondary core, a defensive front seven that’s solid but still has
players doing developing while getting in game experience. With all that going
on it’s going to be hard for pretty much any coach to have but only so much success.
Example Browns Coach Hue Jackson was retained due to the front office not
putting a lot around him and having so many young players in their developing
stages. The Bears have young talent in players like Leonard Floyd, Adrian Amos,
Jordan Howard, Cody Whitehair, Mitch Trubisky, & Tarik Cohen. I feel if Fox
was given more time tool these young players with added veteran talent the
Bears could really become a contender in due time.
Reason #2 The team played extremely hard week in & out
despite not having the talent to truly compete. When you watched a Bears game
you knew that you were going to get a team that fought, a team that laid it all
on the line for John Fox. That’s something us Bears fans didn’t see during the
Marc Trestman error. The team under Fox didn’t quit and didn’t concede games no
matter who the opponent was you saw 110% effort given. It’s not a Bears game I watched
and didn’t see the team fight hard no matter the score of the game they fought till
the end & that says a lot of who the coach is and getting his players to fight
hard. I’ve seen teams quit when down and this Bears team isn’t one.
Reason #3 It can hinder the development of Mitch Trubisky. As
a young QB in the league it’s very important for a franchise to have stability
and to have the same voices in his ear at one time so he gets used to certain
expectations, an established culture, an established playbook. By not only
letting Fox go but also letting offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains leave to
go to Miami, Trubisky now has to basically start from ground zero and adjust to
all the changes around him. In my opinion I feel it’s too much too soon on the promising
upside we’ve seen from Trubisky.
The Bears next coach should preferably have an offensive
background to pair with Trubisky to try to get the most out of his talents as a
young QB in the NFL. Names I’ll personally look at are Vikings OC Pat Shurmur,
Patriots OC Josh McDaniels, Eagles QB coach John DeFilippo, Chiefs OC Matt Nagy,
& Seahawks OC Darrell Bevell. To me either of those candidates will show
their interest in developing Trubisky and committing more resources to the
offensive side of the ball which has been a problem for the Bears for years on
years.
