Bears
- Thread starter Wassup13
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I think Pace has earned the right to be fired but if they do keep him, I like the idea of Carrol being paired up w him to help.
Unfortunately Caleb Williams has been put in a position he can’t win. This organization is a POS. I said it early on, I didn’t know if I wanted him to play for the Bears because of exactly what has transpired. If you all remember I also said he would be our franchise quarterback unless the Bears coaching ruins him. Well man they have tried to ruin him in every way possible. Does he sometimes hold the ball to long? Yes but he is a gamer and all rookies go through this. He will be the all time leading QB as a rookie, even with all this crap. If he does leave after his rookie contract is up he will totally succeed with another team. The Bears ownership, management and coaching all suck. The absolute worst in the NFL.
I am very intrigued by him. His coaching creds are among the best.
But, that was under different general managers and owners. How will he function in a dysfunctional organization?
He will be 74 at the start of next season. Does he still have it in him? I don't want the next coach for just 2-3 years.
You make good points. Carroll's age is definitely a concern. But, age is a number. Pete Carroll is the healthiest 73 year old man I know of. They guy looks 15 years younger and his ex-players have said he has a ton of energy. To me, that is what counts.
I also ask myself, who would be a better candidate than Carroll? Regardless of age, hiring a guy who has never been a HC is always risky. Outside of Ditka they have failed in every hiring. Of course you can add Lovie Smith to the good side as well. The failures have been catastrophic too.
I don't trust the McCaskeys to hire someone who be successful and that could include Carroll. Carroll has a good legacy. Does he want it wrecked in the end? LOL
If Carroll wants back in, the truth of the matter is that he deserves better than the Bears. He deserves to coach for a club that is not dysfunctional.
Seriously, why would he want to put up with this crap? He should hold out for a better opportunity.
He appears to be a very young 74 with a loads of energy.
Bears need an Alpha type coach. He certainly is that.
I was thinking, leave the McCaskey’s house. No doubt they have it on an infinite rewind.
Vrabel is a culture setter. Knows how to succeed and get the most out of his players even when most of his team is going down to injuries. He's also not at the end of his football career like a Riviera or Carroll (Pete being the much better coach of those two options).
I'm not set on taking another shot in the dark with a successful play caller like Johnson. Yes, he can pull the right strings in his current STACKED situation, but how does he deal with a locker room/game management/etc?
Why do you want Riviera? A career sub .500 record and only 3 winning seasons in his 13 years as HC?
I'm not set on taking another shot in the dark with a successful play caller like Johnson. Yes, he can pull the right strings in his current STACKED situation, but how does he deal with a locker room/game management/etc?
Why do you want Riviera? A career sub .500 record and only 3 winning seasons in his 13 years as HC?
Defense doesn’t win championships. You need a qb whisperer. KC, Bills (oc) Lions (although it’s the oc), Minnesota, and Rams. The only top team in NFL without it is probably due to Saquan.
The rules are designed to score points. You need to score to win.
There are exceptions to that rule. The Chiefs are 15-1 and much of it is due to their defense. The offense has sputtered at times and if it wasn't for their defense, they might be battling the Chargers for the top spot in the AFC West. The Chargers are also a team that has played good defense and that put them in the playoffs.
BTW, now that I mention the Chargers, just look at that team. Jim Harbaugh took a team that, last year, won five games, and lost eight out of their last nine, and put them in the playoffs this year. They gave up 398 points last year while scoring 346. And right now, they have given up 281 and have scored 368. The real difference is in the defense...and of course a great coach.
But you are right too. It helps to score points. The Lions and Bills have scored the most points in each conference. However, I am not completely comfortable picking either of those teams to go to the Super Bowl. The Chiefs and Eagles have better defenses than the Bills and Lions.
I can't help it but saying "to hell with how many the other team scores...we'll just score more" still has it's share of danger. That didn't work for the San Diego Chargers and Dan Fouts.
Again, there are exceptions, but what you say has a lot of truth in it too.
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Historically, think of the best HC's of all time. How many were/are offensive focused? Then think of how many were defensive focused but we're able to bring in complimentary offensive guys.
I don't get on this thread much so I know my post here has probably been discussed and beaten to death but here are my ideal coaching choices
1. Ben Johnson- the no brainer hot pick of this year's group. Would be great for Caleb Williams to have a Head Coach that is offensive minded and creative. He could also bring Thorton great Randle El with him as a OC.
2. Joe Brady- slightly more risk then Johnson but destined to be a head coach.
3. Pete Carroll- of the former coaches looking for new job I prefer him over Vrabel. Someone told me it would be like when the Sox brought LaRussa back....it absolutely would not, he's been gone a year not a decade. He wins, he's got a great offensive mind. I think after this year with all the mistakes with time management, player personal, and the handling of basic situations I'd like a coach who has been in every situation imaginable that knows how to properly manage and plan for a game because that is a huge part of a head coaches job. Even if it's for a few years because of his age, let him right this ship.
4. Mike Vrabel- like Carroll, has NFL head coaching experience with some decent success but nowhere near the resume of Carroll. He's a Bears type of pick though, defensive minded guy. I don't think he would be good for Williams development unless he brings in a slam dunk OC. I can see him going to the Patriots too, fan base wants him there.
5. Kellen Moore- I'm intrigued. Great year as OC for the Eagles. He was a successful QB in college, but is he ready for this type of jump? He would make a lot of rookie mistakes I'm guessing.
6. Kliff Kingsbury- not a popular pick and the Bears passed on him as an OC so I can't see them making him a HC...that wouldn't make sense right? So he has chance then! He has a great offensive mind, he's worked with Williams at SC, he's done great in Washington, he made some rookie mistakes at Arizona that maybe he learned from.
7. Aaron Glenn- best of the current DC's that are up for a head coaching job. I prefer him to Flores but I prefer an offensive minded guy.
And my "Are you kidding me?" Pick is......Lincoln Riley! Will his game plan translate to the NFL. Williams is obviously a fan. Did wonders with him and Baker Mayfield. Would need a strong DC as that has been a huge issue with USC but yeah, I'm somewhat intrigued.....
1. Ben Johnson- the no brainer hot pick of this year's group. Would be great for Caleb Williams to have a Head Coach that is offensive minded and creative. He could also bring Thorton great Randle El with him as a OC.
2. Joe Brady- slightly more risk then Johnson but destined to be a head coach.
3. Pete Carroll- of the former coaches looking for new job I prefer him over Vrabel. Someone told me it would be like when the Sox brought LaRussa back....it absolutely would not, he's been gone a year not a decade. He wins, he's got a great offensive mind. I think after this year with all the mistakes with time management, player personal, and the handling of basic situations I'd like a coach who has been in every situation imaginable that knows how to properly manage and plan for a game because that is a huge part of a head coaches job. Even if it's for a few years because of his age, let him right this ship.
4. Mike Vrabel- like Carroll, has NFL head coaching experience with some decent success but nowhere near the resume of Carroll. He's a Bears type of pick though, defensive minded guy. I don't think he would be good for Williams development unless he brings in a slam dunk OC. I can see him going to the Patriots too, fan base wants him there.
5. Kellen Moore- I'm intrigued. Great year as OC for the Eagles. He was a successful QB in college, but is he ready for this type of jump? He would make a lot of rookie mistakes I'm guessing.
6. Kliff Kingsbury- not a popular pick and the Bears passed on him as an OC so I can't see them making him a HC...that wouldn't make sense right? So he has chance then! He has a great offensive mind, he's worked with Williams at SC, he's done great in Washington, he made some rookie mistakes at Arizona that maybe he learned from.
7. Aaron Glenn- best of the current DC's that are up for a head coaching job. I prefer him to Flores but I prefer an offensive minded guy.
And my "Are you kidding me?" Pick is......Lincoln Riley! Will his game plan translate to the NFL. Williams is obviously a fan. Did wonders with him and Baker Mayfield. Would need a strong DC as that has been a huge issue with USC but yeah, I'm somewhat intrigued.....
I am not saying Rivera is the guy. I just think he’s a guy that should be in consideration.
Reason being, he is a Chicago guy and that really intrigues me. The bears seem to have a complete dysfunctional ownership group and Rivera would understand that more than any candidate And have a plan on how to get things accomplished. The Bears also have a very young GM and I like the idea of paring him up with Rivera.
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The first thing the Bears need to do is give Ryan Poles a 4 year extension or fire him. There is currently tension with Poles and Warren so the Bears either need to commit to him or get rid of him. A shaky front office situation may be the determining factor if the guy you want at HC has multiple suitors. Also, if you hire a new coach and then proceed to fire the GM in two years there is a good chance the new GM will want to change things up and you'll start over with the rebuild in 2026 or 2027 and a new HC.
If you hire a new head coach and Poles is part of the process you need to keep Poles. I like Pete Carrol the most of all the coaches being discussed so far. He is a motivator and has the most experience and would get the players buy in. He is offensive minded and would be good for Caleb. My only concern is his age but he is in great shape and is a high energy coach. He would need to bring in a great DC. The other thing I like is he expressed wanting to coach the Bears. Believe it or not that is a big plus with this ownership.
I think all this “you need an offensive guy” theory is completely over blown. You need the right head coach. Period.
Belichek
John Harbaugh
Pete Carroll
Tomlin
Dan Cambell
Sean McDermont
None of these guys call(ed) plays as head coach. They just simply set the standard and hold everyone to it. Thats most important.
Belichek
John Harbaugh
Pete Carroll
Tomlin
Dan Cambell
Sean McDermont
None of these guys call(ed) plays as head coach. They just simply set the standard and hold everyone to it. Thats most important.
This team could mess up is one car funeral. Have no confidence they’ll hire the best candidate
Yes I just feel he has a better understanding than Vrabel when it comes to the offense. IMO.
My ideal would be hire Ben Johnson. Johnson hires Antwan Randle El as his OC even though he will call the plays. Pluck Wink Martindale from Michigan. That would be a good start.
You really need to look deeper into his HC history. Everything besides a few years with Cam Newton has been an absolute trainwreck. He was an intriguing hire in 2010, not 2025.
I like Johnson, but no HC experience is a concern. He'll be the hot name and rightfully so, but it was only a few years ago when Eric Bienamy was the hot name who never got the chance to be a HC and look what he has done without Mahomes or Andy Reid. He's coaching in college now.
People are taking the offensive vs. defensive coach talk too seriously. The right coach needs to be the right fit for the existing team and have a vision for how he wants to build the team in the future to his strengths.
For all those saying the Bears need an offensive coaching to develop Williams, that's certainly a valid point, but that doesn't guarantee success. Since 2000 the Super Bowl winner has had the #1 or #2 offense only twice, while the #1 or #2 defense has won the Super Bowl 9 times in that same span.
I don't know much about Johnson or his persona, but initial reports are that he's wanting way more power than a first time head coach should have. I think Vrabel would he the best fit and would get the most out of the players. Carroll has had success, but is too old, regardless of how much energy he has he wouldn't be a long term solution.
Some great points. But even though Carroll might not be a long term solution maybe they don't need that right away. This team needs structure, they haven't had that. They were basically orphaned at the end of the year with No HC, OC or DC that they started the year with. And he's had the ultimate success. He's won a National Championship and a Super Bowl and has been to another National Championship and Superbowl. He's a winner and this team needs that right now. He's not my first or second choice but I wouldn't mind him for a few years
I think Pete is a great "worst case" scenario. Like when the Giants brought Tom Coughlin in, but what ended up being an 11 year, 2 Super Bowl run. Granted he was only 58 at the time, but somehow looked 20 years older than the now 73 year old Pete.
Appreciate you assuming I don’t know his background.
His time in Washington was absolute chaos at the top.
- He was there during the name change fiasco.
- The owner of the team (Dan Synder) was under investigation and ultimately sold the team.
- Rivera inherited Dwayne Haskins who the team used their first round pick on the year before Rivera became coach…we all know how that turned out.
I’m not saying he’s the guy. I’m simply saying he should get an interview and knows the organization better than any other candidate.
Just, no
Even with the few successful years he had he's still under .500 as a head coach.
You said he would have a plan to change things. What ability to plan did he show you in either of his destinations?
Here's a breakdown of his blunders in DC https://www.hogshaven.com/2024/1/1/24016753/ron-riveras-top-10-worst-decisions-in-dc
And that 15-1 year really props up his under .500 record as well.
Just looking at your last sentence. Were Trestman, Fox, Nagy and Eberflus long term solutions? No. They weren't even short term solutions. I think Carroll has to be in the conversation. If he is a short term solution, so be it. If he can put the team on the right track, so be it. If he can get them into the playoffs in a three year span, so be it. It would be much more than anyone has seen in years.
