Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2017 18:22:41 GMT -6
With Black Monday nearing, examining the Bears' imminent changes
Rich Campbell and Dan WiedererContact ReportersChicago Tribune
Link: www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/ct-spt-bears-pace-fox-black-monday-20171229-story.html
The finish line awaiting the Bears on Sunday in Minneapolis will double as the starting point for the next stage of their rebuilding efforts. The season finale against the Vikings is simply the home stretch of another disappointing run. And when the team’s charter flight lands back in Chicago on Sunday evening, a new course will be established.
As the calendar flips to 2018, the Bears inevitably will embark on change, navigating a road littered with questions. So what exactly should Bears fans know as another transition begins? Here are four key dynamics to digest.
Fox's future
By now it has been well established that Fox’s time with the Bears is drawing to a close after three seasons. That leaves the longtime coach with one more game to oversee and one more news conference to endure. Both will come Sunday afternoon. After that, the page will turn.
Whether the Bears make Fox’s dismissal official Sunday night or Monday morning remains to be seen. But that’s a “when” not “if” detail within a storyline that’s leading to one obvious conclusion.
Fox led his last full practice Friday at Halas Hall and seemed accepting of his imminent departure even if he never directly acknowledged it. The Bears coach was asked what imprint he feels he has left over his three seasons in Chicago and noted the total overhaul of the roster.
“I think a lot of the heavy lifting has been done,” he said.
Fox also has been credited for helping fortify the Bears’ culture and takes pride that his teams have remained united and hard-working to the very end of three consecutive last-place seasons. That the Bears, for the most part, have avoided drama and dysfunction amid all their losing is at least notable.
Still, Fox heads into Sunday’s finale with a 14-33 overall record. That includes a 3-14 mark in NFC North games and an 8-19 record in games decided by eight points or less.
The rapid turnarounds Fox led with the Panthers and Broncos could not be replicated. Now change is ahead.
Black Monday
At Halas Hall, Black Monday will be far less about Fox’s exit and so much more about the vision general manager Ryan Pace has for the road ahead. Pace will address the media on New Year’s Day needing to articulate both the problems he believes the Bears have encountered in getting their turnaround accelerated and, far more importantly, the solutions he sees to fix things.
The 40-year-old GM will have to strike a measured tone. After all, his fingerprints are also on that 14-33 record. So Pace must take ownership of those failures even as he projects confidence in a master plan to reverse the organization’s fortunes.
Pace will have to explain the Bears’ ongoing injury woes and answer for a lengthy list of significant misses in free agency. He also will have to highlight the building blocks he has put in place.
The GM’s message Monday can’t be misconstrued as some sort of be-all, end-all sermon. But it will matter, a tone-setting address for a pivotal 2018 that will begin with a coaching search. Pace must convey carefully why his vision should be trusted with a full understanding that, with Fox out of the way, the avalanche of criticism is headed his way next.
Who will be the next NFL coach to be fired?
The search ahead
Pace’s deep-rooted belief in the importance of great quarterback play will shape the list of candidates to become the 16th coach in franchise history.
Mitch Trubisky has shown the ability on the field and the character off it to justify a focus on quarterback-centric coaches. The challenge, then, is identifying a detail-oriented innovator and strategist to hasten Trubisky’s development and maximize his potential as an accurate, athletic pocket-passer.
That means a thorough search through a broad candidate pool that will include NFL and college coaches. It’s only logical to involve Trubisky in the interview process at some point.
Does that mean the Bears won’t consider defensive coaches? They would be limiting themselves if that were the case. We’ll see if incumbent defensive coordinator Vic Fangio gets an interview.
In vetting offensive coaches, the Bears can be flexible with candidates’ preferences for defensive coordinators. Although they’re built to play a 3-4 base alignment, some key players could fit into a base 4-3. Leonard Floyd, for example, could be a strong-side linebacker similar to how the Falcons use Vic Beasley. Eddie Goldman could play shade tackle. But continuing with the 3-4 base is preferable.
Another important consideration: With Pace in position, the next coach must be comfortable operating without control of the 53-man roster. Remember that when fantasizing about certain big names.
Selling points
Identifying the coaches to pair with Trubisky is one thing. Convincing them to join the Bears is another.
Pace at least can present candidates with a brochure that isn’t nearly as empty as the one he received during his GM interview in 2015.
The attractiveness of any NFL head coaching job begins with the quarterback. The Bears are in a better long-term position than the Giants, Cardinals or Browns, for example.
Through 11 starts, Trubisky has established his potential as a quality pocket-passer. He has improved reading defenses, identifying coverages, his feel for the pass rush and mechanics in the pocket. There should be no shortage of coaching candidates who are enticed by how Trubisky has flashed.
From there, the sales pitch features a defense that ranks eighth in total yards through 15 games, led by a young core under team control, including Floyd, Goldman, lineman Akiem Hicks, inside linebacker Danny Trevathan and free safety Eddie Jackson.
Elsewhere on offense, the rushing attack ranks 11th in the league. And in 2018, the Bears have seven draft picks and a healthy salary cap outlook that will aid their aggressive plan to overhaul the receiving corps.
Beyond that, the $100-plus-million renovation of team headquarters is a perk on the horizon.
Of course, the job has its pitfalls, including holes at receiver and edge rusher and questions at cornerback. The team’s injury epidemic has not waned. And the track record of losing — 10 double-digit-loss seasons compared with five playoff berths in the last quarter century — suggests systemic problems.
That’s where the outlook circles back to Trubisky, who Pace believes will eventually erase the Bears’ shortcomings. Elevating the quarterback to that level requires the right coach pairing, and that will be the top priority.
rcampbell@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @rich_Campbell
dwiederer@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @danwiederer
Rich Campbell and Dan WiedererContact ReportersChicago Tribune
Link: www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/ct-spt-bears-pace-fox-black-monday-20171229-story.html
The finish line awaiting the Bears on Sunday in Minneapolis will double as the starting point for the next stage of their rebuilding efforts. The season finale against the Vikings is simply the home stretch of another disappointing run. And when the team’s charter flight lands back in Chicago on Sunday evening, a new course will be established.
As the calendar flips to 2018, the Bears inevitably will embark on change, navigating a road littered with questions. So what exactly should Bears fans know as another transition begins? Here are four key dynamics to digest.
Fox's future
By now it has been well established that Fox’s time with the Bears is drawing to a close after three seasons. That leaves the longtime coach with one more game to oversee and one more news conference to endure. Both will come Sunday afternoon. After that, the page will turn.
Whether the Bears make Fox’s dismissal official Sunday night or Monday morning remains to be seen. But that’s a “when” not “if” detail within a storyline that’s leading to one obvious conclusion.
Fox led his last full practice Friday at Halas Hall and seemed accepting of his imminent departure even if he never directly acknowledged it. The Bears coach was asked what imprint he feels he has left over his three seasons in Chicago and noted the total overhaul of the roster.
“I think a lot of the heavy lifting has been done,” he said.
Fox also has been credited for helping fortify the Bears’ culture and takes pride that his teams have remained united and hard-working to the very end of three consecutive last-place seasons. That the Bears, for the most part, have avoided drama and dysfunction amid all their losing is at least notable.
Still, Fox heads into Sunday’s finale with a 14-33 overall record. That includes a 3-14 mark in NFC North games and an 8-19 record in games decided by eight points or less.
The rapid turnarounds Fox led with the Panthers and Broncos could not be replicated. Now change is ahead.
Black Monday
At Halas Hall, Black Monday will be far less about Fox’s exit and so much more about the vision general manager Ryan Pace has for the road ahead. Pace will address the media on New Year’s Day needing to articulate both the problems he believes the Bears have encountered in getting their turnaround accelerated and, far more importantly, the solutions he sees to fix things.
The 40-year-old GM will have to strike a measured tone. After all, his fingerprints are also on that 14-33 record. So Pace must take ownership of those failures even as he projects confidence in a master plan to reverse the organization’s fortunes.
Pace will have to explain the Bears’ ongoing injury woes and answer for a lengthy list of significant misses in free agency. He also will have to highlight the building blocks he has put in place.
The GM’s message Monday can’t be misconstrued as some sort of be-all, end-all sermon. But it will matter, a tone-setting address for a pivotal 2018 that will begin with a coaching search. Pace must convey carefully why his vision should be trusted with a full understanding that, with Fox out of the way, the avalanche of criticism is headed his way next.
Who will be the next NFL coach to be fired?
The search ahead
Pace’s deep-rooted belief in the importance of great quarterback play will shape the list of candidates to become the 16th coach in franchise history.
Mitch Trubisky has shown the ability on the field and the character off it to justify a focus on quarterback-centric coaches. The challenge, then, is identifying a detail-oriented innovator and strategist to hasten Trubisky’s development and maximize his potential as an accurate, athletic pocket-passer.
That means a thorough search through a broad candidate pool that will include NFL and college coaches. It’s only logical to involve Trubisky in the interview process at some point.
Does that mean the Bears won’t consider defensive coaches? They would be limiting themselves if that were the case. We’ll see if incumbent defensive coordinator Vic Fangio gets an interview.
In vetting offensive coaches, the Bears can be flexible with candidates’ preferences for defensive coordinators. Although they’re built to play a 3-4 base alignment, some key players could fit into a base 4-3. Leonard Floyd, for example, could be a strong-side linebacker similar to how the Falcons use Vic Beasley. Eddie Goldman could play shade tackle. But continuing with the 3-4 base is preferable.
Another important consideration: With Pace in position, the next coach must be comfortable operating without control of the 53-man roster. Remember that when fantasizing about certain big names.
Selling points
Identifying the coaches to pair with Trubisky is one thing. Convincing them to join the Bears is another.
Pace at least can present candidates with a brochure that isn’t nearly as empty as the one he received during his GM interview in 2015.
The attractiveness of any NFL head coaching job begins with the quarterback. The Bears are in a better long-term position than the Giants, Cardinals or Browns, for example.
Through 11 starts, Trubisky has established his potential as a quality pocket-passer. He has improved reading defenses, identifying coverages, his feel for the pass rush and mechanics in the pocket. There should be no shortage of coaching candidates who are enticed by how Trubisky has flashed.
From there, the sales pitch features a defense that ranks eighth in total yards through 15 games, led by a young core under team control, including Floyd, Goldman, lineman Akiem Hicks, inside linebacker Danny Trevathan and free safety Eddie Jackson.
Elsewhere on offense, the rushing attack ranks 11th in the league. And in 2018, the Bears have seven draft picks and a healthy salary cap outlook that will aid their aggressive plan to overhaul the receiving corps.
Beyond that, the $100-plus-million renovation of team headquarters is a perk on the horizon.
Of course, the job has its pitfalls, including holes at receiver and edge rusher and questions at cornerback. The team’s injury epidemic has not waned. And the track record of losing — 10 double-digit-loss seasons compared with five playoff berths in the last quarter century — suggests systemic problems.
That’s where the outlook circles back to Trubisky, who Pace believes will eventually erase the Bears’ shortcomings. Elevating the quarterback to that level requires the right coach pairing, and that will be the top priority.
rcampbell@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @rich_Campbell
dwiederer@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @danwiederer
