Bears Hiring Austin King Is Way Craftier Than People Think

There often isn't much to read into hiring an assistant offensive line coach. It's just an assistant to an assistant. Shrug the shoulders and move along. Except things are never that simple for a coaching staff. Everybody plays a role. Everybody has a contribution to make. At first glance, the addition of Austin King might not seem like much to Bears fans. However, a closer inspection shows that Matt Eberflus is craftier than people think. King was a four-year center at Northwestern in college. A 4th round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003, he ended up playing for three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons from 2004 to 2006. He disappeared for about six years before resurfacing as an assistant coach in Toledo. From there, he climbed the college ranks to become the offensive coordinator at Dayton where he developed eventual 3rd round pick, Adam Trautman. That is how he earned an opportunity with the Las Vegas Raiders as a quality control coach in 2020. A year later, he was promoted to their tight ends coach.

So how does this make him such a quality hire?

It all goes back to his time in Atlanta. King spent three seasons helping block for a dynamic young quarterback named Michael Vick. So he has experience when it comes to understanding how to protect a quarterback with unique mobility—someone like Justin Fields, for example. Then there is the coaching connection. King was mentored those first two years with the Falcons by a man named Alex Gibbs. He was probably one of the best offensive line coaches of the modern era and the original man that helped the now-famous Shanahan outside zone offense become an NFL mainstay. Gibbs was the Denver Broncos OL coach during their two Super Bowl wins in 1997 and 1998. Then he worked under Gary Kubiak in 2008 and 2009 with the Houston Texans. King was able to pick Gibbs' brain during their two years together in Atlanta. Considering the Bears will be installing their variation of the Shanahan offense, that feels significant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGRbTpJMGxg&ab_channel=JsnHighlights Yes, compared to guys like Luke Getsy and Chris Morgan, Austin King's impact on the offense will be minimal. Still, it wasn't an accident the Bears singled him out despite having no actual background coaching the offensive line. It wasn't only because he played the position, which matters. He also brings experience in the exact type of blocking scheme they're hoping to employ. A fine little detail that matters to the big picture.