Chicago Bears Head Coach List Is Looking Better And Better

The Chicago Bears as of right now have a total of 10 candidates for their head coaching job that are public knowledge. After watching Wild Card Weekend in the playoffs, it is becoming clear that whoever put that list together deserves a raise. Things started off in grand fashion as Brian Daboll, the Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator, put on a show against the New England Patriots. His offense hung 47 points on Bill Belichick's top 5 defense with Josh Allen throwing more touchdowns (5) than incompletions (4). While the Bears interviewed him on Sunday, two other prominent candidates took their turns making statements for the job. Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich didn't get any looks in 2021 despite winning a Super Bowl. This time around he had a chance to showcase what he could do with a Bucs offense missing three of its best players in Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, and Leonard Fournette. He didn't disappoint, manufacturing almost 350 total yards including 106 on the ground along with 31 points.

This despite losing three offensive linemen to injuries during the game.

[video width="854" height="480" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Tom-Brady-Best-Plays-from-2-TD-Game-vs.-Eagles-Super-Wild-Card-Weekend.mp4"][/video] Yet somehow, Leftwich may have been outdone by his colleague Todd Bowles. The Buccaneers defensive coordinator called a masterful game, flustering the Philadelphia Eagles all game long. Jalen Hurts threw two costly interceptions. The Eagles were held scoreless for the first three quarters, not getting their two touchdowns until the game was well out of hand. All while Bowles' defense was dealing with several injuries. [video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Tip-Drill-the-Bucs-are-not-Messing-Around.mp4"][/video] While Tom Brady gets all the love for Tampa Bay's newfound success over the past two seasons, it's important to remember how good this coaching staff is. Bruce Arians did a tremendous job putting it together. Bowles has been one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL for a long time. Leftwich seems to be a rising offensive mind with a knack for adjusting his offense on the fly to fit the talent he has.

Chicago Bears will have some interesting decisions to make

Both coaches might be on the same team, but they come from wildly different spectrums. Bowles has coached for a long time. He comes from a defensive background and he also has previous head coaching experience. Most remember he spent four seasons running the New York Jets, but after a 10-6 debut his team had three losing seasons in a row. While he must shoulder the blame for that, the truth is he was hamstrung by a bad roster. Conversely, Leftwich hasn't even been coaching for a full decade yet. He became a full-time offensive coordinator for the first time in 2019. His offense has finished in the top five every year since. Yes, he's had Brady for most of that but he also got results out of Jameis Winston as well. His background as a quarterback and learning under a great coach like Arians could make him well-suited to mentor Justin Fields.

It won't be an easy decision.

Both candidates are deserving. It comes down to which of them or the other candidates makes the best impression on the Chicago Bears in the interviews. There have only been the first round of meetings to this point. It will become clearer who they prefer when coaches get called back for second interviews. This could take time, especially if teams like Buffalo and Tampa Bay continue advancing in the playoffs.