Since the beginning of 2015, Ryan Pace and John Fox have been joined at the hip. It seemed like such a great idea at the time. The young, rookie GM paired with the veteran head coach. Each one should be able to to compliment the other and together pull the Chicago Bears out of a half-decade quagmire of total NFL irrelevance.
Both knew it wasn't going to be easy. They'd inherited the oldest roster in the NFL. Not to mention one of the most dysfunctional. It was going to take some pretty invasive surgery in order to fix this decaying body. So they set to work, making difficult cuts and trades and setting about building a culture they felt would set a winning precedence.
To their credit the two have never questioned each other, remaining steadfast and loyal. At least based on their own words. That said, after two years it's starting to look like a separation may be unavoidable. Curious as to why that is? Well there are some obvious reasons, and a few not-so-obvious as well.
THE LOSING
Might as well address the big elephant in the room right away. There is no getting around this reality. John Fox was brought in for two reasons. His experience and his knack for helping teams making quick turnarounds. Thus far neither have done him much good. Though the Bears have been competitive in a lot of games over the past two years, the reality is they haven't finished enough of them to offer any encouragement about 2017. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Cant-Miss-Play-Aaron-Rodgers-throws-60-yard-bomb-to-Jordy-Nelson-NFL-Videos.mp4"][/video] Fox went 6-10 and 3-13 in his first two seasons at the helm. Going 9-23 makes one thing clear enough. If the Bears don't show significant improvement, likely 8-8 at least, next season then somebody will have to get fired. At the end of the day the head coach is the face of a franchise. That's why they're paid the big bucks. Dick Vermeil once said every head coach "knows if you lose your first two seasons you better win your third or you're not going to be there."AGE DIFFERENCE
No man can escape the ravages of time. In this instance Fox is clearly at a disadvantage. He is set to turn 62-years old on February 8th. Though it's not a complete condemnation, it does bring to light a simple reality. Coaches who tend to cross that 60-year old barrier tend to start a steady decline in their abilities. Not so much from lack of intelligence. More a lack of energy and ability to connect with younger players. There is also the reality that young GM like Pace almost always are the ones who survive changes to the organization when paired with an older coach. It was true for Howie Roseman when Andy Reid got fired in 2013. It was true for Tom Telesco in San Diego with Mike McCoy and David Caldwell with Gus Bradley in Jacksonville. Youth almost always wins out because the NFL is a think-about-the-future business. Pace is 38-years old. He just got done with the best draft the Bears have had in years. If the team needs a scapegoat in 2018 after another losing season, they're like any other team. Sacrifice the old to preserve the young.PROBLEMS WITH ASSISTANT COACHES
It's not necessarily all about Fox in this capacity, but one can't ignore the fact that the Bears have lost no fewer than six assistant coaches since the end of the 2016 regular season. Two of them were fired by Fox himself, but four others left voluntarily. One went back to college. In fact just one of them received an actual promotion in the NFL out of those six.- Clint Hurtt - became defensive line coach in Seattle
- Stan Drayton - became associate head coach and run game coordinator at Texas
- Dave Magazu - No new job as yet
- Sam Garnes - No new job as yet
- Richard Hightower - became special teams coordinator in San Francisco
- Curtis Johnson - became wide receivers coach in New Orleans
DISCIPLINARY CONCERNS
One term that is often used to describe certain men like Fox is a "player's coach." This can be somewhat of a double-edged sword in many ways. Among the biggest strengths for Fox has been his ability to connect with people. He's an excellent motivator when it comes to players. They like him. You'll struggle to find anybody with a bad word about. However, at the same time a player coach can also have a significant weakness. Their love of the players and desire to connect with them can make it difficult keep them focused and sharp from week to week. It's hard to discipline them. ESPN did a cover story of John Elway after his Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl in 2015. A particular quote stuck out, having to do with why Fox was fired from that job the year before."A rising lack of discipline under Fox prompted Elway to sometimes yell at the team because Fox wouldn't. Before a late-season practice in 2014, Fox turned to a few people on the sideline and asked, "Isn't winning the division enough?" A few weeks later, after the Broncos came out flat in a divisional playoff loss to the Colts, Fox got his answer."That same concern about discipline has followed Fox to Chicago. One week his team looks prepared and ready to go. Then the next they are caught flat-footed and suffer a crippling loss. Just look at their performances against Jacksonville and Tampa Bay this past season. Two very winnable games against average or poor teams. They lose one at home in a big comeback. The other was a straight blowout. [video width="854" height="480" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Jaguars-vs.-Bears-NFL-Week-6-Game-Highlights.mp4"][/video] [video width="854" height="480" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Bears-vs.-Buccaneers-NFL-Week-10-Game-Highlights.mp4"][/video] Many of the reasons behind those losses were because of poor mistakes made by the Bears players themselves. Simple mistakes that a good coach is supposed to help prevent. They say Bill Belichick is one of the greatest ever because he just knows how to find great players. Not true. He's great because he understands how to limit mistakes. Fox, for all his motivational skills hasn't done that.
RECENT SUPER BOWL TRENDS
The league has changed a lot in the past 30 years. Fan bases have become less patient. Not entirely their fault given they now live in a culture that is built around instant gratification. If smart phones, fast food delivery and streaming can give them what they want then why not football? This hard truth has been particulary harsh on the head coaches. Men who used to have four or five seasons to get a team ready now are lucky if they get three. Fox was almost fired this year after going 3-13 in his second season. Marc Trestman was fired after his second season. Sure, circumstances play a part in that but it's clearer than ever teams are much quicker on the ax if they sense a coach losing his grip on a team. Just look at the recent trend of Super Bowl champions. Of the 10 winners since 2006, six of them featured a general manager who was on his second head coach. That includes John Elway and Gary Kubiak who, wait for it, replaced Fox in Denver.- 2015: John Elway with Gary Kubiak (2nd head coach)
- 2014: Bill Belichick doubles as coach and de facto GM
- 2013: John Schneider with Pete Carroll (1st head coach)
- 2012: Ozzie Newsome with John Harbaugh (2nd head coach)
- 2011: Jerry Reese with Tom Coughlin (1st head coach)
- 2010: Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy (2nd head coach)
- 2009: Mickey Loomis and Sean Payton (2nd head coach)
- 2008: Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin (2nd head coach)
- 2007: Jerry Reese with Tom Coughlin (1st head coach)
- 2006: Bill Polian with Tony Dungy (2nd head coach)
