After the Detroit Lions suffered their stunning loss to the Washington Commanders in the playoffs, news broke that the Chicago Bears were bringing in their 17th coaching candidate. The name involved was not one anybody saw coming. It was Tennessee State head coach Eddie George. The Bears had worked with him as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Fellowship for one of their training camps. Still, it was a significant shock to think they would actually consider someone from a small school to run their franchise.
It led to immediate speculation that the Bears may have ulterior motives for meeting with him. At last, we have some confirmation on that front. Courtney Cronin of ESPN revealed as much when discussing how the organization landed on Ben Johnson. The George interview had been scheduled for a week when the news when public. It seems to have been a mutually beneficial move. Chicago got to satisfy the Rooney Rule while George got his name out on the market.
But before they did, the Bears hosted Tennessee State coach Eddie George on Jan. 19. That put the Bears in compliance with the Rooney Rule, which requires at least two external in-person interviews with minority candidates -- Ron Rivera was the other. George's interview was scheduled at least a week before, two sources said. It was George's only head coaching interview this cycle.
A source close to George described the interview as a "great experience" that will lead to other coaching opportunities for the former NFL running back. George's interview was deemed "excellent" by a member of the Bears' interview committee.
The Chicago Bears were well-prepared.
It is believed they knew Johnson was their guy around Christmas last year. They also knew he might not be available right away, so they decided to spend the extra time meeting other candidates and getting a feel for how they're viewed elsewhere around the league. It is a great way to collect important information that can help improve the organization. Once Johnson became available, they placed the phone call to George. After that meeting, it took barely 48 hours to lock up their next head coach. Some people might be annoyed by the Bears' skirting of the Rooney Rule this way, but it sounds as if George had no qualms about the actual reasons for the interview. Getting his name out there will lead to opportunities down the line. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears get their quick path to landing their guy.
