By now the focus of
Chicago Bears fans has begun to narrow on the 2017 season. They are hoping this is the year the team turns things around. After all it's been five years since they had a winning season and seven since they made the playoffs. It may not be close to the worst drought in franchise history but nobody wants to think about that possibility. Hence why the talk of possible John Fox replacements will die down for a time.
It must be prefaced before continuing that this is not an attack on Fox. He's a good football coach who clearly knows how to motivate his players. At the same time, it's hard not to say his back is to the wall. The Bears have nine wins in two years. It feels like nothing short of at least a .500 record will save him for 2018.
Can he pull it off? His players think so, but almost everybody else doesn't. USA Today projects them to go 5-11. Sports Illustrated
said 2-14 and ESPN had them at 6-10. Suffice to say the agreement is another long year for Chicago.
John Fox replacements discussion getting more interesting
Of course the Bears could surprise but given the overturn of their roster and murderous early schedule? That's hard to accept. That's why the conversations about 2018 will remain, especially when the potential pool of head coaches just got considerably bigger. That came courtesy of a surprising hint dropped by former Super Bowl-winning head coach Jon Gruden.
The speculation surrounding Gruden is nothing new. The 53-year old has been out of coaching since 2008. During his 11-year run with the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers he made the playoffs five times and won Super Bowl XXXVII. Since then a number of comebacks were teased but thus far he's remained in the broadcasting business.
According to
an interview he had with PewterReport.com, that could be close to changing sooner rather than later.
"I've met with several people -- I won't deny that. Just about every year I talk about coming back to coach. I'm not in here every day at 4:30 or 4:00 in the morning watching pinball, you know? I'm preparing myself to come back. I am. Every day. I'm preparing to come back."
This time might be more serious than others. ESPN has undergone significant changes in the past year. Not only has it downsized considerably, but it also overhauled much of its writing and broadcasting talent. It's possible Gruden may not have much longer of a stay there. Sliding back into coaching would be an easy decision at that point.
Mitch Trubisky could be just the lure to pull him in
One of the big speculations for why he's stayed away is none of the teams interested in him offered a quarterback situation he found favorable. Being a former offensive coordinator, he knows better than anybody how important QB is to team success. No veteran coach in their right mind would take over a team devoid of talent there.
Well the Bears may finally have thrown their hat in that ring. The arrival of Mitch Trubisky via the draft gives them their first intriguing, young passer to come around in years. Gruden is familiar with him. The two met during Gruden's QB Camp before the NFL draft that aired on ESPN. He came away impressed.
"There's a lot to like,'' said Gruden. "He's a quick study, he learns fast, it's really important to him, he loves football and he's mature. He is a finisher at North Carolina. He never quit, he was a backup, he waited three years for his opportunity, and trust me, he's going to be a real steal for somebody."
One of the core problems that Gruden had during his coaching tenure was at quarterback. He never was able to find a true franchise passer to run his system. His best work involved turning older veterans like Rich Gannon, Brad Johnson and Jeff Garcia into Pro Bowlers.
Trubisky could be a chance to correct his biggest missed opportunity
Perhaps his biggest regret came in 2005. As head coach of the Buccaneers, Gruden needed a new quarterback. They held the #5 overall pick, one after the Bears. Leading up to the event he'd developed a strong liking for a young man out of California named Aaron Rodgers. So much in fact that he told the quarterback if he was there at the fifth spot Tampa would take him.
Well Gruden got his wish. Rodgers was indeed there. Then the Buccaneers bungled it, selecting running back Carnell Williams instead. Four years later Gruden was fired. A perfect encapsulation for his near-misses over the years. Something he freely admitted when
discussing his thoughts on Trubisky's lack of experience at North Carolina.
"I'm no different than a lot of coaches that say 'I want a three-year starter. I want a minimum of 24 victories. I want two bowl wins.' (But) I want a good quarterback. That's what I want. I got kicked out of the league because I had a hard time sustaining at the quarterback position. Trubisky is one of the top quarterback prospects in this draft, period. I wish I had more to study but that's the way it is.''
Trubisky in many ways seems like his ideal quarterback. He's a football junky with zero history of attitude problems. He works hard and features a skill set that would be perfect for the West Coast-style offense Gruden loved to run during his first stint. Not only that, but there's another little nugget that makes it feel like destiny.
They're both Ohio boys. Trubisky is from Mentor and Gruden hails out of Sandusky. Add that to the list of reasons the former coach is a definite threat to Fox next year.
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