Have the Chicago Bears Missed the Boat on Jeremy Bates?
Published by Bob Warja on January 10, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
There are two schools of thought when it comes to hiring the next Bears offensive coordinator. One is that Jay Cutler needs an older, veteran presence who is willing to kick him in the pants when needed. You know, to help Cutler grow up a bit.
The other school of thought, of which I lean toward, is to get someone in here that Cutler is familiar with and who he can relate to. After all, you’ve invested a lot in the guy, you might as well make him as comfortable as possible.
Look, I understand the cries of not letting the inmates run the asylum. And that’s just what many fear might happen if the Bears succumb to Cutler’s wishes and hire USC’s Jeremy Bates, who was on Mike Shanahan’s staff at Denver.
But hey, regardless of which side you fall on in the debate, the whole thing may be a moot point soon. For the Bears may be too late.
You see, the Seattle Seahawks have reached an agreement in principle to hire Pete Carroll as its next head coach. And well, Mr. Bates may just be following his soon-to-be-former USC coach to the Northwest.
ESPN ‘s Chris Mortensen said a league source told Mortensen that “Carroll was trying to persuade USC offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates to join him in Seattle…as opposed to Bates pursuing the same position with the Chicago Bears .”
And let’s face it, why should Bates take a job with the Bears when the gig may only last one season, recognizing Lovie Smith’s tenuous position? Why not go with Carroll and grab some job security?
Perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise. Maybe it’s better not to have another fellow young, brash guy to sit with Cutler and trade sneers at those who criticize them?
After all, though he has a reputation of knowing what he is doing, Bates also has a reputation of being somewhat immature himself.
Well, despite all that, I say that we will live or die, sink or swim with Jay Cutler as our QB, so we might be missing an opportunity to help restore his confidence.
But no matter how it turns out, it will be interesting to see Cutler’s reaction. Despite protests to the contrary, it is apparent that Cutler didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye with Ron Turner and Pep Hamilton.
While that could be due in part to Cutler’s immaturity, it is obvious that a change is needed to get the most out of our strong armed, but red zone-challenged QB.
My concern with the other prominent name mentioned as an OC candidate for the Bears, Mike Martz, is that he is known for the five- and seven-step drops he likes his QBs to take.
For that to succeed, you need an offensive line that can keep opposing pass rushers off Cutler’s back. And, well, last I checked, we don’t seem to have that luxury.
Stay tuned, this one’s not over yet. But the Bears had better hurry if they want Bates.
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