Bears Blitz

Published by Jake Perper on January 6, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Some of you Bears fans might be asking who is Jeremy Bates? Why wouldn’t we just hire Mike Martz or Charlie Weis?

Let me introduce Jeremy Bates. He is the 33-year-old son of the recently fired Bucs defensive coordinator, Jim Bates.

Jeremy began his coaching career with the Bucs in 2002 as the offensive quality control coach (The same season the Bucs won the Super Bowl.). He spent two additional seasons in Tampa and then spent one year with the Jets as the quarterbacks coach.

From 2006-2008, he was the quarterbacks coach for the Denver Broncos with the Chicago Bears current quarterback Jay Cutler.

This offseason Jeremy bolted for USC to be the assistant head coach/quarterbacks coach.

Jeremy knows football. He knows quarterbacks and most importantly, he knows Jay Cutler.

Jay Cutler trusts this guy a lot and that is a good thing to have between your quarterback and your offensive coordinator.

Cutler said this upon hearing Bates was heading to the college ranks last January:

“Jeremy is one of the best offensive minds in football. He was extremely innovative with our offense and took our playbook to the next level with some of the things he did, keeping defenses off balance and changing our look but at the same time keeping it simple for us players. Some of the things he did were amazing to watch. He was always watching other teams and coming up with new ideas for our offense.”

“He helped me grow into my third NFL season and helped me reach the Pro Bowl along with some of the other goals I set for myself. As a unit, our offense became one of the most productive in the league with Jeremy calling plays. He brought a lot of excitement to the meeting room and on the field.”

“He made me want to come to work every day and get better. Jeremy will do great things in his new role, and USC couldn’t have picked a better guy.”

If the Bears decide to hire Jeremy Bates as their new offensive coordinator, I would support it because of his strong relationship with the Bears future star, Jay Cutler.

Also, the comparisons to Rex Grossman and Jeff George could come to an end next season if the Bears hire Bates. In 2008, the Denver Broncos’ offense, with Jay Cutler at the helm and Jeremy Bates as his quarterback coach, ranked second overall in the NFL.   The passing game was ranked third and the rushing attack was ranked 12th.

The addition of Bates could already be in the works, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The Bears have supposedly reached out to Jeremy Bates about succeeding the recently fired offensive coordinator Ron Turner.

By firing Ron Turner who didn’t know how to use Jay Cutler correctly, and the hiring of someone who is smart and capable of working with Jay Cutler, is the greatest idea the Bears could have.

I hope the Bears strike a deal with Jeremy Bates before someone else snags him away. The offense is what’s going to help this team win games not the defense which could improve with some adjustments. Who knows.

Why is Jeremy Bates the answer for the Bears?

Because of his unique relationship with the Bear’s most important piece of the puzzle: Jay Cutler.

all quotes from The LA Times

Jake Perper is the creator of www.BearsBacker.com and also covers the Bears for www.NFLTouchdown.com.

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