With Vic Fangio in Place, Finding Right OC Is Bears’ Next Most Important Move
Published by Zach Kruse on January 20, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are one offensive coordinator hire away from assembling an all-star coaching staff for the 2015 season.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the Bears won the race to hire former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who will take the same job in Chicago. The addition comes just one day after the Bears introduced former Denver Broncos head coach John Fox as the franchise’s 15th coach.
Fox, 59, and Fangio, 56, are two of the most experienced, respected defensive coaches in the NFL. The franchise expects the duo to expedite Chicago’s greatly needed rebuild on defense. The Bears have won just 13 games over the last two seasons, in large part due to a defense that has allowed more points (920) than any other in the NFL over that span.
Fangio arrives in Chicago with 15 years of experience as an NFL defensive coordinator. He’s arguably been the most successful defensive coach in the NFL over the last four seasons, guiding the 49ers to four straight top-five rankings in yards allowed and three finishes in the top three of scoring defense. San Francisco fell to 10th in the latter category in 2014, but injury devastated Fangio’s group.
Over two years under former defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, the Bears never finished a season ranked higher than 30th overall in either yards or points allowed. Chicago was 30th in yards and points in 2013 and 30th in yards and 31st in points in 2014.
Needless to say, the upgrade from an overmatched Tucker to the experienced Fangio is a substantial one.
The reaction to the move from various media members has been almost universally positive:
The Bears now need a smart hire at offensive coordinator to tie the entire staff together.
If fixing the Chicago defense was priority No. 1 for the team this offseason, finding the right offensive mind to get through to quarterback Jay Cutler and a downtrodden offense was a close second.
Former head coach and play-caller Marc Trestman succeeded in his initial campaign, as the Bears vaulted to No. 2 in the NFL in scoring offense in 2013 with 445 total points. But the attack came crashing down to earth in fantastic fashion last season, with Cutler reverting to his turnover-prone ways and the offense becoming nothing more than a dink-and-dunk operation lacking a true identity.
Chicago finished 21st in yards per game and 23rd in points scored, while Cutler led the NFL in turnovers with 24. The Bears attempted 609 passes (tied for seventh) and ranked 30th in rushing attempts. Just one year after averaging 27.8 points per game, Chicago managed to hit the 28-point total in just two contests in 2014—with zero games over 30 points.
Calming Cutler’s occasionally erratic ways is an unenviable task for any incoming coordinator, but there are also many less favorable situations existing in the NFL. The Bears still have a game-breaking receiver in Alshon Jeffery, a veteran pass-catcher in Brandon Marshall and one of the game’s most versatile running backs in Matt Forte, plus additional Pro Bowl players at both tight end (Martellus Bennett) and guard (Kyle Long).
And when Cutler is right, his rocket arm and surprising mobility give him a chance to beat any team on any day. Fox certainly isn’t shying away from Cutler and his erratic play, as quoted by Chris Wesseling of NFL.com, and hopefully whoever he brings in as offensive coordinator will feel the same.
I’m looking forward to getting to know Jay. He did text me, welcomed me to Chicago. Was very excited that I was coming here which I thought was a nice move. I just reminded him that this game is only fun when we win, and we will. … I’m looking forward to seeing Jay face-to-face. We’re going to start that relationship and that process. Doesn’t matter what player here. We’re going to start that process, and I’m not there yet.
The key for the incoming coordinator will be cutting down on the bad plays and encouraging the good, using coaching, scheme and play-calling as the driving force for change. Cutler is 31 years old and well-established in his ways, but to call him a total lost cause is to underestimate the overall quality of quarterbacks in today’s NFL.
The Bears can still win with Cutler under center just as long as the chaos around him is cleaned up far more than Trestman and Tucker were able to over the past two seasons.
Fox, who put together quality coaching staffs at each of his previous head coaching stops, Denver and Carolina, will have a number of qualified candidates to run his offense in Chicago.
Kyle Shanahan, 35, was the most intriguing option, as he’s dealt with just about every kind of quarterback imaginable over seven years as a coordinator. But as Mary Kay Cabot of the Northeast Ohio Media Group reports, Shanahan is on his way to Atlanta.
Fox could decide to ask Greg Knapp, his quarterbacks coach in Denver, to be the next Bears offensive coordinator. He’s been either a quarterbacks coach or coordinator for the last 16 seasons in the NFL, including experiences with Steve Young, Michael Vick, Schaub and Peyton Manning.
The Bears have also shown interest in Rob Chudzinski, per Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. The former Miami Hurricanes offensive coordinator has made NFL stops in Cleveland, San Diego, Carolina and Indianapolis. He ran offenses with the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers.
Chicago should be an attractive landing spot, especially now with Fox and Fangio on board. The next coordinator will have a chance to “fix” Cutler once and for all, but even if he fails, it’s likely the Bears will start fresh with a new, young quarterback in 2016 and beyond.
There are early expectations in Chicago but also a long-term vision, putting the new offensive coordinator in a position of relative security.
Even with a head coach and defensive coordinator in place, there’s still plenty left on general manager Ryan Pace’s offseason checklist. The Bears must make decisions on a number of veteran free agents, and Cutler’s immediate future still hangs in the balance. The overall talent level on Chicago’s roster needs to rise considerably.
If Chicago makes another home run hire to lead the offense, the Bears will be fast-tracking a quick recovery.
Zach Kruse covers the NFC North for Bleacher Report.
Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com
