BearFan PHX

I think Kingsbury is tremendously underrated, but that's mostly because I dont think Daniels in more than a one read or run QB. Daniels does a LOT of other things right, including having a rocket for an arm with insane accuracy though. BUT Kingsbury is also considered to be kind of an ahole, and so even though i think he has done a tremendous job with Daniels, I dont know if he is the right head coach for us. I think Johnson is a tremendous offensive mind, and it would be such a relief to have a guy who takes the run game seriously for once in the last several decades. But I think it's a coin flip on his head coaching leadership abilities. If we go that way, i sure hope he works out. McCarthy seems the safest bet to me. The highest floor. He's proven as a leader and a winner. But is he as innovative as Johnson? Probably not.

I dont mean to imply that it was ONLY to satify the Rooney rule, just that it does. Eddie George is a truly incredible person, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him have lots of success. I dont think he is ready for an NFL head coaching job yet, but I wouldnt really know. I havent been following his current team at all.

I've read some guesses that the public info about asking about Tomlin was a non tampering signal to Johnson (or anyone) that the Bears would be willing to pay better than they have in the past. We know what Tomlin makes, so if we traded, we'd have to pay it - therefore it is a signal to the league that the Bears are willing to pay, which is a counter to the idea that the Raiders might outbid us for Johnson, without actually telling Johnson's agent that and running afoul of tampering rules. For example, Ive read some rumors that the Bears inquired after trading for Kevin OConnell, but that was not made public, so if the Tomlin move was, there's a reason. Also, scheduling George for this morning means that strategically, you could go after any losing playoff coach tomorrow if they were to become available. Not that you assumed Johnson or the Bills would lose, but just in case either or both did, youd be ready if you wanted to pull the trigger? All reading tea leaves, nothing sourced or factual, but still interesting to think about.

Bears are scheduled to meet with Eddie George to interview for the head coach position tomorrow morning. It's a bit of a surprising name, but he did just win coach of the year as head coach of Tennessee State. But mostly, after he is interviewed, and having already spoken to Ron Rivera, the Rooney rule is now satisfied and the Bears could then announce a hiring decision as early as tomorrow afternoon. With the Rooney Rule now satisfied, and Johnson available, if a decision doesn't come soon, then we can assume that the Bears don't know what they are doing, and really are interviewing so many candidates because they don't know what they're looking for, or have settled strongly on a coach still alive int he playoffs, like Buffalo's OC for example.

so, this is fine to say. but it's the same as when I post some article that isn't sourced etc. My point here isn't to put yours down, just to say these kind of things are interesting, and unreliable as we all know, and its cool when you do it and when i do it too

As far as Johnson is concerned, the Raiders have no QB, have no draft capital to get one, and play in a division and conference with much tougher competition, and more quality QBs. The strategic move would be to stay in the NFC, and find a team with good young QB.

Watching the game tonight, really the first full game I've seen of the Commanders this year, I was left feeling exactly the same about Jayden Daniels as i did before the draft. The guy has a monster arm, is crazy accurate on long throws, runs well, and is a one read QB. I watched his helmet on every pass play and I only saw 2 where he moved his head to look somewhere else. One of them, he was just looking off the defender so he could go back to the guy he'd been staring down. Obviously Kingsbury has designed an offense to maximize Daniels' abilities, and it looks deadly. I feel like this same offense could have gotten the best out of Justin Fields too. This isn't the offense I'd run for Caleb at all. But all I can say about Kingsbury is he ran the right offense for the guy he had. I can't say he would have the same scheme with Caleb at all. Kingsbury may be a jerk, but he is definitely a bright offensive mind. On the other side of the field, Johnson is a master of the running game. His scheme is solid, and of course he has a great OL and two good backs. most coaches would look good with that, but Johnson clearly shows a mastery of run fits that a lot of teams would love to have. So it isn't just the roster. But would those run fits work with an inferior OL and RBs? I doubt it. Johnson also had some nice trick plays - very clever stuff. The reverse shovel pass is something I've never seen. Really cool. As far as sideline demeanor, I thought Kingsbury had more fire and Johnson was more in his head. I respect Johnson, but I'm really not sure he's a good gamble for us. That doesnt mean I know he will be a bad choice, more like it's a coin flip, and that's a lot to gamble Caleb on. i wouldnt do it, but if we do, theres still a good chance it'll work out well too. I'm not even sure Kingsbury is a high choice from me to be head coach either, but I feel like he would have the edge with me if I could only choose from those two. One thing is clear. Whoever we get as our next coach, OL coach Chris Morgan is gone. And that is a start!

I agree with this

While we wait for actual info - here's a question. Maybe it helps bring the qualities we will need into focus. If you could have any head coach in the NFL, who would you choose? Andy Reid is kind of obvious, but then you don't get to bring Mahomes with him. Just like Johnson cant bring his OL. Also you get them at their current age. Who is your #1 NFL coach to bring here?

Of course youre right. If Johnson is the head coach he will be the head coach, but Rivera could be bad cop. He will certainly demand accountibility on the defense, and that will bleed over too. I assume Johnson will too, but I am concerned about how tough he is. With Rivera here it mitigates some of my concerns.

well I have never once met Pete Carroll, so for sure I don't know what he would or wouldn't do. If he was willing, I agree that'd be a great situation.

Id love that, but I dont see either of them agreeing to that. I think the best hope is to get a strong culture builder as DC, maybe Ron RIvera?

this is my greatest concern with McCarthy too

Interesting thought on Waddle and Silvy today with Michael Wilbon. If we do go with Ben Johnson, what about Ron Rivera as DC? He would certainly bring accountability to the locker room. he could play that Dan Campbell role for us from the DC position, and he could give head coaching experience advice to Johnson who would be new to it. I gotta say, I don't hate the idea of having a tough former head coach as DC to address some of the worries i have about Johnson. And that said, i would keep 10 miles away from Flores in any role.

I think this is exactly it.

I think that for the last year, and until a week or two ago, Poles knew Johnson was his top target. Now that McCarthy is in the mix, that calculus might be changing. I just hope Poles is flexible enough mentally to reevaluate his situation, and isn't stuck in mental inertia, having trouble letting go of his earlier thoughts. I think about how he almost traded up with the Giants to get Odunze. Is he flexible enough to deal with a change in the situation? Or is he too dogged and has trouble letting go of plans? I sure hope he isn't thinking about playing them off of each other, or worse yet, likes McCarthy best but is waiting to do due diligence on Johnson. That would be a huge mistake. If you like McCarthy best right now GRAB HIM, you dont wait to make your bets until you've seen everyone's cards. It's too late then. Like you say, it won't last long. On the other hand, if he IS flexible, and he still prefers Johnson, then while I might not agree with his choice, then he is still playing his cards right. I really don't trust Poles.

This is exactly my thinking too. You took the job security CYA approach to explaining it, but it also goes for what is best for the franchise too. If we become a yearly playoff team, and can't get over the hump, then it would be a good time to bring in that hot shot scheme guy, after the foundation is set. But there is nothing about hiring McCarthy that means we cant get a hot shot OC too. This is also true of Carroll, who has the added plus that the OC would be an asst head coach and heir apparent. That means you dont lose the guy AND you can probably get the best candidates too because of the increased title and opportunity. I prefer McCarthy or Carroll (I dont know which I want more?) over Ben Johnson for SURE.

damn can you imagine?!

Both of our running backs could use an upgrade, and I dont know any names yet, but I dont doubt your research. Consider also that if you upgrade the OL, every running back looks better!

you need players too. Johnson has the best OL in football, and his offense is predicated on play action passing. Of course everything is working. And don't get me wrong - I love how Johnson shows you something and maybe twice and then uses your expectations to go the other way when you think youve read the play. That kind of conditioning is really great for offenses. Contrast that with Nagy's "you cant tell what we are doing" approach which doesnt work as well. But Johnson isnt the only coach that gets this. Lots of pro coaches know this. Schemes come and go. But players win games, and coaches build cultures. yes we need an OC who understands schemes, but that isn't so hard to find. McCarthy will have lots of contacts, and a good idea of who would be good choices to hire from among people we havent heard of yet, because of his years at the Packers and the Cowboys. His winning percentage over a large sample size is impressive. A lot of the super bowls he didnt win were won by the Patriots and the Chiefs. So you can indict the entire rest of the league for not being Belichick or Reid, but then again, they have/had Brady and Mahomes. Mahomes wins all these superbowls, some with Nagy around, so maybe Caleb has a higher ceiling than Dak Prescott? Maybe that's where McCarthy will get over the hump? Also, you cant overlook the experience head coaches get over time. Belichick was not great with the Browns, Reid didnt win the big one with Philly. By your logic, youd have overlooked both? Johnson is smart, but Trestman was smart too. He got our offense moving, but the team didnt have that edge, the defense fell apart, and you know the rest. Let's get a head coach to be the head coach, and an OC to be the OC.

I love it. He will set the culture, and develop Caleb. Best of both worlds.

thanks for that - I had missed it, and youre right. It makes McCarthy and Tomlin even more similar. I suppose the biggest difference is that McCarthy came from the offensive side of the ball and Tomlin from the defensive side. But i wonder how much that matters to someone who has been a head coach for well over a decade as they both have. Certainly Bill Belichick was a monster offensive thinker, but he came up the ranks on the defensive side. I understand if someone is coming from being a coordinator how it might matter, but if someone has been head coach for a long time; McCarthy, Tomlin, Carroll - I think at some point they probably have ideas on both sides of the ball. And I mean, how can you be a successful offensive coordinator if you don't understand defenses and vice versa?

I think McCarthy and Tomlin are very similar. Both are tough culture builders with experience, and long sustained winning. McCarthy has never won a SB and Tomlin has one in 2008. McCarthy is an offensive guy who has worked with big name QBs. Both are getting older, some say neither can win the big game again, but both have high floors. Each is possibly available after long stints with a team that had a lot of winning, but didn't dominate against the top teams. Either one would be a good hire for us. Between the two I think I'd go with McCarthy. But given that we really need a culture builder and THEN a schematic wizard, I like the idea of Pete Carroll with a top flight OC/assistant head coach who will take over as HC after Carroll retires and has built a sustainable culture. As much of a whiz as Ben Johnson is, I dont think we have the foundation and culture yet to go right to the whiz kid. I dont love the idea of bringing in a Fox type guy and then a whiz as a head coach after that because of all the upheaval, so the Pete Carroll concept looks pretty good to me. I mean, you get the tough guy, but you dont lose your OC and eventually he becomes your offensive minded head coach after the foundation is built, without having to change underlings, systems etc. But honestly, I'd be fine with any of those guys over Johnson. And Im not saying Johnson wont be a tough culture builder. I just dont know if he will, and we need one for sure. If that first time HC doesnt pay off, say goodbye to Caleb and wait another 20 years for a QB.

I think youre right - we could really use them this year though I wonder if we can trade them this year

very interesting. check out his ranking on winning percentage (37th all time) vs other notable coaches. Hes been doing it a long time, big sample size, and he beats out guys like Landry, McVey, Carroll, Holmgren, Parcells, Noll. His .608 all time winning percentage compares favorably to Bill Walsh .609 Marty Schottenheimer .613 Sean Payton .618 If you remove head coaches with fewer than 8 years experience (smaller sample size compared to McCarthy's 18 years), his rank would be 26th all time. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches