In a choice that got here a full yr later than it ought to’ve, the Chicago Bears lastly determined to maneuver on from head coach Matt Eberflus on Friday afternoon, placing an finish to a depressing tenure marked by late recreation ineptitude and the expansion of a beard that Jedi mind-tricked Bears followers into pondering Flus may very well be a superb head coach. Facial hair can conceal plenty of issues — a scar, a double chin, a child face — however it could actually’t conceal a foul soccer coach.
Now the Bears want to verify they do not repeat the identical mistake they’ve made for over a decade now with their subsequent head teaching rent. Keep in mind, Lovie Smith was 81-63 in Chicago and had led the Bears to 3 postseason appearances in his 9 seasons earlier than he was fired. Since then, the Bears have the Fifth-worst file within the NFL and have cycle via 4 completely different head coaches, none who lasted greater than 4 seasons.
Most Bears followers are dreaming of seeing Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson patrolling the sidelines at Soldier Discipline subsequent yr. Even sure members of the media, like NFL Community’s Wealthy Eisen, help this concept. However on the newest episode of the Wealthy Eisen Present, the longtime NFL analyst proposed one other thought… one that might carry the Bears again to their glory days.
“I’d go for [Mike] Vrabel,” Eisen steered on Friday. “You get your self a [Mike] Ditka sort type of character. Stick him on the market on the sideline. Discover the correct offensive coordinator. Clearly it didn’t work the final time, and go to work. See how that works.”
Mike Vrabel, who’s presently serving as a marketing consultant for the Cleveland Browns, is a logical option to take over as the pinnacle coach in Chicago in 2025. Vrabel has had professional success as a head coach prior to now, going 54-45 in his tenure with the Tennessee Titans. He gained Coach of the 12 months in 2021 after main Tennessee to the perfect file within the AFC.
However even past Vrabel’s success as a head coach, there are clear parallels between the 49-year-old coach and the person who earned nationwide fame as the pinnacle coach of the Bears that make him an attention-grabbing candidate for Ryan Poles to contemplate.
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Vrabel, like Ditka, had a blue collar upbringing, and simply as was the case with Ditka and Carnegie, Pennsylvania, Vrabel appears to embody the the economic metropolis — Akron, Ohio — that he got here from. Vrabel, like Ditka, performed for a few years within the NFL and had quite a lot of success. Ditka was a Corridor of Fame tight finish. Vrabel was a linebacker who gained three Tremendous Bowls and was inducted into the New England Patriots Corridor of Fame. And Vrabel, like Ditka, simply seems to be just like the man who ought to be teaching the Bears.
Packaging Mike Vrabel with a high-profile offensive coordinator may find yourself being finest case state of affairs for Chicago’s teaching search. However as has been the case since Lovie Smith was given the boot, the man that Bears followers rally round does not find yourself being the man who will get the job. So whereas Vrabel or Ben Johnson could be most popular, this Bears fan is not getting his hopes up.