Dear NFL assistant coaches,
I sincerely hope this message finds you all well, from Matt LaFleur and Teryl Austin to Josh McDaniels to Jim Bob Cooter. I take heart in your respective seasons having gone to plan however with the grueling season racing to a close and the long offseason staring us dead in the eyes, you all will have plenty decisions on your plate to be made by your franchises and you yourselves. The potentially most painful accords for both you and your franchise will be where you will end up coaching next.
Whether you have had a disappointing year riding the hot seat or will be coaching for a week or so more after Week 17, the choice to move on and take up the head coaching job you have always dreamed of or not is one you will have to decide on real soon. Maybe even your own team will make the decision for you. Either way, there will be a plethora of opportunities for that head coach position you have worked so hard for and I am writing to you to help guide you on this journey.
While jobs like Tampa Bay or Indianapolis may provide an intriguing chance for you to prove yourselves in one way or another, I absolutely urge you to take the opening in Chicago. Yes, the currently 5-10 Bears is an opening you can’t pass up.
Now, this is more than the honor of taking the reins of the oldest franchise in the league or trying your hand at revitalizing a team that has been in the gutter since 2013. There is simply too much going for Chicago for you to not at least consider the position. Ignoring the general disappointments this team has embodied for years, after multiple grade A drafts, it’s a team that is a great coach away from contention.
Quarterback whisperers (I am looking at you Matt LaFleur and Frank Reich), this is a job that you have probably had in your scopes since Mitchell Trubisky was selected. By taking the Bears spot, you get one of the brightest quarterback talents in the league to mold. As long as the Bears pick up a solid receiver in either the draft or free agency, this will be a wonderful challenge for you to prove yourselves to this league.
Trubisky has all the intangibles of a great quarterback, his leadership skills are beyond his years, and his humble quiet nature is readily coachable. The talent is all there and all you need to do is to put him in a system he will thrive in, something I trust you can accomplish.
And even if you don’t specialize in quarterback development, the talent Ryan Pace has surrounded you with is prototypical with today’s ever-evolving league. The former John Fox is a solid head coach but where you get to right his wrongs is utilizing the talent given in the way they should be- an uptempo spread offense with a versatile and creative defense, something the defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has mostly taken care of.
Trubisky is an exciting enough prospect alone to work with but tagged with one of the league’s most dynamic rushing attacks is going to allow you to have a lot of fun with the gameplans. You get to unleash your creativity because you will finally have the personnel to do it. Wildcats, crazy reverses, quarterback sweeps, whatever your heart desires, you will probably be able to pull it off.
Defensively, you get your hands on a ton of versatile athletes and one of the inventive defensive minds in football on your staff. Just like on offense, Ryan Pace has funneled in widely adaptable players conducive to today’s league built on speed and athleticism, allowing for you to bring to life your wildest gameplan dreams.
It’s a special opportunity when a team with so much potential is hunting for a head coach. Often times, when a franchise is trending upwards, they make slight improvements where they need to be made. However, Chicago is going into an offseason with the sole intent of cleaning house in the coaching offices. Bring the right game plan and your quarterback development handbook and you could find yourself coaching one of the league’s best squads.
And yeah, you already know, you won’t walk through the doors of Halas Hall and immediately win Coach of the Year, but there are countless pieces you get to toy around with that allow you to have a lot of fun with the high tempo playbook you bring in. So while Tampa Bay flaunts a proven quarterback with a solid team around him and Indianapolis is only two seasons removed from an AFC Championship appearance, Chicago is a team hip-hop happening place that you yourselves get the rare chance to lead to glory.
Come enjoy some authentic deep dish pizza and Navy Pier and coach the Chicago Bears. You won’t regret it.
Sincerely,
The entire city of Chicago