Chicago Bears: Analyzing the Three Finalists for Head Coach Vacancy

It appears that the Chicago Bears are down to three finalists for their head coaching vacancy. Here is some information on them.

The Chicago Bears got their new general manager hired earlier this week. They hired Ryan Poles to build the roster and field a consistent playoff-contending team.

Poles’ first order of business is to hire the main guy on the field, the head coach. In a departure from the Ryan Pace hiring in 2015, Poles insisted on hiring the head coach himself and not getting entangled with an arranged marriage the way Pace was. The Bears insisted on pairing old school head coach John Fox with Pace. That went horribly bad. It wasn’t that having a seasoned head coach paired with a young general manager was a bad idea. It is a solid idea. The problem was that Fox and Pace weren’t a match in personalities. They couldn’t mesh their ideas together and didn’t really trust each other. The result was three consecutive last-place finishes.

Poles didn’t want to go through that. Now he has the opportunity to find a head coach who connects with him. It can be the old school veteran coach, but one who shares his vision.

The search narrows the finalists to three

It appears that there are three finalists for the head coaching vacancy. These are the men who received a second interview — Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dann Quinn, former Indianapolis Colts/Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell, and Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.

Jim Caldwell

Of the three, Caldwell is the one who is offensively minded. In his 42 seasons (!) in coaching, he spent all of it on the offensive side of the ball. He’s been an offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, wide receivers coach, and passing game coordinator.

Jim Caldwell’s interview w/the #Bears went “very well,” says a source close to the situation. I’m told the former #Lions/#Colts HC loves Justin Fields and impressed Chicago by laying out an entirely new offense that would highlight Fields’ extensive skill set.

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 26, 2022

Perhaps the most important job for the new head coach to do is to develop quarterback Justin Fields. The Bears feel they finally have their franchise quarterback and need someone who can take advantage of all his tools. Previous head coach Matt Nagy did a horrible job in preparing a game plan for Fields and Fields suffered as a result.

Caldwell impressed the Bears with his plan for Fields. He apparently loves Fields and has a plan to overhaul the offense to take advantage of the young quarterback’s skill set. This is similar to what the Baltimore Ravens did with Lamar Jackson. When they decided to make him the starter they overhauled the offense and used his skills. They’ve been a strong team ever since.

If the Bears wanted a true leader of men, Caldwell fits the bill. He does a great job of communicating with his players and they love him and play hard for him. He coached the Lions from 2014 to 2017 and had a winning record with them. In the 18 seasons before him and the four since his departure, the Lions haven’t had a coach with a winning record.

With his experience, there is nothing that Caldwell hasn’t seen. He is ready for anything and having the ability to communicate will go far in him earning the players’ trust quickly.

Dan Quinn

Quinn has experience as a head coach as well. He led the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 to 2020. He took them to the Super Bowl in the 2016 season and infamously blew a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots.

Despite being more of a defensive coach, Quinn apparently wowed the Bears and other teams that interviewed him with the names he has in mind for his staff. Having a strong coaching staff really helps him. As I mentioned earlier, Fields is the key to all of this. While Quinn doesn’t have the experience on offense if he hires a great offensive coordinator it still completes the task of helping Fields.

Quinn’s ability to help the defense could return the Bears to their identity. Many people know the Bears as a tough defensive team. Quinn completed a quick turnaround with the Cowboys. In 2020, their defense ranked 28th in points allowed. This season, they ranked seventh. Additionally, while they did a good job of causing turnovers in 2020, ranking seventh, they led the league this season. In addition, he was the defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks when they had their “Legion of Boom” days. They went to two Super Bowls, winning one.

This is a staple of the Chicago Bears defense and returning to that certainly raises excitement.

Of the three finalists, Quinn is the youngest at 51. He is mere months younger than Eberflus, but he has more coaching experience. While he had success in Atlanta, he did make some mistakes. He can show that he learned from those mistakes and is ready to lead another team to success.

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Matt Eberflus

A couple of days ago, some people thought that Eberflus was a favorite to land the job. He was the first candidate the Bears called back for a second interview. There is a possibility that he might still be a favorite, but he now has competition.

Of the three candidates, Eberflus has the least experience. He has no head coaching experience and only has four seasons in Indianapolis as defensive coordinator. They may be different, but hiring Eberflus gives off Nagy vibes. Nagy also had a lack of experience and it showed when he became head coach.

Eberflus has been praised for his leadership. He connects well with his players. He and Poles became friends over the last few years. Furthermore, they both have the same agent so they have a good feel for each other.

Among the three finalists, Eberflus needs the strongest coaching staff assembled. He needs to hire coaches who could help make up for his inexperience and assist him in certain situations. The fact that he is a finalist in a couple of teams’ eyes says a lot about his abilities, though.

Verdict

Of the three candidates, Eberflus has to be the darkhorse. He has the thinnest resume among the three. Additionally, pairing his inexperience with Poles’ inexperience might make people at Halas Hall nervous.

Between Quinn and Caldwell, it really is up in the air. Caldwell could be the guy if the Bears want to have an experienced coach who has seen everything paired with Poles. Caldwell is a great communicator so he won’t try to overpower Poles. Both will be able to state their case in whatever situation or player. It will be a true collaboration.

Quinn also has experience, however. He has the ability to turn things around quickly. Also, he is younger than Caldwell. Caldwell could decide in a few years that he wants to retire. Quinn, at 51, is in it for the long haul. After his dismissal in Atlanta, he appears to have learned from his mistakes and is ready for a second chance. Don’t be surprised if Quinn makes it out on top.