The Bears are casting a wide net in their searches for a general manager and head coach — 15 known candidates for the GM job and 10 for the head coaching job. Some think it’s too wide. But it might not be wide enough.
Maybe the Bears need to think a little more outside the box. Or outside of their box, anyway. Asking the Bears to do anything unorthodox is risky business, no doubt — the Bears are unorthodox by nature. But it might not hurt to shake things up at Halas Hall.
It’s not the worst tack in the world. In fact, virtually every championship team in Chicago since the 1963 Bears has been the result of some unorthodox/surprising hiring or firing of a head coach.
- In 1982, George Halas went over general manager Jim Finks’ head to hire Mike Ditka to replace Neill Armstrong — four years later the Bears were Super Bowl champions.
- In 1989, the Bulls fired Doug Collins — who had taken the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals the previous season — and promoted Phil Jackson, who had never coached in the NBA before. One year later, the Bulls started their run of six NBA championships in eight seasons.
- In 2003, the White Sox hired Ozzie Guillen — a qualified candidate as the third base coach with the Marlins, but still a long shot choice (over two-time World Series champion Cito Gaston) and was considered for the job by GM Kenny Williams at the behest of owner Jerry Reinsdorf. Three years later, the Bears won their first World Series since 1917.
- In 2008, the Blackhawks suddenly fired Denis Savard four games into the 2008-09 season and promoted newly hired Joel Quenneville. The following season, the Hawks won their first Stanley Cup since 1961 — the first of three Cups in six seasons.
- In 2015, the Cubs abruptly fired Rick Renteria after one season and jumped at the chance to hire Joe Maddon. The following season, the Cubs won their first World Series since 1908.
Let the record show that the Bears have thought outside the box before and failed — hiring Montreal Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman over Bruce Arians in 2013. But even Arians might have qualified as an outside-the-box hire — he was 60 and had never been a serious head coaching candidate before winning NFL coach of the year honors as an interim coach of the Colts in 2012. The Bears just hired the wrong guy.
With their search well underway, there’s still time to get it right this time. Here’s a look at some candidates outside their current list who could make a difference:
Jim Harbaugh, Michigan head coach: As coach of the 49ers, the former Bears quarterback had a knack for hiring the right people (Vic Fangio, Greg Roman) and developing a quarterback (Colin Kaepernick) and nearly won the Super Bowl.
Though there have been rumors the Bears have contacted Harbaugh, the lack of anything more than that linking Harbaugh to the Bears doesn’t mean the idea is dead. Both Harbaugh and the McCaskeys operate in strange ways. Anything with Harbaugh is not over until it’s over.
Mike Tomlin, Steelers coach: Sure, it’s pie in the sky. The Steelers went to the playoffs this season and their coaches stay forever. But Tomlin on the surface has the qualities of a GM/president of football operations who could shake things up at Halas Hall, maybe even without the McCaskeys knowing it.
Sean Payton, Saints coach: He’s under contract and there’s virtually no way the Saints would give him up. But Payton is the rare personality — like Tomlin — who would not be consumed by the dysfunction at Halas Hall. Maybe that’s why he has not shot.
Dave Toub, Chiefs special teams coordinator: He doesn’t have the profile of the others on this list — he’s the polar opposite, actually. But Toub is a more realistic option as an outside-the-box candidate.
And outside the box he is. Nobody hires a 59-year-old special teams coach. Even among overlooked guys, Toub is overshadowed by offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy on the Chiefs staff. But special teams coaches are often underestimated — see Bisaccia, Rich — and better candidates than people think.
