Bleacher Bums Forum

I expect we'll see more changes on the O side of the coaching tree, just curious how you guys felt about Tice back at OL coach.

No.  I was a believer in Tice at one time, not anymore.

The guy can teach (sort of), but he can't evaluate talent for sh*t.  If he could, he would have been begging for better players 3 years ago already instead of telling our GMs the guys we had were fine. He also, I believe, had a lot to do with 3 or 4 guys on our OL playing out of position all the time. The decision to move Webb from RT to LT was a total fail that wasted two prime years of Cutler's career and probably took another two off from the punishment he took. And he stuck with Carimi WAY too long this year when he was getting schooled every game at RT while a far more capable player (Jonathan Scott) was standing on the sidelines.

There has got to be a better OL coach out there , and I am strongly in favor of finding that guy and giving him a blank check to come here and fix a unit that has been a flat-out embarrassment to the franchise for years. 

PFT says that the other teams interviewing McCoy this weekend are the Bills, Cardinals and Eagles.

If that's our competition, I like our chances.  We are the biggest market, the only team of the 4 who came close to making the playoffs this year, and the only team of the 4 to have our QB situation locked-down.

My #1 OL Coaching candidate has to be Russ Grimm.

Grimm's reputation as an OL coach now may not be what it was a few years ago.  Those OLs the Cardinals put on the field the last few years have been just horrific.

So Lovie's #1 and #2 choice for his next gig is Buffalo and Arizona?

Arizona Cardinals

Replacing: Ken Whisenhunt

In the mix: Ray Horton, Mike McCoy, Lovie Smith, Todd Haley

The latest: Andy Reid cancelled an interview with the team Thursday after spending nine hours meeting with Kansas City Chiefs officials.Team president Michael Bidwill also interviewed Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton for the position Tuesday and is scheduled to meet with Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy in Denver this weekend. The team has also requested to interview Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who served in the same role for the Cardinals when they won the NFC in 2008. An NFL Network report listed the Cardinals as one of two teams that former Bears coach Lovie Smith would be most interested in leading.

Buffalo Bills
Replacing: Chan Gailey

In the mix: Ken Whisenhunt, Ray Horton, Hue Jackson, Lovie Smith, Doug Marrone, Chip Kelly

The latest: Bills execs interviewed recently fired Cardinals head coach Whisenhunt as well as his former defensive coodinator Ray Horton for their vacant head coaching job. A source also told USA TODAY Sports that Bengals assistant Hue Jackson will also speak to the Bills next week after his team's wild card game this Saturday against Houston. The Bills are also one of three teams that will interview Oregon coach Chip Kelly about his possible interest to move from college to the NFL.

An NFL Network report listed Buffalo as the other team Smith has the most interest in and Smith is expected to interview for the job at some point soon. ESPN is saying that Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone will also interview with the Bills

Wmljohn -

Where are you getting those articles from, and is there one for the Bears?

Cool thanks

I hope our defensive players are ready to do some recalibrating because if we hire an offensive minded HC the team dynamics are gonna change dramatically.

For every one of these guys' entire time with the Bears, the D has ruled the roost. Defenders have been the face of the franchise, it's where all the media attention has always gone, etc. etc.  And not without justification...  the D has carried the O during the Lovie era far more often than vice versa.  The good side of that is an extremely high level of morale within that unit, the dark side is this elitist vibe that guys like Urlacher and Briggs have sometimes given off and even a hint of palpable disdain for the offense.

But now you bring in a McCoy or an Arians or a Clements, and all the sudden the Bears identity isn't all tied up in the D anymore.  Not that the pendulum is going to swing 100% to the offense, but there will be balance like we haven't seen.  Emery has already started working to give the offense its due in the draft and FA, and will now look to extend that into coaching and player development.  Guys like Cutler and Marshall are emerging as team spokespersons as a compliment (and sometimes, a counterweight) to Urlacher. Eventually it won't be 4 or 5 defensive Bears going to the Pro Bowl and one guy or nobody on offense...  it'll be a few on each side of the ball.  That dynamic is going to take some managing by the new HC but if he can get this "us vs. them" mentality out of the locker room and get all the players behind one agenda I think it could be real special, sustainable thing that happens to the Bears in the next 2-4 years.

We don't have a power back to run that system.

Well, and that's the question with Arians. McCoy's ability to adapt scheme to personnel is practically legendary, but is Arians on that same level?  Can he get his system up and running with the personnel upgrades we are able to make in the next few months? Or is it gonna take two years of drafting and FA pickups to get the players he needs?

I haven't watched much of the Colts (other than the first game of the season) but IIRC the Colts really don't have a power RB either.