Head Coach Candidate Power Rankings, Petzing Connection, Where’s Coen? And Other Bears Bullets ...Middle East

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Head Coach Candidate Power Rankings, Petzing Connection, Where’s Coen? And Other Bears Bullets

Day 4 of the Chicago Bears offseason. My therapist and I did not discuss the Cowboys leaving the Bears on read before ultimately denying Chicago’s request to interview Mike McCarthy. We did, however, lay out a road map to be my best self — which includes treating myself with the same kindness and grace I give others. I wanted to share that today because I feel as if (1) this should resonate with a lot of people and (2) we could all stand to be kinder to ourselves. Onward.

Patrick has updated his power rankings of Bears head coach candidates. You should check it out. I have my own set of power rankings. But instead of rankings, there are tiers. Because number rankings aren’t my favorite thing in the world: TOP DAWG: Ben Johnson (Lions OC) GUYS I’D BE COOL WITH: Pete Carroll (Former Seahawks HC), Mike Vrabel (Former Titans HC), Kliff Kingsbury (Commanders OC) I COULD TALK MYSELF INTO THIS: Joe Brady (Bills OC), Aaron Glenn (Lions DC), Mike McCarthy (Cowboys HC), Todd Monken (Ravens OC), Drew Petzing (Cardinals OC) YOU’D HAVE TO TALK ME INTO THIS: Matt Campbell (Iowa State HC), Brian Flores (Vikings HC) THANKS, BUT NO THANKS: Vance Joseph (Broncos DC), Mike Kafka (Giants OC), Arthur Smith (Steelers OC), David Shaw (Former Stanford HC)

MORE: Chicago Bears 2025 Head Coach Search Interview Tracker

    This ranking is limited to coaching candidates who the Bears have reportedly requested interviews with as of this morning. As of this posting of Bullets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers OC Liam Coen has not yet landed an interview request with the Bears. That surprises me. After interviewing with Chicago last offseason and not getting the job, Coen went to Tampa Bay and made the Bucs offense hum. Baker Mayfield set new career bests in passing yards (4500) and touchdown throws (41). TB unearthed a Day 3 starter at running back who looks like a stud. And the Bucs’ tight end usage was enviable. Coen deserves an interview. What gives? Sep 8, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) talks with offensive coordinator Liam Coen against the Washington Commanders during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Adam Hoge (CHGO/BlueSky) points out that Bears interview candidate Drew Petzing has a connection with fellow Bears head coach candidate Ben Johnson dating back to their time together at Boston College. You might recall that Ryan Poles is a Boston College product, too. While Poles, Petzing, and Johnson didn’t cross paths while on the BC campus, I wonder if there are other connections they have that tie them together. In any case, that was an interesting pull from Hoge and worth re-sharing here. Also, let the Bullet above serve as a reminder that many of these interviews the Bears are conducting with candidates are being done as a way to cross-check candidates and to build out a network of coaches to contact. The Bears have been so insulated over the years that I am on board with the team reaching out, casting a wide net, and gathering all sorts of intel from around the league. What is the harm in doing this? This puts some things in perspective:

    The #Bears have 15 candidates so far for initial round of virtual interviews. The process has been mocked by many. The #Chargers interviewed 15 people last year before hiring Jim Harbaugh. Hire the right guy.

    — James Fox (@JamesFox917) January 9, 2025 If the Bears hire the right coach, then we’ll look back at this and chuckle about the overreactions folks had about this search. Then again, I am having a good laugh about it now. How silly are people going to look if the Bears hire their favorite candidate? The manufactured outrage reminds me of what was going on during the Caleb Williams-Justin Fields offseason limbo last year. I guess no one learned any lessons. Unless, of course, the lesson was that rage engagement pays well. The Bears’ first round of interviews being virtual doesn’t bother me. And I do not understand why it clearly bothers so many folks. As someone who hates when people waste my time, the idea of making people travel when it is unnecessary truly grinds my gears. I’ll never forget driving 30 minutes for a job interview only to realize within minutes of the sit-down that the company wasn’t serious about hiring me. The feeling of driving home mad because I wasted my morning sticks with me years later. Ben Solak (ESPN) writes about the coolest offensive schemes you’ll see in the NFL postseason. NFL insider Albert Breer says Robert Kraft’s coaching search “looks like a sham” after flouting the Rooney Rule with interviews of Byron Leftwich and Pep Hamilton — a pair of coaches who weren’t even in the NFL last season. Leftwich hasn’t coached in the NFL since 2022 when he was TB’s OC. Same with Pep Hamilton, who last coached in the NFL in 2022 as the Texans OC. Kraft’s disregard of the Rooney Rule spits in the face of Roger Goodell’s diversity initiatives. Frankly, I now understand how the Pro Football Hall of Fame can continue to be petty enough to keep Kraft out of Canton because of how he acts as if his franchise can be above NFL rules. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) Al Michaels tells The Athletic that he wants to return for a 39th season in the broadcast booth. The early-season version of Michaels did not seem to be in tune with the games he was calling. In fairness, it wasn’t the greatest slate of games. But I felt as if his TNF broadcasts improved as the year kept going. If the Amazon Prime broadcast could find a better partner for him than Kirk Herbstreit, then we’d be cooking with oil. Eric Fisher (Front Office Sports) reports that NFL viewership is down 2.2 percent from a year ago on a per-game basis. Don’t get it twisted. The NFL is still king of the sports-viewing castle as it averaged 17.5 million viewers per game. But seeing a down-tick in viewership is worth noting. I wonder if there is a correlation between a drop in viewership and the fact that 37.5 percent of the league’s teams posted a season with at least 10 losses.

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    This was an enjoyable read about how Kyle Tucker annoys the heck out of opposing teams. (BN Cubs) Over at BN Bulls, Eli has the player grades from last night’s game against the Indiana Pacers. Tab writes about a Blackhawks team with an identity crisis. That’s a feeling Bears fans know all too well.

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