It has been a long time since the Chicago Bears hired somebody with direct connections to the franchise as their head coach. Mike Ditka was the last one. He played tight end for the team, carving out a Hall of Fame career before returning in 1982 to help them to a Super Bowl title three years later. Since then, there have been opportunities to try again. Mike Singletary has lobbied for the job more than once in recent years. However, he isn’t the name fans had hoped for a few years ago. That was Ron Rivera.
He has that same Ditka legacy, having played for the 1985 team as a linebacker. Then, he became their defensive coordinator in the mid-2000s and helped them reach the Super Bowl in 2006. From there, he had loads of success in Carolina as their head coach, making Cam Newton an MVP and reaching the Super Bowl in 2015. He then spent four years in Washington, where he kept them around .500 but never quite got over the hump. Now, the Bears are finally ready to meet with him about their vacant job, according to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports.
The Chicago Bears’ interest in Ron River is hardly surprising.
Most will think it’s just because of nostalgia and the ties to the organization. That is far from the case. Team president Kevin Warren has a long track record with previous teams of leaning towards hiring coaches with experience. Dick Vermeil in St. Louis and Steve Mariucci in Detroit are two examples. We’ve already seen the Bears line up interviews with multiple former head coaches in the past week like Mike Vrabel, Pete Carroll, and Brian Flores. They’re hoping to talk with Mike McCarthy if he becomes available. It shouldn’t be a shock that they would also be interested in talking to Rivera.
After all, he made the playoffs four times in Carolina during a period where you had the Drew Brees Saints and Matt Ryan Falcons at their respective peaks. He already has experience developing a #1 overall pick at quarterback. Fans won’t like the idea because he’s a defensive-oriented coach and 63 years old. Yet the fact remains he has a track record for building a strong team culture and winning games. If anybody would know how to navigate the shaky situation in Chicago, it’s him.
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